How to Fill Out and Submit the AWS Visual Acuity Form

The AWS Visual Acuity Form is a one-page eye-examination record that proves you meet the American Welding Society’s near-vision and color-perception requirements, and AWS will not release your exam results, process a renewal, or approve a recertification without a completed copy on file. You download the form from the AWS certification portal, take it to a qualified eye-care professional for the exam and signature, and upload the result through your online application before your exam or renewal date. A missing signature, an unchecked box, or an exam date older than one year is enough to void your application and forfeit your fees.¹

Who Needs to Submit the Form

The form is required for every credential issued under AWS QC1 and several related programs: Senior Certified Welding Inspector (SCWI), Certified Welding Inspector (CWI), Certified Associate Welding Inspector (CAWI), Certified Radiographic Interpreter (CRI), and Certified Welding Engineer (CWEng). It applies to initial applications, recertifications, and periodic renewals.¹ CRI applicants use the same form under AWS QC15.² CWEng applicants may qualify for an upload waiver in certain cases; the CWEng application portal has the details.³

CWI certification runs nine years, with mandatory renewals due at year three and year six after your activation date, so expect to repeat this process multiple times over the life of your credential.⁴

What the Exam Tests

Near Vision

You must read Jaeger J2 or smaller letters at a distance of at least 12 inches (30.5 cm) in at least one eye. Glasses and contacts are allowed. If you need correction to pass, the examiner checks a box on the form, and from that point forward you are required to wear your correction when performing inspection work.¹ AWS B5.1 is explicit that failure to read Jaeger J2 at 12 inches is a failure to meet the qualification requirement.⁵

QC1 does not require a distance vision test on this form. Some workplace codes, including D1.1, call for 20/40 Snellen distance acuity, but that is an employer requirement handled separately.

Color Perception

Every applicant takes a color-perception test, with results recorded separately for each eye. The form does not mandate a specific method; the Ishihara plate test is common.¹ Under B5.1, color perception is “desirable in some specific applications” but “not considered essential for all examinations,” and the standard leaves it to employers to decide whether color deficiency disqualifies someone from a particular job.⁵ A colorblind notation does not block certification by itself, though it may limit which roles an employer assigns you.

Who Can Sign the Form

Only five categories of medical professionals are authorized to administer the exam and sign the form:

Ophthalmologist
Optometrist
Medical Doctor (MD)
Registered Nurse (RN)
Certified Physician’s Assistant (PA-C)

The examiner must sign and date the form and record their state or province license number.¹ Medical assistants, technicians, and fellow CWIs are not on the list; a form signed by anyone outside these five roles will likely be rejected.

An occupational-health clinic, your regular optometrist, or your primary-care office can all handle the appointment. Call ahead and confirm the office stocks a Jaeger chart. Some general-practice clinics only have Snellen distance charts, which will not satisfy the near-vision requirement.

Timing: The One-Year Window

The eye examination must be performed no more than one year before your certification exam date (for initial applicants) or your certification expiration date (for renewals and recertifications). An exam older than one year will be rejected.¹ Schedule the appointment with enough lead time to handle problems. If you fail the near-vision portion, you may need a new prescription and a retest, and that eats into the window.

Filling Out the Form

Download the current PDF from the AWS CWI application documents page and print it before your appointment.⁶ You handle the identifying information at the top; the examiner fills in the clinical results.

Your part is the applicant block: full legal name and your AWS ID number if you already hold an active certification. Write legibly before handing it over.

The examiner then completes two sections. Section A records whether you can read Jaeger J2 at 12 inches or greater, for each eye, and whether corrective lenses were required to pass. Section B records the color-perception result for each eye, with OD for the right eye and OS for the left. At the bottom, the examiner signs, prints their name, checks the box for their professional status, writes their license number, and dates the form.

Every field matters. An incomplete form can void your test scores and forfeit your application fees.¹ Before you leave the appointment, check that the examiner has signed, dated, checked a professional-status box, and written in a license number.

Submitting the Form

Upload the completed form through the AWS online certification portal. Scan or photograph it as a PDF; uploads are capped at 5.12 MB per file, which easily accommodates a standard scan.⁶ AWS recommends having every document in hand before you start the application, so don’t open the portal until the signed form is ready.

If you need to mail a hard copy, send it to the AWS Certification Department at 8669 NW 36 Street #130, Miami, Florida 33166-6672.⁷ Mail takes longer and can be lost. Either way, keep your own copy of the signed form.

If AWS flags an error, missing signature, or expired exam date, your application stalls until you fix it. Treat any correction request as urgent, because unresolved deficiencies can void your scores and your fees.

If You Fail the Vision Test

Failing the near-vision portion usually means your prescription is out of date or you forgot your glasses. The form allows you to pass with correction, so get an updated prescription and return for a retest. The examiner will check the corrective-lenses box, and you will be required to wear your correction while inspecting.

A colorblind result is handled differently. You can still earn or keep your certification with a colorblind notation. Under B5.1, employers decide whether color deficiency affects a specific inspection role, and some may require additional practical demonstrations or limit the inspections you perform.⁵

Don’t Fudge the Form

Falsifying anything on the Visual Acuity Form, including whether you need corrective lenses, falls under the misrepresentation provisions of AWS QC1. Section 11.5.2 prohibits certified inspectors from falsifying or exaggerating personal qualifications, and Section 12.1 gives the AWS Certification Committee the power to suspend, refuse renewal, or revoke a credential for misrepresentation on any application.⁸ If you need glasses to pass, mark it and wear them on the job.

What’s at Stake Financially

The eye exam itself is a separate out-of-pocket cost that varies by provider. The AWS fees are the real exposure if your form is incomplete. Current CWI exam fees for AWS members are $1,255 for the initial exam and $630 for a third- or sixth-year renewal by work experience. Non-members pay $1,520 for the initial exam and $895 for the same renewal, with the non-member price including a three-year AWS individual membership.⁴ Those fees are non-refundable if your application is voided for an incomplete or expired vision form. Check every field before you leave the examiner’s office.

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American Welding Society. Visual Acuity Form
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American Welding Society. Specification for AWS Certification of Radiographic Interpreters
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American Welding Society. Certified Welding Engineer (CWEng) Program
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American Welding Society. Certified Welding Inspector (CWI)
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American Welding Society. Specification for the Qualification of Welding Inspectors
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American Welding Society. CWI Application Portal Information and Documents
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American Welding Society. Contact Us
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American Welding Society. AWS QC1 – Standard for AWS Certification of Welding Inspectors