California DMV Form DL 62, the Report of Vision Examination, is the document your eye doctor fills out to tell the DMV whether your vision meets the state’s driving standards. You get one when you fail a vision screening at a field office or when the DMV has another reason to question your eyesight. You complete the top section, take it to an optometrist or ophthalmologist, and return the finished form to the Driver Safety office listed on your notice by the deadline printed there.
Why the DMV Sent You One
The usual trigger is failing the Snellen chart during an in-office visit. When you can’t hit the screening standard with or without your glasses, the technician refers you to a vision specialist and hands you a DL 62 to bring to the appointment.1California DMV. Vision Impairment and DMV Requirements
Other triggers include a law enforcement report suggesting vision-related driving problems, a physician’s voluntary report about a patient’s declining eyesight, or a reexamination opened by the DMV’s Driver Safety unit. Drivers 70 and older cannot renew online and must take a vision screening in person at a field office, so this age group runs into the form more often.2California DMV. Senior Drivers
The Vision Standards the Form Is Measuring
To pass the DMV’s screening, you need at least 20/40 in both eyes tested together and at least 20/40 in one eye with no worse than 20/70 in the other. Corrective lenses count. If glasses or contacts get you there, you pass, and the DMV adds a corrective lenses restriction to your license.1California DMV. Vision Impairment and DMV Requirements
If your best corrected acuity is 20/200 or worse in your better eye, the DMV cannot issue or renew your license. Bioptic telescopic lenses cannot be used to meet that 20/200 threshold, though bioptic lenses may be permitted for drivers who fall between 20/200 and the standard 20/40, usually with a specialized behind-the-wheel evaluation.3California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 12805
The form also has a section for horizontal peripheral vision. California statutes don’t publish a single degree threshold for all drivers, so the DMV uses the specialist’s field measurements to decide whether restrictions (no freeway driving, daylight only) make sense. Monocular drivers can still qualify as long as the working eye meets the 20/40 standard.1California DMV. Vision Impairment and DMV Requirements
Filling Out Your Section
You can download the form from the DMV website, pick one up at any field office, or use the blank copy the DMV usually includes with the notice letter. Complete the top before you see the eye doctor: your name, driver license number, date of birth, and contact information, along with a signed authorization line that lets the specialist release the results to the DMV. The DMV lets you fill this top portion online and print it, which saves time at the appointment.4California DMV. Forms – Report of Vision Examination DL 62
What the Eye Doctor Records
A licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist performs the exam and fills in the clinical sections. Before you leave the office, confirm the form shows:
- Best corrected visual acuity for each eye and for both eyes together.
- The horizontal field of vision in degrees.
- Any relevant diagnoses, such as cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, or diabetic retinopathy.
- Whether the acuity measurements were achieved with glasses, contact lenses, or telescopic devices.
- The prognosis and whether the condition is stable, improving, or likely to worsen.
- The doctor’s state license number, printed name, signature, and office contact information.
The DMV rejects incomplete forms. If a section doesn’t apply to you, ask the specialist to mark it not applicable rather than leaving it blank. A missing checkbox or unsigned line means starting over.
Submitting the Form and Meeting the Deadline
Return the completed form to the DMV by the deadline stated in your notice letter. The notice tells you exactly where to send it, usually the Driver Safety office handling your case.5California DMV. Driver Safety Offices You can also hand-deliver it to the office listed on your notice.
Missing the deadline gives the DMV grounds to suspend your license, and reinstatement is harder than simply turning in a late form. If your specialist appointment won’t happen in time, contact the Driver Safety office named on your notice and ask for an extension before the deadline passes.
What the DMV Does With the Report
Driver Safety staff review the specialist’s findings against Vehicle Code Section 12805.3California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 12805 The likely outcomes:
- A clear pass, with your license continuing unchanged.
- A pass with restrictions, most commonly a corrective lenses requirement.
- A supplemental behind-the-wheel evaluation when the numbers are borderline. Passing this road test can save a license that would otherwise be restricted on paper.6California DMV. The Testing Process
- Denial or revocation if your best corrected acuity is 20/200 or worse in your better eye.
- A shorter-term license with another DL 62 required at renewal, if the specialist flagged an unstable or progressive condition.
If the DMV Suspends or Revokes Your License
You can request an administrative hearing to challenge the action. The Driver Safety Portal is the primary way to request one; you’ll need a MyDMV account to log in, or you can visit a Driver Safety office in person.7California DMV. Driver Safety Case Management
At the hearing you can present updated medical evidence, your eye doctor’s testimony, or a new DL 62 showing improved results after treatment or a new prescription. If your vision has genuinely improved (after cataract surgery, for example), a fresh examination and new DL 62 is often the fastest route to reinstatement.
Practical Steps to Avoid a Rejected Form
Most problems happen with paperwork, not the exam itself. A few habits keep the process on track:
- Bring your DMV notice letter to the appointment. It has your case number, the office to send the form to, and your deadline.
- Wear your current prescription. The DL 62 measures best corrected acuity, and outdated glasses can make you test worse than your actual capability. Consider updating your prescription first if your glasses are a couple of years old.
- Check every field with your specialist before leaving. One blank checkbox can cause a rejection.
- Photocopy or photograph the completed form before you send it in, so you have a record if the original is lost in transit.
- Mail it certified or hand-deliver it. A certified receipt proves the DMV had the form before your deadline.
The form itself is free. The eye examination is at your own expense, and the DMV does not reimburse it.