DRIVING BLIND?: LAW REQUIRES 20/40 VISION IN AT LEAST ONE EYE

Drivers in Missouri see things differently even before they get on the roads, a driver's license bureau official said.

A state statute permits people with 20/40 vision or better to receive an unrestricted driver's license, said Linda Kemp, a manager with the state driver's license bureau in Jefferson City, Mo.

But it could be worse. The absolute denial level comes only when a person demonstrates vision above 20/160, Kemp said.

"So if someone can't meet those initial standards, it doesn't mean denial," she said.

The measurement for eyesight using a pair of numbers shows visual acuity, experts say. The first number is a standard distance in feet for testing, while the second number shows how far a person is standing from the letters or number read in testing. For example, someone with 20/40 vision can see at a distance of 20 feet what a healthy eye could see at 40 feet.

The state only requires that vision in one eye shows 20/40 vision. This is why vision testing machines used on a contract basis by the Department of Revenue give scores for the left and right eyes separately, Kemp said.

When an applicant for a license tests higher than 20/40, a license bureau worker will require the person to see a medical professional for more precise testing. The medical professional can be an ophthalmologist, but it is also possible to be tested by a general practitioner, Kemp said.

"Doctors will have more detailed equipment than what we can use at a driver's license bureau," Kemp said. "They have more knowledge about what they're looking for."

Some drivers will go to a doctor prior to coming to a license bureau if they are aware of the severity of their problem, she said.

Testing at driver's license bureaus involves standard visual acuity tests, as well as tests for color blindness and peripheral vision. As of July 1, a new element was added. Now drivers must identify four of six road signs correctly to receive a renewal.

Previously, the road sign test was only given to those getting a Missouri license for the first time, Kemp said.

"We wanted to make sure that the signs were familiar to everyone," she said.

When a driver shows visual acuity between 20/75 to 20/160, a skills test administered by the Missouri Highway Patrol will be required. This will help determine what additional special restrictions might be required, Kemp said.

This bothers Brenda Samons, a spokeswoman for Eye Care Specialists, L.L.C. of Cape Girardeau. After 14 years of working with visual impairments, she thinks that eyesight worse than 20/60 presents a hazard to the driver and others.

"At that level, someone might not see a road sign, or even a child running out into the street," she said.

It is hard to imagine people with vision approaching 20/160 would even be considered for a license, Samons said, because 20/200 vision is considered legally blind.

The number of drivers with vision worse than 20/40 is difficult to determine, said Ruth Redel, manager for field services with the Department of Revenue. Driver license bureaus rely on doctors to determine the actual visual acuity when it is higher than 20/40, she said.

In general, restrictions for corrective lenses and daylight driving only are added when vision tests between 20/41 and 20/59, Redel said. From 20/60 to 20/74, a speed limit of 45 miles an hour is added.

These restrictions may be waived by a doctor, but that seldom occurs, Redel said.

If someone doesn't pass the Highway Patrol's test, the driver's license bureau never sees them again, Redel said. It is made clear that no licenses are issued when the skills test is required and not passed, she said.

It is impossible to say how many drivers without valid licenses are on the roads, Redel said.