Updated: July 30, 2026
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Drivers depend on clear vision to spot distant objects, identify road hazards and read signs. Poor sight in any of these areas raises accident risk.
The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) requires drivers to take a vision exam before getting a license. Some can be corrected with glasses or contacts. More severe conditions can disqualify drivers entirely.
Many American adults have visual disabilities that interfere with driving or make it impossible. More than 3 million people in the U.S. have a vision problem, and more than 1 million are legally blind.
Two to three percent of drivers have visual acuity below the minimum legal standard.
Eighteen states have a minimum requirement of 20/40 vision in the better eye.
Eighty-five percent of people with diagnosed eye disorders have some remaining sight.
Getting or renewing a driver's license is harder for people with visual impairments. Certain conditions, genetic or age-related, can prevent someone from passing the DMV vision test. Corrective lenses and other solutions help many people meet DMV standards.
Visual acuity measures clarity of vision at a distance of 20 feet. A score of 20/20 is normal. Someone with 20/100 acuity needs to stand 20 feet from an object to see what a person with standard vision sees at 100 feet.
Some conditions can be corrected or improved with eyeglasses or contacts. Others make safe driving much harder.
Common Impairment | Challenges |
|---|---|
Low vision | Visual acuity of 20/70 or worse in the better-seeing eye, not correctable with glasses or contacts. |
Damaged central or peripheral view | Central vision focuses on objects directly ahead, while peripheral vision picks up objects to the side. Severe damage to either makes judging surroundings too difficult for safe driving. |
Hemianopia | Loss of more than half the visual field. Most states prohibit driving with this diagnosis. |
Poor depth perception | Difficulty judging proximity to other vehicles, stoplights and pedestrians. Safe merging is harder with this condition. |
Poor night vision | Trouble seeing in low-light conditions. Glaucoma also increases sensitivity to headlight and streetlamp glare at night. |
Color blindness | Inability to distinguish between colors. Traffic signals use red, yellow and green, which can be hard for color-blind drivers to distinguish. |
Myopia | Nearsightedness affects distance vision. Road signs and oncoming vehicles can be difficult to see. |
Astigmatism | The eyes can't focus properly, blurring vision and reducing clarity while driving. |
Corrective lenses, smart electronic glasses and other assistive technology help drivers with visual impairments meet state licensing requirements.
Vision Solution | Costs |
|---|---|
Corrective lenses | Glasses: $20–400 or more. Contact lenses: $50–125 for a box of six pairs. |
Night vision glasses | Nonprescription yellow-tinted glasses that reduce glare while driving at night. $15–100. |
Bioptics | Telescopic lenses help drivers with depth perception issues see objects on the road quickly enough to brake or make corrections. $500–3,000. |
Smart glasses | High-powered cameras and facial/voice recognition provide magnified views of objects. Up to $10,000, depending on the device. |
Vision training | Doctors use specialized lenses and prisms to train the eye. Insurance may cover this treatment. $500 per visit or less, depending on the provider. |
Laser surgery | Reshapes the cornea to eliminate the need for glasses. $1,000–5,000 per eye. |
Keep your glasses in the car if you use them to drive. If your vision is better at certain times of day, plan your drives for those windows. With depth perception issues, stick to surface streets over highways.
Check your blind spots often, and stick to your regular route as much as possible. If you're struggling to see or making driving mistakes, find a safe spot to pull over and call for a ride.
Know what you can and can't handle behind the wheel. See a doctor or talk to a family member if you're unsure whether you can still drive safely, or if you've recently lost vision.
Car insurance rates are based on risk. Drivers with limited vision pay higher premiums than those without vision restrictions. Minor conditions corrected by glasses don't affect your rates. "Drivers with severe vision loss, such as 20/200 acuity, pay higher premiums.
Insurers cannot raise rates simply because a driver wears glasses for nearsightedness. Premiums increase only when a visual impairment results in license restrictions, suspensions or special equipment requirements. Shopping multiple insurers can help you find the best car insurance rate.
You're not legally required to disclose medical conditions to your insurer. But if a condition affects your driving, disclose it. If your insurer finds out an accident resulted from an undisclosed condition, it can legally deny your claim. You may also be charged with insurance fraud.
Every U.S. state requires drivers to pass a vision test before getting a license. Install any required adaptive equipment before getting on the road.
Vision requirements vary by state. Most states require visual acuity between 20/40 and 20/70 in one or both eyes.
Kansas, Iowa and Alabama require a temporal visual field of at least 110 degrees horizontally in both eyes. California, Colorado and Delaware have no visual field requirements. DMV eye tests or optometrist exams determine whether drivers meet their state's requirements.
States | Vision Acuity Needed | Visual Field Needed |
|---|---|---|
Alabama | 20/60 (for the better-seeing eye) | 110° horizontal field |
Alaska | 20/40 (each eye or both together) | Not required |
Arizona | 20/70 (both eyes) or 20/50 (one eye) | 70° temporal & 35° nasal fields in one eye |
Arkansas | 20/70 (both eyes) | 140° horizontal field or 105° horizontal field with one functional eye |
California | 20/40 (both eyes) or 20/40 and 20/70 (for one and the other eye) | Not required |
Colorado | 20/40 (one eye or both eyes) | Not required |
Connecticut | 20/40 (one eye or both eyes) | 140º uninterrupted horizontal field. If blind in one eye, then the other eye must be 100º horizontal field. |
Delaware | 20/50 (at least one eye) | Not required |
Florida | 20/40 (either eye or both together) | 130º uninterrupted horizontal field |
Georgia | 20/60 (at least one eye) | 140º horizontal field |
Hawaii | 20/40 (for the better-seeing eye) | 70º |
Idaho | 20/40 (at least one eye) | Not required |
Illinois | 20/70 (both eyes) | 140º. If one eye has 70º temporally and 35º nasally fields, external mirrors on both sides of the vehicle are required. |
Indiana | 20/50 (each eye) | Not required |
Iowa | 20/70 (both eyes) | 110º or 100º in one eye |
Kansas | 20/60 (at least one eye) | 110º |
Kentucky | 20/60 (at least one eye) | 35º field to the left and right side of fixation and 25º above and below fixation |
Louisiana | 20/70 (each eye) | Not required |
Maine | 20/100 (each eye) | 110º |
Maryland | 20/70 (each eye or both eyes) | 110º with 35º lateral to midline of each side |
Massachusetts | 20/70 (for the better-seeing eye) | 120º |
Michigan | 20/70 (both eyes) | 90º |
Minnesota | 20/70 (one or both eyes) | 100º with both eyes or one |
Mississippi | 20/70 (both eyes) | 170º or with one eye, 70º temporal and 35º nasal fields |
Missouri | 20/40 (both eyes) | 55º or 85º using one eye |
Montana | 20/40 (each eye or both together) | Not required |
Nebraska | 20/60 (each eye or both together) | 140º |
Nevada | 20/40 (both eyes) | Not required |
New Hampshire | 20/40 (both eyes) or 20/30 (one eye) | Not required |
New Jersey | 20/50 (at least one eye) | Not required |
New Mexico | 20/40 (for the better-seeing eye) | 120º horizontal field with at least 30º nasally with one eye |
New York | 20/70 (either or both eyes) | 140º horizontal |
North Carolina | 20/100 (both eyes) or 20/70 (if one eye is blind) | 60º with one eye, or 30º for each side from the central point of fixation |
North Dakota | 20/80 (better-seeing eye if 20/100 in other eye) | 105º |
Ohio | With both eyes, vision must be better than 20/70 | 70º |
Oklahoma | 20/100 (better-seeing eye) | 70º horizontal field |
Oregon | 20/70 (one or both eyes) | 110º |
Pennsylvania | 20/100 (both eyes) | 120º horizontal field |
Rhode Island | 20/40 (both eyes) or 20/40 (one eye) | 115º horizontal field, or with one eye, 40º nasally and 75º temporally fields |
South Carolina | 20/120 (better-seeing eye) | 120º horizontal and 80º vertical. With one eye, 70º temporally and 35º nasally |
South Dakota | 20/60 (both eyes) | Not required |
Tennessee | 20/40 (better-seeing eye) | 150º |
Texas | 20/70 (both eyes or better-seeing eye) | Not required |
Utah | 20/40 (both eyes) | 120º |
Vermont | 20/40 (one or both eyes) | 60º temporal, or with one eye, 60º temporal and nasal |
Virginia | 20/40 (one or both eyes) | 110º horizontal field |
Washington | 20/40 (both eyes) | 110º horizontal field with both or one eye |
West Virginia | 20/60 (both eyes) | Not required |
Wisconsin | 20/100 (one eye) | 20º field from center fixation in at least one eye |
Wyoming | 20/100 (both eyes) | 120º horizontal field |
DMV vision tests take about 10 minutes and don't resemble a medical exam.
You'll look into a machine that measures your field of vision against state minimums. It works like a standard eye exam: read letters or numbers down to the smallest line you can make out.
Your doctor can also perform the test.
Most states require 20/40 vision or better in one eye to drive without restrictions. With 20/40 vision, you can read at 20 feet what someone with perfect vision reads at 40 feet.
Wear your contacts or glasses during the exam unless told otherwise.
Check your eyesight at home by printing an eye chart and hanging it on a wall. Stand 20 feet away, cover one eye and read as far down as you can. Have someone confirm you're reading correctly, then switch eyes.
The Amsler Grid test and color vision test screen for retinal damage and color blindness. If anything looks off at home, see a doctor before your official test.
Christopher Murray is a personal finance and sustainability writer who contributes finance articles to MoneyGeek. His work spans budgeting, socially responsible investing (SRI) and cryptocurrency, with a focus on sustainability as a practical savings strategy.
Christopher earned his degree in English literature and gender studies from Smith College.
