Florida DMV Eye Chart: Passing Tiers, Lens Rules, and 80+ Renewals

At a Florida driver license office, the eye chart screening asks for at least 20/40 acuity in each eye and a horizontal field of vision of at least 130 degrees. Hit those numbers, with or without glasses, and you pass on the spot. Fall short, and you’re referred to an eye doctor rather than turned away for good. Both thresholds come from Florida Administrative Code 15A-1.013.¹

What the Screening Looks Like

The test itself is quick. An examiner will point you at an electronic screening device or, in some offices, a wall-mounted Snellen chart. You read a row of illuminated letters or call out the direction of a tumbling “E.” The examiner records your acuity for each eye and both eyes together, then enters the result directly into the state database. There is no waiting period. You either move on with your license or leave with a referral.

Bring your glasses or contacts if you use them. You’re allowed to test with your corrective lenses on, and that corrected score is the one the state uses.¹

The Passing Standards, in Tiers

Florida’s rule isn’t a flat pass/fail. It works in layers:

20/40 or better in each eye, with or without correction: you pass outright.
Worse than 20/40 in either eye: you’re referred to a licensed eye specialist to see whether your vision can be improved.
20/70 in either eye: you can still qualify if that vision cannot be improved further. If one eye is blind or reads 20/200 or worse, the other eye must read 20/40 or better.
20/80 or worse in both eyes, with no further improvement possible: the state will not issue a license.

The 130-degree horizontal field requirement runs alongside the acuity tiers. It’s meant to confirm you can see vehicles and pedestrians approaching from the side.²

Drivers with functional vision in only one eye aren’t automatically excluded. If the good eye reads 20/40 and the other is blind or 20/200 or worse, you can be licensed.¹

Glasses, Contacts, and the Corrective Lens Restriction

If your uncorrected vision doesn’t meet the standard but your corrected vision does, your license will carry Restriction B. That code prints on the face of the license and requires you to wear corrective lenses whenever you drive.³ It applies to glasses and contacts equally.

Ignoring the restriction is not a paperwork issue. Driving in violation of any license restriction is a second-degree misdemeanor in Florida, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine, and the department can suspend or revoke your license after receiving evidence of the violation.⁴

Contact lens wearers who don’t want the restriction on their license have three ways to prove their uncorrected acuity meets the standard: remove the contacts and retest at the office, present a contact lens card from an eye specialist showing bare-eye readings, or submit a completed Report of Eye Examination form with the uncorrected results.¹

What Happens If You Fail the Screening

A failed office screening isn’t a denial. The examiner hands you FLHSMV Form 72010, the Report of Eye Examination, and directs you to a licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist for a full exam.² An optician or general practitioner can’t complete the form.

The specialist documents your distant acuity for each eye and both eyes together, both with and without your best available correction, and certifies whether you meet the 130-degree horizontal field standard. If your field falls short, the specialist has to submit a charted visual field using a Goldmann kinetic III-4e (or equivalent) or a Humphrey Esterman program. Standard 30-degree and 60-degree automated field tests are not accepted.²

Bring the completed form back to the driver license office. If your corrected vision meets the minimum, the office issues the license, usually with the corrective lens restriction. If it lands in the 20/70 range and can’t be improved, you may still qualify under the tiered standards. Best-corrected vision of 20/80 or worse in both eyes ends the process. The form itself expires one year from the exam date, so don’t sit on it.²

Depending on what the specialist finds, the office can add restrictions beyond corrective lenses, such as requiring an outside rearview mirror or limiting you to daylight driving.²

Renewals at 80 and Older

Drivers 80 and older have to pass a vision test at every renewal. There is no online or mail renewal option without proof of a current passing exam.⁵

You can take the test at any driver license office at no extra charge, or you can have a Florida-licensed physician, osteopathic physician, or optometrist administer it privately. Private results are submitted on the Mature Driver Vision Test form (HSMV 72119) before the renewal will process. If that exam surfaces conditions that need specialist attention, you’ll be referred out and will need the full Report of Eye Examination (Form 72010) instead.⁶

If you can’t meet the minimum standards even after seeing a specialist, the renewal will be denied. Florida law requires the department to issue you a free state ID card in that situation so you still have valid photo identification.⁵

Two Things Florida Does Not Do

Telescopic and bioptic lenses can’t be used to meet Florida’s standards, regardless of the acuity they produce. Some states run bioptic driving programs; Florida does not. Showing up wearing a telescopic device leads to a field revocation order citing inadequate vision.⁷ Ordinary glasses and contacts are fine.¹

The Class E screening also doesn’t include a color vision test. That check exists in the federal commercial driver standards under 49 CFR 391.41, along with tighter field-of-vision requirements per eye, but it isn’t part of the ordinary passenger license screening.⁸

1
Cornell Law Institute. Florida Administrative Code 15A-1.013 – Minimum Visual Standards for Licensing
2
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Report of Eye Examination
3
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. License Classes, Endorsements and Designations
4
Florida Statutes. Florida Code 322.16 – License Restrictions
5
Florida Statutes. Florida Code 322.18 – Renewal of Licenses
6
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Driver License Renewal Requirements/Options for Older Drivers
7
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Vision Standards
8
eCFR. 49 CFR 391.41 – Physical Qualifications for Drivers