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When driving, at what vision level should you wear glasses, and what are the driver's license requirements?

Driver's license vision standards are measured using corrected vision, meaning with glasses or contact lenses on[1].. For a Class 2 driver's license, your binocular vision (with both eyes open) must be 0.5 or higher. For a Class 1 driver's license, your binocular vision must be 0.8 or higher, with each individual eye reaching at least 0.5[1].. If you can’t meet this vision standard without glasses, you need to wear glasses when driving. If you passed the vision test while wearing glasses, your driving authorization is based on you wearing those glasses[1]..

Questions like this are often posted on Naver Knowledge iN.

“I’m planning to have my vision tested before renewing my driver’s license. Does the corrected visual acuity of 0.5 refer to the measurement taken while wearing glasses or contact lenses? Do I need to have at least 0.5 in each eye, or is there a separate standard for both eyes together?”

 

What exactly are the vision requirements for a driver’s license?

The standards set out in Article 45 of the Enforcement Decree of the Road Traffic Act are divided into two categories depending on the type of driver’s license[1].. The visual acuity figures in the table below all include corrected visual acuity[1]..

Category	Visual acuity with both eyes open	Visual acuity in each eye
Class 1 Driver’s License	0.8 or higher	0.5 or higher in each eye
Class 2 Driver’s License	0.5 or higher	No separate requirement

If you are blind in one eye, there are separate requirements[1].. For a Class 2 license, the seeing eye must have visual acuity of at least 0.6[1]..

For a Class 1 ordinary license, the seeing eye must have visual acuity of at least 0.8, and additional visual-field requirements apply[1].. The horizontal field of vision must be at least 120 degrees, and the vertical field must be at least 20 degrees. There must also be no scotoma (a blind spot within the field of vision) or hemianopia (loss of half of the visual field) within the central 20 degrees[1]..

The details of color vision testing are covered in our article on color vision deficiency.

Can I take the test while wearing glasses?

Yes. The relevant regulations explicitly state that the visual acuity requirement includes corrected visual acuity¹. There is also an option to have your vision assessed without taking the test at the licensing center. Your eligibility can be determined using the results of a National Health Insurance health screening completed within two years of applying for or renewing your license, a physical examination certificate from a hospital or clinic, or a doctor's medical certificate[1][2]..

 

How often do I need to have my vision tested?

People who obtained or renewed their driver's license after December 9, 2011, are required to undergo a driver's license fitness assessment or renewal every 10 years[2]. For drivers aged 65 and older, the interval is five years. For drivers aged 75 and older, the interval is three years, a requirement that has applied since January 1, 2019[2].

Is it enough to have vision that meets the driver's license standard?

Not necessarily. The visual acuity requirements for a driver's license are administrative standards, rather than levels of visual acuity that have been scientifically established to prevent accidents[3][4]. A Cochrane Review examined studies investigating whether vision screening for drivers aged 55 and older reduces traffic accidents and injuries[3]. Among the literature available through September 2013, the review found no studies that met its inclusion criteria[3].

Most countries require vision testing when a driver's license is renewed[3]. However, the review noted that there was no robust evidence demonstrating that these tests actually reduce traffic accidents[3]. Visual functions important for safe driving are not limited to visual acuity[3]. Visual field, contrast sensitivity (the ability to distinguish subtle differences in brightness), depth perception, and visual attention are also important. However, the review noted that licensing authorities do not adequately assess these functions[3].

Researchers at Monash University in Australia reviewed driver's license visual acuity standards in several Western countries[4]. They found that the ability of commonly used visual acuity tests to predict driving safety was difficult to determine, and that the standards varied considerably from country to country[4].

Passing the required vision standard means that you meet the administrative requirements for obtaining or renewing a driver's license[1].. Whether your vision is comfortable and adequate for safe driving is a separate question[3].

What vision problems cannot be corrected with glasses?

Cataracts are a representative example. Glasses can correct problems with focusing, but cataracts cause the natural lens of the eye to become cloudy. As a result, blurred vision can remain even after changing your prescription. Researchers at the University of Alabama studied licensed drivers between the ages of 55 and 85[5]. They compared 279 drivers with cataracts with 105 drivers without cataracts[5]. Drivers with cataracts were 2.5 times more likely to have been involved in an at-fault crash during the previous five years[5]. This association remained even after adjusting for driving distance and frequency, age, and health status[5]. Another study followed 277 patients with cataracts for four to six years[6]. Among them, 174 underwent cataract surgery and 103 did not. The rate of police-reported crashes among those who had surgery was about half that of those who did not have surgery[6]. If you have a new pair of glasses but still notice that oncoming headlights appear to spread or look hazy at night, it may be worth having your eyes checked for cataracts. For more information about cataract surgery, see our article on cataract surgery.

 

What type of glasses are best for driving if I have presbyopia?

In a nighttime driving experiment, both distance-only single-vision glasses and progressive addition lenses (PALs)—glasses that provide correction for both distance and near vision within a single lens—performed well on tasks involving viewing distant objects[7]. However, drivers wearing distance-only glasses made more errors when looking at nearby objects, such as the dashboard[7]. Researchers at Queensland University of Technology in Australia tested 11 people with presbyopia who had previously worn only reading glasses. Each participant tried four different types of vision correction and drove at night on a closed-road course[7]:

• Distance-only single-vision glasses
• Progressive addition lenses
• Monovision contact lenses, with one eye corrected for distance and the other for near vision
• Multifocal contact lenses[7]

The distance at which participants could read road signs was shorter with monovision and multifocal contact lenses than with the two types of glasses[7]. Participants also drove more slowly while wearing multifocal contact lenses than when wearing progressive glasses[7]. In a survey of 255 people conducted by the same research group, satisfaction with daytime driving was generally high regardless of the type of vision correction used[8]. However, people wearing multifocal contact lenses reported significantly more glare and halos at night than during the day[8].

People wearing progressive glasses reported more difficulty with peripheral distortion, while those wearing bifocal glasses reported greater difficulty with tasks requiring them to shift their focus[8]. Overall driving satisfaction was significantly higher with progressive glasses than with bifocal glasses[8].

Vision Correction Method	Findings During Nighttime Driving
Distance-only single-vision glasses	Good for seeing distant objects, but more errors when viewing the dashboard⁷
Progressive glasses	Generally good for both distant objects and the dashboard; some users reported peripheral distortion[7][8]
Monovision contact lenses	Shorter distance for reading road signs[7]
Multifocal contact lenses	Shortest distance for reading road signs; more complaints of nighttime glare and halos[7][8]

The reasons why progressive glasses may initially cause dizziness and how long it typically takes to adapt are covered in our article on progressive glasses.

If I have monovision correction, do I need glasses when driving?

Glasses may be helpful in low-light conditions. The American Academy of Ophthalmology's refractive surgery clinical practice guideline states that even patients who function well with monovision in everyday life may benefit from wearing glasses when driving in low-light conditions[9]. The guideline explains that monovision can reduce contrast sensitivity and stereopsis, the ability to judge distance using both eyes[9]. Correcting the eye that is focused for near vision with glasses to provide distance vision can provide the best distance vision and depth perception[9]. The guideline also notes that many patients with a small difference in prescription between the two eyes can drive without difficulty[9].

 

Do yellow lenses help with nighttime driving?

Their effectiveness has not been demonstrated in experiments[10]. Researchers at Harvard Medical School compared three commercially available yellow-tinted lenses with clear lenses in a driving simulator. They found no difference in reaction time when identifying pedestrians[10].

The causes of glare and the evidence behind glasses marketed for reducing glare are discussed in more detail in our article on anti-glare glasses.

 

 

What should I check before getting glasses for driving?

It is best to check the following in order.

1. Check your driver's license class. For a Class 1 license, visual acuity must be at least 0.8 with both eyes and at least 0.5 in each eye. For a Class 2 license, visual acuity must be at least 0.5 with both eyes[1]..
2. If you have a health screening result from within the past two years, check the visual acuity results. If you meet the required standard, the health screening results may be used in place of a separate physical examination[1][2].
3. If oncoming lights still appear to spread or look hazy at night even after getting new glasses, have your eyes examined. If cataracts are the cause, changing your glasses prescription will not resolve the problem, and crash risk has been shown to differ depending on whether cataract surgery was performed[5][6].
4. If you have developed presbyopia, consider how often you need to look at the dashboard or navigation screen while driving. Distance-only single-vision glasses were less effective for viewing nearby objects[7].
5. If you use contact lenses to correct presbyopia, pay attention to the distance at which you can read road signs and to glare during nighttime driving[7]⁸.

Sources

1.     Enforcement Decree of the Road Traffic Act, Article 45 (Standards for Fitness Required for Driving Motor Vehicles, etc.) Korea Law Information Center. Fully amended June 28, 2013.

2.     Korea Road Traffic Authority (KoROAD), Safe Driving Integrated Civil Service: Information on periodic fitness assessments and driver's license renewal.

3.     Desapriya E, Harjee R, Brubacher J, et al. Vision screening of older drivers for preventing road traffic injuries and fatalities. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2014;(2):CD006252.

4.     Bohensky M, Charlton J, Odell M, Keeffe J. Implications of vision testing for older driver licensing. Traffic Injury Prevention. 2008;9(4):304–313.

5.     Owsley C, Stalvey B, Wells J, Sloane ME. Older drivers and cataract: driving habits and crash risk. Journals of Gerontology Series A. 1999;54(4):M203–M211.

6.     Owsley C, McGwin G Jr, Sloane M, et al. Impact of cataract surgery on motor vehicle crash involvement by older adults. JAMA. 2002;288(7):841–849.

7.     Chu BS, Wood JM, Collins MJ. The effect of presbyopic vision corrections on nighttime driving performance. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 2010;51(9):4861–4866.

8.     Chu BS, Wood JM, Collins MJ. Effect of presbyopic vision corrections on perceptions of driving difficulty. Eye & Contact Lens. 2009;35(3):133–143.

9.     American Academy of Ophthalmology. Refractive Surgery Preferred Practice Pattern® 2022 (revised 2024), Refractive Surgery for Presbyopia.

10.   Hwang AD, Tuccar-Burak M, Peli E. Comparison of Pedestrian Detection With and Without Yellow-Lens Glasses During Simulated Night Driving With and Without Headlight Glare. JAMA Ophthalmology. 2019;137(10):1147–1153.

 

This article provides general information based on current laws and guidance from the Korea Road Traffic Authority, peer-reviewed academic literature, and clinical practice guidelines from the American Academy of Ophthalmology. It does not recommend any specific eyeglass product or medical institution. Individual visual acuity and eye health should be evaluated by an ophthalmologist.