Florida DMV Eye Test Chart: Vision Standards and Rules at 80+

The Florida DMV eye test is a short vision screening given at every driver license office to confirm you meet the state’s 20/40 visual acuity standard and 130-degree field-of-vision minimum.¹ First-time applicants take it, and so does anyone renewing in person.²

What the Test Looks Like

There’s no paper chart on the wall. You look into an optical screening machine with a viewfinder that shows rows of letters, largest at the top and shrinking down the chart. The examiner asks you to read the smallest line you can identify clearly. That reading is your visual acuity score.

The same machine checks your peripheral vision. While you focus on the letters, small lights flash at the edges of the viewfinder, and you signal when you see them. That confirms whether your horizontal field reaches 130 degrees. You test each eye alone and then both together. The whole thing takes about two minutes.

Bring your glasses or contacts if you wear them, and wear them during the screening.

Vision Standards You Need to Pass

Florida’s minimum visual standards are set out in Administrative Code Rule 15A-1.013. Where you land determines what happens next:

20/40 or better in each eye, with or without corrective lenses, passes on the spot.¹
Worse than 20/40 in either eye sends you to a licensed eye specialist to see whether glasses or contacts can bring you up to the standard.¹
20/70 in either eye can still qualify after a specialist visit, so long as vision cannot be improved further. If one eye is blind or 20/200 or worse, the other eye must read 20/40 or better or the department will not issue a license.¹
20/80 or worse in both eyes with no room for improvement means no license.¹
A field of vision below 130 degrees requires a charted field measurement from an eye specialist.³

What Happens If You Fail

Failing the in-office screening doesn’t end the process. The examiner hands you a Report of Eye Examination form (HSMV 72010) and refers you to an eye specialist. Only a licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist can complete it; your general practitioner cannot. The specialist records your acuity with and without correction, your horizontal field of vision, and any eye disease or injury that could affect driving, then signs and dates the form.³

Bring the completed form back to the driver license office within a year of the exam date; after that it expires.³ If the specialist’s readings show you meet the standards above, you’re approved. If your vision cannot be corrected enough to qualify, the department denies the license. Drivers 80 and older who fail can receive a free state identification card.⁴

You can download a blank Form 72010 from the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles website or pick one up at any driver license service center.

Corrective Lenses and Contact Lens Rules

If you need glasses or contacts to reach 20/40, your license will carry a corrective lenses restriction, coded “A” on the card, and you must wear your lenses every time you drive.¹⁵

Contact lens wearers who want to avoid the restriction have a few options. Present a contact lens wearer card from your eye specialist showing your uncorrected acuity meets the standards, submit a completed Form 72010 showing the same, or return to the office without your contacts and retake the screening.¹ If your uncorrected vision doesn’t pass, the restriction stays.

Driving without your required lenses is a moving violation and can also be charged as a second-degree misdemeanor, carrying a possible fine, points on your record, and up to 60 days in jail.⁶ Keep a backup pair of glasses in the car.

Telescopic Lenses Are Not Allowed

Some states permit bioptic telescopic lenses for low-vision drivers. Florida does not. The administrative code prohibits the use of telescopic lenses to meet the minimum visual standards, whatever acuity reading they produce.¹ A driver who shows up wearing them will receive a field revocation order for inadequate vision.⁷

Rules for Drivers Age 80 and Older

Younger drivers renewing online or by mail can skip the vision screening for that cycle. Drivers 80 and older cannot. Florida requires a vision test at every renewal for this age group regardless of how you renew.⁴ The renewal cycle also shortens from eight years to six at age 80.⁸

You can take the test at any driver license service center at no extra charge. If you’d rather skip the office visit, a Florida-licensed medical doctor, osteopathic physician, or optometrist can administer the test and submit a Mature Driver Vision Test form (HSMV 72119) to the department. That’s a different, simpler form than the Report of Eye Exam (72010). If the test flags a medical condition needing further evaluation, you’ll be referred to a specialist and Form 72010 becomes necessary.⁸

Costs to Expect

The screening at the driver license office is included in your license fee, with no separate charge for the eye test itself. A Class E license, the standard non-commercial license, costs $48 for original issuance and for renewal. An additional $6.25 service fee may apply at a tax collector’s office rather than a state-run location.⁹ Veterans who have provided proof of veteran status are exempt from that service fee.

If you’re referred to an eye specialist, that visit comes out of your own pocket and typically runs anywhere from $50 to $250 depending on your insurance and whether extra testing like a visual field map is needed. Budget for that possibility if you know your eyesight has changed since your last renewal.

1
Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code 15A-1.013 – Minimum Visual Standards for Licensing
2
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes Chapter 322 Section 12 – Examination of Applicants
3
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Report of Eye Examination Form
4
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes Chapter 322 Section 18 – Renewal of Licenses
5
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. License Classes, Endorsements and Designations
6
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes Chapter 322 Section 16 – License Restrictions
7
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Vision Standards
8
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Driver License Renewal Requirements and Options for Older Drivers
9
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Fees