Rhode Island Permit Vision Test: 20/40 Minimum, Eye Exam Card, and Glasses Rules

Rhode Island DMV requires at least 20/40 vision in at least one eye to pass the permit vision screening. If you normally use glasses or contacts for distance vision, wear them during the test. If they help you pass, a corrective-lens restriction (Restriction B) is added to your permit. Fail the in-office test and you can submit a completed Eye Exam Card from your optometrist. See shoro.ai Rhode Island Learner Permits.

What vision standard does Rhode Island DMV require for a learner's permit?

You must pass a vision screening to get a Rhode Island learner's permit. The standards are set by the RI Division of Motor Vehicles for safety.

Rhode Island Permit Vision Standards

Rhode Island requires minimum 20/40 visual acuity in at least one eye with or without corrective lenses. Peripheral vision must also meet minimum safe driving standards to pass the Rhode Island DMV vision screening.

• Visual Acuity: 20/40 or better in your better eye, or with both eyes together, and at least 115 degrees of horizontal field of vision.
• Peripheral Vision: At least 115 degrees for two-eyed drivers; one-eye drivers need at least 40 degrees nasally and 75 degrees temporally.
• With Corrective Lenses: You can wear glasses or contacts to meet the 20/40 standard.
• Monocular Vision: One-eye drivers: the functioning eye must be 20/40 or better with at least 40 degrees nasally and 75 degrees temporally, and the DMV must be informed about the need for a rear-vision mirror on the blind side.

The DMV Vision Screening Process

The vision screening is required when you apply for a learner's permit. All applicants must take it at the DMV.

• Testing Equipment: The DMV uses a vision-screening machine or standard Snellen-type wall chart.
• Procedure: You will read letters or symbols from 20 feet away, with both eyes and then each eye individually. Peripheral vision may be tested with flashing lights.
• Wearing Glasses/Contacts: You must wear your corrective lenses during the test if you need them to see. Inform the clerk if you are wearing contacts.

Can you bring an eye doctor's vision form before failing the DMV screening? Rhode Island uses its Eye Exam Card for medical vision review, and the form must be completed by a qualified eye professional and returned in the required sealed format or mailed to DMV. The public permit guidance does not say that bringing the card in advance automatically replaces the normal DMV screening, so expect the standard screening unless DMV has told you otherwise.

What if you meet 20/40 but fail the peripheral-vision standard?

Visual acuity is only one part of Rhode Island's standard. The current DMV Eye Exam Card also requires a minimum field of 115 degrees in the horizontal meridian for two-eyed drivers. A one-eyed driver must have at least 40 degrees nasally and 75 degrees temporally in the functioning eye. If your field of vision does not meet the standard, DMV can require an eye-professional evaluation rather than treating a 20/40 acuity result as an automatic pass.

Does color blindness affect Rhode Island learner's permit eligibility?

Color-vision deficiency by itself is not a basis for rejection under the current Rhode Island DMV Eye Exam Card. The form says the applicant should be informed of the handicap, but color vision alone does not disqualify the applicant.

Can you pass the Rhode Island permit vision test while wearing glasses?

Yes. Wear your glasses or contact lenses during the DMV vision screening. If you reach 20/40 in your better eye with 115 degrees horizontal field, you pass. Restriction B is added to your permit, requiring corrective lenses every time you drive including at the road test and all supervised practice hours.

Full Rhode Island permit rules are at the Rhode Island learner's permit guide.

Corrective Lenses and Permit Restrictions

If you need glasses or contacts to pass the vision test, the DMV adds a restriction to your permit.

• Restriction B: This 'Corrective Lenses' code means you must wear them whenever you drive.
• Legal Requirement: Driving without your glasses with this restriction is a traffic violation.
• ? Removing the Restriction: If you have vision correction surgery like LASIK, you must get an eye doctor to complete a Vision Report confirming 20/40 vision without aid. Bring it to the DMV and pay a fee for a new permit without the restriction.

What Happens If You Fail the DMV Vision Screening

Failing the initial screening is not a denial. It means you need a professional eye exam.

1. Receive a Referral: The DMV clerk gives you an official RI DMV Eye Exam Card.
2. ? Where to Go for an Eye Exam: Take the card to a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist for a full exam. You cannot use a generic doctor's note.
3. Cost of Outside Exam:
4. ? Return to DMV: Bring the completed, signed, and stamped card back to the DMV. If it certifies you meet the standards, they will accept it.

• ? Same-day retests after a vision fail are not permitted
• ? Clerk gives you a DMV Eye Exam Card to take to your optometrist
• ? Return with the completed card on a new appointment to retest
• ? Testing without correction counts as a failed attempt - no do-overs that day

Bring your current prescription glasses to your DMV appointment, even if you wear contacts daily, to avoid a failure if your contacts are dry or uncomfortable during the test.

Schedule your routine eye exam a few weeks before your permit application. Having a current prescription means you arrive with the Eye Exam Card ready if needed, preventing a second DMV trip.

Common Rhode Island Permit Vision-Test Mistakes

At the Warwick office, Prescription glasses forgotten on the kitchen counter. Failed vision test; retrieved glasses from home and returned that afternoon, passed.

Rhode Island allows same-day vision retest once correct eyewear is retrieved..

Download the RI DMV Eye Exam Card form if your optometrist must certify vision separately.

• ? Eye Exam Card (3x5 form) is valid for 6 months from the exam date
• ? Card must be completed by a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist - not a GP
• ? The 20/40 rule and 115-degree field standard applies to all non-commercial drivers at any age
• ? Borderline vision may trigger a Medical Review Board referral
• ? Restriction B on your permit means you must wear corrective lenses every time you drive, including during the road test