Licensing authorities set one vision standard for ordinary car and motorcycle licences and a higher one for lorry, bus and coach drivers. The published numbers and the paperwork differ between countries. This guide compares what the official sources say for Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, the United States (federal commercial rules) and Ontario. It reports licensing standards only and gives no advice about eyes or eye conditions. A driver with any question about their own sight should see an optometrist or doctor.
Great Britain: Group 1 and Group 2
In England, Scotland and Wales, the car and motorcycle standard is called Group 1 and the lorry and bus standard Group 2. Group 1 appears in regulation 72 of the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1999: a visual acuity of at least 6/12 (decimal 0.5), the ability to read a number plate in good daylight at the prescribed distance, and a horizontal visual field of at least 120 degrees with extensions of at least 50 degrees left and right and 20 degrees above and below, and no significant defects in the central 20 degrees.
GOV.UK sets the Group 2 figures higher: visual acuity of at least 0.8 (6/7.5) in the better eye and at least 0.1 (6/60) in the other, reached with glasses of no more than plus 8 dioptres or with contact lenses. The uninterrupted horizontal field must be at least 160 degrees, with extensions of at least 70 degrees left and right and 30 degrees up and down, and no defects within the central 30 degrees. A driver who held the licence before 1 January 1997 may still be able to renew without meeting these standards.
The reporting duty is also wider. GOV.UK says a lorry or bus driver must tell the DVLA about any problem with eyesight that affects either eye, whereas a car driver reports only problems affecting both eyes or the remaining eye. The driver duties guide explains the car rules.
Great Britain: the paperwork
A provisional lorry or bus licence needs a D2 application and a D4 medical examination report completed by a doctor, and an optician or optometrist can complete the vision section if the doctor cannot. GOV.UK says a lorry or bus licence must be renewed every five years, and every year once the holder reaches 65. From age 45, DVLA sends a D47P renewal form and a D4 56 days before the licence runs out, and renewal is free. The doctor, optician or optometrist usually charges for the medical.
Northern Ireland
nidirect describes a similar route run by the DVA. Provisional entitlement for larger vehicles, buses or minibuses needs the DL2 application and a DLM1 medical report form filled in by a doctor, and the visual assessment section can be completed by a doctor or an optician or optometrist. The DLM1 is valid for four months from the signature date. Drivers with “grandfather rights” for C1 or D1 categories, from passing a car test before 1 January 1997, must meet the higher Group 2 standards at 70, or if a licence is refused or revoked for a medical reason, to keep those entitlements.
Republic of Ireland
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) says a medical report form, completed by a doctor on the Irish Register of Medical Practitioners, is required to apply for, renew or add categories to a truck or bus licence or learner permit, and for anyone aged 75 or over. It also lists the Medical Fitness to Drive Guidelines 2026 as the reference for Group 1 and Group 2 drivers. Standard renewals of car licences do not require an eyesight report form, as the Irish eyesight report page explains.
United States (federal commercial rules)
The US federal rule for commercial motor vehicle drivers (49 CFR 391.41) sets out distant visual acuity of at least 20/40 in each eye (with or without correction), distant binocular acuity of at least 20/40, a field of vision of at least 70 degrees in the horizontal meridian in each eye, and the ability to recognise the colours of traffic signals and devices showing standard red, green and amber. The driver must be medically certified as physically qualified, normally evidenced by a medical examiner’s certificate. State rules for ordinary licences differ: the US page covers California and New York.
Ontario
Ontario’s class G standard is acuity not poorer than 20/50 and a horizontal field of at least 120 continuous degrees. For commercial classes A to F, the ministry sets acuity not poorer than 20/30 with both eyes open and 20/100 in the weaker eye, a horizontal field of at least 150 continuous degrees, and 20 degrees above and below fixation. Commercial licence holders also submit medical reports every five years under 46, every three years from 46 to 64, and every year from 65. The Canada page covers the class G side.
Frequently asked questions
Do the Vision Arcade games measure any of these standards?
No. The Vision Arcade is for practice and enjoyment and cannot confirm that anyone meets a licensing standard.
Where do the car standards come from?
In Great Britain they sit in regulation 72 and Schedule 8 of the 1999 regulations, as the 20-metre rule guide explains.
The bottom line
Professional licences carry tighter published numbers and recurring paperwork in every system reviewed: Group 2 in Great Britain, Ontario’s commercial classes, and the US federal commercial rule, with Ireland requiring medical reports for truck and bus categories. Figures are updated from time to time, so the issuing authority’s current page is the reference. This is general information, not medical or legal advice.
Sources
- Driving eyesight rules (gov.uk)
- The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1999, regulation 72 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Become a qualified heavy goods vehicle (HGV) or bus driver (gov.uk)
- Renew or change a lorry or bus licence: if you’re 45 or over (gov.uk)
- Applying for a provisional driving licence (nidirect.gov.uk)
- Renew your driving licence at 70 plus (nidirect.gov.uk)
- Medical fitness to drive in Ireland (rsa.ie)
- Physical qualification standards, 49 CFR 391.41 (ecfr.gov)
- Medical, vision and hearing standards for commercial drivers (ontario.ca)
- Medical review for Ontario drivers (ontario.ca)
Leave a Reply