Photo: Doug Kerr, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Every Canadian province and territory checks your eyesight before it gives you a learner’s licence. The screen is quick and is usually done by licensing staff at an in-person licensing visit (where the knowledge test can be taken online, the eye check is still done in person), and you wear your glasses or contacts if you need them. If you do not pass, you are usually referred to an optometrist or ophthalmologist for a report, not refused outright. If you pass only with correction, your licence will say you must wear it.
What the screen usually checks
- Sharpness (acuity): reading letters at a distance.
- Field of vision: how wide you can see without moving your eyes.
- Colour: telling traffic-light colours apart.
- Depth or distance judgment, and in some provinces double vision.
ICBC in British Columbia, for example, lists colour vision, depth perception, field of vision, double vision and sharpness of vision. The national CCMTA car standard behind these screens is 20/50 with both eyes and 120 degrees of horizontal field; see Canadian driving vision standard explained. Some provinces publish a stricter screening line, shown below.
Province by province
| Province or territory | Learner stage | Where and when the eye check happens | Published detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | G1 | At the same visit as the G1 knowledge test | You must pass a vision test to apply; bring your glasses or contacts |
| British Columbia | Class 7L learner | At an ICBC driver licensing office, with medical questions, photo and fee. If you take the knowledge test online, you still visit an office for the vision test | Further testing by an optometrist or ophthalmologist may be needed if you do not pass |
| Alberta | Class 7 learner | At a registry agent office, on the same visit as the knowledge test | Bring glasses or contacts |
| Saskatchewan | Learner | Vision test taken with the written tests | May include field of vision, visual acuity and distance judgment. Pass only with glasses and your licence requires them |
| Manitoba | Class 5L learner | Before the Class 5L licence is issued | You must meet MPI’s vision and medical standards |
| Quebec | Learner’s licence | Handled by the SAAQ | See SAAQ medical and vision reports |
| New Brunswick | Class 7 Level 1 | Vision screening before the written, basic and sign tests | 20/40 in the better eye |
| Nova Scotia | Class 7 learner | The knowledge test can be done online or in person; vision is checked as one of the in-person steps at the Registry of Motor Vehicles or Access Nova Scotia | Since 19 October 2026: at least 20/50 (6/15) with both eyes open together, and a field of 120 continuous degrees horizontally plus 15 above and below fixation. The older handbook’s 20/40 figure is superseded; check the order of steps with Service Nova Scotia |
| Prince Edward Island | Class 7 instruction permit | At Highway Safety or Access PEI | Covered in our PEI knowledge test and vision test guide |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Class 5 Level I | At a Motor Registration office appointment, even if you took the written test online | Vision test, photo and ID check happen together |
| Yukon | Learner | With the written knowledge test | Fail and you need further testing by an optometrist or ophthalmologist |
| Northwest Territories | Learner | A vision screening comes first | If you do not meet the standard, you are asked for a Report of Visual Functions from a vision specialist |
| Nunavut | Learner | At the licensing office | Restricted licences can carry a corrective lens condition and periodic vision tests |
Screening lines and forms change. Check your provincial licensing site before your appointment.
If you do not pass the vision screen
- You are given a form or referral for an eye examination.
- An optometrist or ophthalmologist examines you and completes the report.
- The licensing office reviews the report against the standard and decides whether to issue the licence, add a condition, or ask for more testing.
A referral is not a refusal: often the report simply confirms you meet the standard with new or updated lenses. Who pays for the eye examination depends on your province and age, so ask the clinic.
Corrective lens conditions
If you need glasses or contacts to pass, your licence carries a condition. In British Columbia this is code 21, “corrective lenses required”. Other provinces use their own codes. Driving without your correction breaks a licence condition.
Before you go: checklist
- Wear or bring the glasses or contacts you drive with.
- If you have a known eye condition, declare it on the application and bring any recent eye report.
- If you have had an eye test recently and been told you are close to the line, consider a check-up first.
Related: Ontario vision standard and telescopic lenses and RoadSafetyBC medical fitness. Back to the hub: Driving with a medical condition or disability in Canada.
Want to practise the eyesight check? Our sister site Driving Eyesight Test has a free Canada letter chart on drivingeyesighttest.com. It is a practice screen only, not an eye test.
Sources
- Government of Ontario, “Official MTO Driver’s Handbook: Getting your driver’s licence” (ontario.ca)
- ICBC, “Preparing for your driver licensing tests” (MV2022) and “Learn to Drive Smart, Chapter 9: Your licence” (icbc.com)
- Government of British Columbia, “New drivers in B.C. can now take first knowledge test online” (news.gov.bc.ca)
- Government of British Columbia, “Chapter 22: Vision”, RoadSafetyBC medical standards (gov.bc.ca)
- Government of Alberta, “Class 7 learner’s licence” (alberta.ca)
- SGI, “Your test” and “Saskatchewan Driver’s Handbook” (sgi.sk.ca)
- Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Graduated Driver Licensing” (mpi.mb.ca)
- Government of New Brunswick, “Written and road tests” and driver licence requirements (gnb.ca)
- Service Nova Scotia, “Learner’s (Beginner’s) Licence” (novascotia.ca)
- Government of Nova Scotia, “Health professionals”, vision standards following the Traffic Safety Act commencement on 19 October 2026 (novascotia.ca)
- Government of Nova Scotia, “Take a driver knowledge test: Learner’s Licence (class 7)” (novascotia.ca)
- Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Motor Registration Division, “Licence Application Process” (gov.nl.ca)
- Government of Yukon, “Get a driver’s licence” (yukon.ca)
- Government of the Northwest Territories, “Get a driver’s licence for the first time” (idmv.inf.gov.nt.ca)
- Government of Nunavut, driver licensing information (gov.nu.ca)