Needing glasses or contact lenses to meet the vision standard for driving usually turns into a legal condition on the licence. The wording, the code and the way a condition is removed differ between licensing authorities. This guide sets out what each official source states for the United Kingdom (Great Britain and Northern Ireland separately), the Republic of Ireland, California, Ontario and New South Wales. It covers licence rules only and gives no advice about eyes or eye conditions; anyone with a question about their own sight should see an optometrist or doctor.
Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales)
GOV.UK says glasses or contact lenses must be worn every time you drive if they are needed to meet the standards of vision for driving. DVLA’s list of licence codes shows code 01 as “eyesight correction, for example glasses or contact lenses”, and GOV.UK notes that some codes may be different in Northern Ireland.
The law backs this up. Section 96 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, which applies in England, Wales and Scotland, makes driving with uncorrected defective eyesight an offence, and a constable can require a test using only the means of correction the driver was using at the time. The number plate rule guide explains that power.
Northern Ireland
nidirect states that if you wear glasses or lenses for the eyesight test, the law requires you to wear them whenever driving or riding, and during the practical test. An examiner will remind a candidate that this is a legal requirement and the test will not continue if the candidate refuses to wear them. Anyone who has broken, forgotten or brought the wrong glasses should tell the examiner at the start. The DVA’s information code list also uses code 01 for eyesight correction. The same list includes a medical restriction coded 005.01, “limited to daytime journeys”, as one of several limits that can be applied to an entitlement.
Republic of Ireland
The National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) calls code 01 “sight correction and/or protection” and treats it as the requirement to wear corrective lenses when driving. Renewing a licence does not normally need an eyesight report form. One is needed for a first learner permit, for exchanging a licence issued by a non-EU country, and for anyone who wants to remove the 01 notation, for example after corrective eye surgery. The form must be signed in the presence of the optometrist or doctor who completes it and submitted within one month of that date.
California, United States
The California DMV says all new and renewing licence applicants must pass a vision test and should bring their current glasses or contacts. If a driver is tested with corrective lenses, a “corrective lenses” restriction is added to the licence. Where a driver fails the screening, the DMV requires a Report of Vision Examination, and it notes that restrictions such as “daylight driving only” may apply depending on the condition and the doctor’s input. Its standard is 20/40 vision with both eyes, or 20/40 in one eye and at least 20/70 in the other. Each US state sets its own rules, so this describes California only.
Ontario, Canada
ServiceOntario’s guidance covers changes to a licence. Adding a glasses or contact lenses condition requires an in-person visit to ServiceOntario with the current driver’s licence. Removing it requires a visit to a DriveTest centre or ServiceOntario Bay and College in Toronto with the current licence, a letter from an optometrist where applicable, and an eye test. Ontario’s bus handbook, in its section on medical requirements for classified licences, says a driver whose licence is conditional on corrective lenses must not drive without wearing them.
New South Wales, Australia
Transport for NSW says licence conditions are legal requirements, printed on the licence as a code on the front with a description on the back. Code S means the holder must wear corrective lenses at all times while driving. More specific codes are S001 (glasses or contact lenses while driving), S002 (when driving at night) and S003 (when driving a vehicle over 8 tonnes GVM). NSW states that if glasses or contact lenses are needed to pass the eyesight test, a condition will be added. Conditions apply even when they are not printed on the licence, and a driver who gets lenses for the first time, or who no longer needs them, must sit a new eyesight test. NSW notes that “drive only during daylight hours” can also appear as a medical condition. Other Australian states have their own conditions.
Frequently asked questions
Do other states, provinces and territories follow the same rules?
No. US states, Canadian provinces and Australian states and territories each run their own licensing, so this guide describes only the jurisdictions named.
Can the Vision Arcade games check a licence condition?
No. The Vision Arcade is for practice and enjoyment. Only an official test or a professional assessment counts.
The bottom line
Every authority above records a lens requirement on the licence, but the label (01, a “corrective lenses” restriction, a condition coded S or S001) and the route to remove it differ. Great Britain and Northern Ireland share the principle, Ireland requires an eyesight report to remove code 01, and NSW explicitly distinguishes night-time use. Check the authority that issued the licence. This is general information, not medical or legal advice.
Sources
- Driving eyesight rules (gov.uk)
- Driving licence codes (gov.uk)
- Road Traffic Act 1988, section 96 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Driving eyesight requirements (nidirect.gov.uk)
- Information codes on your driving licence (nidirect.gov.uk)
- Do I need to submit an eyesight report form? (ndls.ie)
- Maintaining driving independence and safety (dmv.ca.gov)
- Vision conditions (dmv.ca.gov)
- Change information on a driver’s licence (ontario.ca)
- Licence conditions (nsw.gov.au)
- Licence conditions on medical advice (nsw.gov.au)
- Eyesight tests for driver and rider licensing (nsw.gov.au)
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