Vision screening — Illinois Permit Test

Vision screening on the Illinois permit test — 4 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

An Illinois driver needs visual acuity of at least 20/40, with or without corrective lenses.

Twenty-forty is roughly the sharpness it takes to read a sign while there is still time to act on it. Glasses count, which is why the restriction exists.

Minimum visual acuity of 20/40 with or without corrective lenses.

Illinois Rules of the Road 2026, p.13

A driver whose acuity falls between 20/41 and 20/70 is limited to daylight driving.

Weaker eyes lose more at night than in daylight, so Illinois keeps that driver on the road when there is light to see by rather than taking the license away.

A driver with acuity between 20/41 and 20/70 is limited to daylight driving only.

Illinois Rules of the Road 2026, p.13

An Illinois driver must have at least 140 degrees of peripheral vision, with or without corrective lenses.

Peripheral vision is how a driver notices the car coming from the side before it arrives. A narrow field means seeing it only once it is in front of you.

At least 140 degree peripheral vision (the ability to see to the side) with or without corrective lenses.

Illinois Rules of the Road 2026, p.13

A Vision Specialist Report may replace the screening if it was completed by a licensed optometrist, ophthalmologist or physician within six months of the facility visit.

A specialist knows more about your eyes than a counter machine does. Illinois accepts that, as long as the report is recent enough to describe your eyes now.

All driver’s license applicants must have a vision screening or submit a Vision Specialist Report completed by a licensed optometrist, ophthalmologist, or physician dated within six months of a facility visit.

Illinois Rules of the Road 2026, p.13

On the test

What visual acuity does Illinois require of a driver?

At least 20/40. Twenty-forty is roughly the sharpness it takes to read a sign while there is still time to act on it. Glasses count, which is why the restriction exists. Illinois Rules of the Road 2026, p.13: “Minimum visual acuity of 20/40 with or without corrective lenses.”

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Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against Illinois Rules of the Road 2026, published by the Illinois Secretary of State, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-21.