A 3-minute lesson from the Virginia course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Everyone gets a vision screening: you look into a machine and read a series of letters or numbers. It is not a medical exam. It only shows whether your vision meets Virginia's standards to drive safely. If you fail, you may be asked to visit an eye care professional.
Know the rule
If you need glasses or contact lenses to pass the screening, you must wear them when you drive. Your license will display a C for this restriction.
To remove the C restriction after laser surgery, pass the screening at a DMV customer service center without glasses or contacts, or submit a Vision Screening Report (MED 4).
Your screening shows 20/60 vision and 90 degrees of horizontal vision. That misses the unrestricted standard (20/40 and 110 degrees) but meets the daylight standard, so you may drive only from a half-hour after sunrise to a half-hour before sunset.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
What does a DMV vision screening measure?
If your vision meets state standards
Your overall eye health as a medical exam
Your reaction time
Your depth perception and night vision
Answer: If your vision meets state standards
The vision screening is not a medical exam; it simply shows whether your vision meets Virginia's standards to safely drive.
After laser eye surgery, the corrective-lens (C) restriction is removed automatically when you renew your license.
True
False
Answer: False
To remove the C restriction after laser surgery, you must pass the vision screening without glasses or contacts or submit a Vision Screening Report (MED 4).