What are the eyesight driving requirements in the UK?
Ensuring your eyesight meets a good standard is crucial when you’re considering getting a driving licence or need to get your old one renewed. Wearing glasses or contact lenses is perfectly okay, considering you meet requirements set by the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Authority, also known as the DVLA.
If you have a condition that is likely to interfere with your ability to drive safely, you should inform the DVLA, to check you comply with the eyesight standard required and therefore are approved to be on the road safely.
Contents
- Standards of vision for driving and the number plate test
- Are online eyesight tests valid?
- Revoking of Licence
- My licence has been revoked. How can I get it back?
- Informing the DVLA of poor eyesight
- Decreased Sight in One Eye
- Glasses and Contact Lenses
Standards of vision for driving and the number plate test
When a learner driver takes the practical driving test, the examiner will ask them to read a number plate on a stationary vehicle. To meet the eyesight requirement, a driver must be able to read a plate from 20.5 metres, or from 20 metres if the new-style number plate is used.
If a person normally wears glasses or contact lenses, it's perfectly acceptable to use these for reading the number plate. However, it must be remembered that, should glasses or contact lenses be needed to meet the eyesight standard, these must be worn at all times when driving.
Failure to wear prescribed glasses or contact lenses can be classed as a criminal offence. Should a driver fail to read the plate, the examiner will give him a second opportunity. If the driver still fails to read the plate, the examiner will measure the exact distance from the registration plate and will ask a third time for the learner to read the registration.
New eyesight regulations could be implemented in the near future, implicating the weather and lighting conditions when the test is taking place. Currently, you should be able to read a number plate from 20.5 meters in good lighting, but the new eye test may revoke this rule and test potential driver’s sight based on poor weather and darker lighting.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is consulting with a medical panel on how to structure the new eye test and asking what are the best ways to conduct the test.
Are online eyesight tests valid?
It’s possible to find a number of eyesight tests online that can give you a rough idea of how good your vision is. However, these tests aren’t proper diagnosis and can’t be used in an official capacity.
If you prefer to test yourself before taking the official eyesight test, you can try reading number plates from a distance of 20 meters. You can get in touch with your DVLA doctor if you’re struggling to see the number plates, and they’ll be able to advise the course of action.
Revoking of Licence
Failure to read the registration number of a car that’s the appropriate distance will result in automatic failure of the driving test. The examiner will complete form DL25, which is the driving test record, and he’ll record that you haven’t been able to meet the prescribed eyesight standard. The examiner will record the distance and the correct registration on the back of the form.
In addition to form DL25, the examiner will ask the learner to sign form DL77, which will be sent to the DVLA, resulting in the Provisional Licence being revoked.
My licence has been revoked. How can I get it back?
A learner driver may appeal and ask for their licence to be reinstated. The DVLA may request a report from an optometrist. The legal requirement for driving a car in the UK equates to about 6/12 vision (using the Snellen Acuity test).
If a person has 6/12 vision, it means they can read letters from 6 metres that a person with normal eyesight could read at 12 metres. The larger the second number, the worse a person’s eyesight is. Of course, this is impossible to determine accurately from a roadside test, so the DVLA may request a proper examination and report from an approved optometrist.
Informing the DVLA of poor eyesight
People with existing licences must notify the DVLA if their eyesight deteriorates to a level that prevents them from meeting the driving standards. It's not only eyesight that must be reported. Certain conditions that reduce the peripheral or visual field must also be reported.
Conditions such as glaucoma may result in a reduced visual field, so it’s worth seeking professional advice before notifying the authority.
Decreased sight in one eye
If you have a condition that affects your vision in one eye only, you don't necessarily need to inform the DVLA of this, as long as your vehicle is a car. This also applies to those who only have sight in one eye, as long as you have adequate sight in your other eye. In both cases, you still need to be able to pass the number plate test.
Glasses and contact lenses
If you need to wear glasses or contact lenses to pass the number plate test (see above), you are obliged to wear these whenever you drive, so that you can be sure of seeing number plates from the required distance.
Learn more about driving legislation with Evans Halshaw
Making sure your eyes are in good health and are able to clearly see the road and other users ahead is essential for a safe drive. Before you’re approved for a driving licence, you’ll have to pass an eyesight test.
Even though getting retested isn’t a legal requirement to renew a licence, it’s your responsibility to inform the DVLA of any changes on your eyesight and get your vision regularly tested.
You can find more information on driving legislation in our guides and advice section, which is constantly updated with the newest information about driving in the UK.
