Is your vision good enough to drive? Poor eyesight is linked to a high number of fatal and serious injuries on the road each year.

It is important to prioritise safety and get your eyes examined every two years, as eyesight deterioration can be slow and often unnoticed. If you do notice a difference you need to check your vision straight away.

 

Driving eyesight rules

If you need to wear glasses or contact lenses to meet the following ‘standards of vision for driving’, you must wear them every time you drive.

In order to meet the standards of vision for driving, you must be able to read a car number plate from 20 metres (with glasses/contact lenses, if necessary).

You also must have a visual acuity of at least decimal 0.5 (6/12) measured on the Snellen scale using both eyes together, or if you have sight in one eye only, in that eye, as well as an adequate field of vision.

You risk being prosecuted if you drive without meeting the standards of vision for driving.

You must inform DVLA if you experience any problems with your eyesight that affects both of your eyes, or the remaining eye if you only have one eye.

This does not include being short or long sighted or colour blind. You also do not need to inform DVLA if you’ve had surgery to correct short sightedness and can meet the eyesight standards.

To check if you need to inform DVLA about any eyesight related problems that can affect your driving, click here.

If you are a lorry or bus driver, click here to find out more about the requirements you need to meet.