The DMV eye exam chart is a Snellen chart — the familiar block of capital letters that shrinks row by row — and in most offices today it lives inside a vision screening machine rather than on the wall. To pass in nearly every state, you need to read the 20/40 line, meaning what a person with standard vision reads from 40 feet you can read from 20. Glasses and contacts count, so wear them.
What the Chart Actually Shows
The Snellen chart uses only nine letters, called optotypes: C, D, E, F, L, O, P, T, and Z. They were picked because they standardize cleanly in geometry and resist guessing from a blurry outline. One large letter sits at the top. Each row below adds letters in a smaller size. The smallest row you can read cleanly from 20 feet is your acuity score.
Most DMV offices no longer hang a paper chart on the wall. They use a vision screening machine, such as the Stereo Optical Optec 1000, where you rest your forehead against a padded viewer and read letters lit inside the device. The machine simulates a 20-foot distance in a compact space and can check acuity, peripheral vision, and basic color recognition in a single sitting. A few offices still use wall charts at a marked 20-foot line, but the machine is far more common.
If you look at an older wall-mounted Snellen chart, you may notice a red horizontal bar and a green horizontal bar printed across it. Those are a rough color check for traffic signal recognition, not a full color vision exam.
The Vision Standard You Have to Meet
Almost every state sets the unrestricted licensing threshold at 20/40, corrected or uncorrected. A handful use a more lenient floor such as 20/50 or 20/60. If you hit 20/40 while wearing glasses or contacts, you pass, and your license carries a corrective lenses restriction.
Peripheral vision is the second measurement. Most states want a combined horizontal field of roughly 120 to 140 degrees, which comes to about 70 degrees from center in each eye. The idea is that you can spot cross-traffic and pedestrians approaching from the side without turning your head. The exact number varies, and some states don’t test peripheral vision during a routine screening at all.
Some states also check whether you can distinguish red, green, and amber. Full color blindness rarely disqualifies anyone from a regular license in the United States, since signal position (top, middle, bottom) gives a second cue.
If you have significantly reduced vision in one eye, the DMV evaluates you on the stronger eye alone. Rules for a restricted monocular license vary widely, and common conditions include mandatory left and right side-view mirrors, and sometimes limits on highway or nighttime driving.
How the Screening Runs
The test takes about two minutes. At a machine, you step up, rest your forehead on the viewer, and follow the clerk’s prompts. At a wall chart, you stand at a marked line roughly 20 feet away and cover one eye with an opaque card. Either way, you read the smallest line you can make out with the right eye, then the left, then both together.
The clerk records results on your application on the spot. No waiting period, no second appointment. If you pass only with corrective lenses, the clerk notes it and the restriction prints on the physical license. If you fail, the clerk walks through your options before you leave the counter.
What to Bring
Bring your current prescription glasses or contact lenses. Show up without them and the DMV tests your unaided vision, which either fails you outright or saddles you with restrictions you could have avoided. Contact lens wearers should have them in before arriving; clerks won’t wait at the counter.
Every state also accepts results from an outside eye care professional in lieu of the in-office screening. The form’s name varies (common titles include “Report of Vision Examination” or “Vision Test Report”) and your optometrist or ophthalmologist fills it out after examining you. This route is useful if you have a complex prescription or a condition you’d rather have documented by a specialist. Some states let enrolled providers submit results electronically, so you may not need to carry a paper form at all. Vision test results typically expire within 12 months, so time the exam close to your DMV visit.
The Corrective Lenses Restriction
Pass only while wearing glasses or contacts and your license gets a corrective lenses restriction, usually printed as a letter code (often “B”) on the card. Driving without your corrective lenses while this restriction is on your license is a traffic violation. Fine amounts vary by state, but the bigger risk is that an officer treats it like driving with an invalid license, which can carry stiffer penalties.
Had LASIK, PRK, or another corrective surgery and no longer need glasses? You can have the restriction removed. The process generally involves a new vision test at the DMV or updated results from your eye care professional. Some states charge a small fee for the reissued license.
What Happens if You Fail
Failing the DMV screening isn’t the end of it. Every state lets you visit a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist, get a proper exam, and come back with a completed vision report form. The specialist documents your corrected acuity, field of vision, and any eye conditions. Sometimes a specialist can certify that your vision meets driving standards even though the DMV’s own machine produced a borderline result.
If a specialist finds that your vision falls below the minimum even with correction, most states run a medical review. A medical review unit reviews the report and decides whether to issue a restricted license (daylight driving only, no freeway, and so on) or deny the application. Some states also allow a behind-the-wheel evaluation with a certified driving rehabilitation specialist, so the decision isn’t chart scores alone.
If You’re Applying for a CDL
Commercial motor vehicle operators face stricter federal vision requirements, not the state chart standard. A CDL applicant must have at least 20/40 acuity in each eye individually and 20/40 binocularly, a field of vision of at least 70 degrees in the horizontal meridian in each eye, and the ability to recognize standard red, green, and amber traffic signal colors.1eCFR. 49 CFR 391.41 – Physical Qualifications for Drivers Note the difference: the federal standard demands 20/40 in each eye separately, not just the better eye. Drivers with monocular vision or reduced acuity in one eye now go through an evaluation under the standard medical examination process using a Vision Evaluation Report form, rather than applying for the older federal exemption that ended in 2022.2Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. General Vision Exemption Package
Older Drivers and Renewal Screenings
Many states tighten vision screening as drivers age. Some require a vision test at every renewal regardless of age. Others impose it only after a specific birthday, with thresholds ranging from as young as 40 to as old as 80. Several states also shorten the renewal cycle for older drivers, which means more frequent screenings even if no extra test is added.
If you’re over 65, check your state’s renewal rules before your license expires. A few states don’t allow online or mail-in renewal past a certain age, which means an in-person visit and a fresh vision screening. Getting an eye exam from your own doctor a few weeks before your renewal date gives you time to update your prescription rather than discover a problem at the counter.