IN
You must pass a vision screening to get an Illinois instruction permit. The Illinois Secretary of State sets the standards.
The Illinois Secretary of State requires 20/40 acuity or better in your stronger eye and a minimum 140-degree peripheral field. Acuity between 20/41 and 20/70 may qualify you for a daylight-only restriction rather than outright denial.
Possibly. Illinois can qualify some applicants using monocular vision, but a restriction may apply. The state rule uses a monocular peripheral standard of at least 70 degrees temporal and 35 degrees nasal, and applicants who qualify only monocularly may be restricted to vehicles with both left and right outside rearview mirrors.
140 degrees is the unrestricted binocular standard. Falling below it does not automatically end the application. You may submit a Vision Specialist Report, and SOS may issue the permit with an appropriate restriction if you otherwise qualify.
Illinois SOS facilities use an Optec 1000 machine: you read letters and identify light flashes. Request the Snellen wall chart instead if the machine causes focus issues with your lenses.
The vision test happens at a Driver Services facility. You can wear glasses or contacts during the screening. Review full details in the Illinois Rules of the Road handbook.
Illinois's stricter color chart caught an Aurora applicant off guard. Color blindness discovered unexpectedly during the vision screening led to an immediate failure and a referral to an optometrist for evaluation before returning within 30 days. Aurora SOS uses a stricter color-discrimination chart than most other Illinois branches: something worth knowing before you walk in.
Yes. Corrective lenses count toward your result. Pass with them, and your permit shows Restriction B: you must wear them every time you drive.
The Illinois learner's permit guide has full eligibility details.
| Requirement | Standard with Correction |
|---|---|
| Visual Acuity | 20/40 or better |
| Peripheral Vision | 140 degrees total |
Can a daylight-only vision restriction later be removed? Yes. If you later return with corrective glasses or contacts and meet the required vision standard, the restriction can be removed. A fee may apply if a permanent credential has already been issued or is being processed.
The examiner issues Form DSD X-20: a Vision Specialist Report you take to a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist. You cannot return the same day and retest; the specialist must complete the form first.
At the Springfield facility, one applicant forgot his glasses and failed. He couldn't retrieve them and retest that afternoon: no same-day retake is allowed under any circumstances. He scheduled an eye exam, got the DSD X-20 completed, and returned to the facility days later.
If you fail the facility vision screening or do not want to accept the restriction produced by that screening, you can submit a current Vision Specialist Report completed by a qualified eye-care professional. SOS can use the specialist's results when deciding the vision restriction that applies.
Borderline cases and bifocal wearers face predictable pitfalls: but both are solvable if you know the machine's limitations and ask for the wall chart before it becomes a problem.
A Naperville applicant with 20/30 vision in her right eye and 20/50 in her left wore contacts. Using her better eye, she read the 20/40 line and passed the peripheral test, receiving her permit with Restriction B.
A Chicago applicant on Elston Avenue had 20/100 acuity. He failed the facility test, received the DSD X-20 form, and saw his ophthalmologist. The doctor confirmed his vision was correctable to 20/50, filled out the form favorably, and the Secretary of State issued a daylight-only permit.
If you wear bifocals, request the wall chart test immediately: machine focus issues with bifocals force rescheduling that could have been avoided in 30 seconds.
Confirm your optometrist uses the official DSD X-20 form and dates it properly. The Secretary of State rejects generic doctor's notes, causing application delays. Understand all Illinois driving restrictions before your appointment.
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