Photo: Antoni Shkraba / Pexels. Illustrative photograph.
You can learn to drive in Great Britain with sight in only one eye. You must meet the same standards as everyone else: the 20-metre number plate check, 6/12 acuity in your seeing eye, and the minimum visual field. Your doctor or optometrist must confirm you have adapted to the change before you drive, and you only need to tell the DVLA if you do not meet those standards.
The standards you must meet (car licence)
| Standard | What GOV.UK requires, as of November 2026 |
|---|---|
| Number plate | Read a modern number plate in good daylight from 20 metres, with glasses or lenses if you need them. |
| Acuity | At least Snellen 6/12 (decimal 0.5) with both eyes open, or in the only eye if you have one. |
| Visual field | At least 120 degrees across, extending at least 50 degrees to each side, with no significant defect within 20 degrees above or below the centre. |
The DVLA usually checks the field with a binocular Esterman test. For the result to count as reliable, false-positive answers must be no more than 20%.
Sight in one eye: step by step
- Do not drive straight after losing sight in one eye. The DVLA guidance says you may drive only once clinical advice confirms you have adapted.
- Ask your optometrist or eye doctor whether you meet the acuity and field standards with your seeing eye.
- If you meet them, you do not need to tell the DVLA about having one eye.
- If you do not, you must not drive and must tell the DVLA.
Having some light perception in an eye does not count as being monocular for these rules. Your eye specialist can tell you which category you are in.
Visual field problems and the exceptional-case route
If you do not meet the field standard, you must not drive and must tell the DVLA. Some people whose licence was removed for a field defect can be considered as exceptional cases. The DVLA guidance says the defect must:
- have been present for at least 12 months
- come from a single event or a condition that is not progressive
You also need sight in both eyes, no uncontrolled double vision, no problems with glare, contrast or low light, clinical confirmation that you have fully adapted, and a practical driving assessment. People with sight in one eye cannot use this route, and nor can people with progressive conditions such as glaucoma or retinitis pigmentosa.
Other eye conditions learners ask about
| Condition | Car licence rule |
|---|---|
| Colour blindness | May drive; no need to tell the DVLA. |
| Night blindness | Must not drive and must tell the DVLA. A licence may follow individual assessment if you meet the acuity and field standards. |
| Nystagmus | No need to tell the DVLA if you meet the standards. Any condition linked to it must meet its own rules. |
| Double vision | Must not drive and must tell the DVLA. Driving can resume once it is controlled, for example with glasses or a patch you wear while driving. |
| Keratoconus or albinism | No separate entry in the DVLA guidance. The acuity and field standards decide it. Ask your optometrist. |
If the DVLA needs an eye test
The DVLA may send you for a test with its contracted optician, free of charge. You can use another optician if the test includes an Esterman field test, but you pay for it and the DVLA does not guarantee to accept it.
Before you book lessons
- Have an eye examination and ask directly: “Do I meet the DVLA standard for a car licence?”
- Practise reading number plates from 20 metres with your glasses or lenses. The examiner checks this at the start of the practical test.
- Ask your instructor to help you build head-check and mirror habits that suit your field of view.
Want to practise the eyesight check? Our sister site Driving Eyesight Test has a free 20-metre number plate practice on drivingeyesighttest.com. It is a practice screen, not an eye test.
Back to the GB medical conditions and disability guide. Related: driving eyesight rules and the 20-metre test, bioptic telescopes in the UK and Ireland, licence code 01, stroke and driving.
Sources
- DVLA, “Visual disorders: assessing fitness to drive”, updated 26 September 2025 (gov.uk)
- GOV.UK, “Driving eyesight rules” (gov.uk)