How to Fill Out and Submit the NY MV-80L Eye Test Report

The NY MV-80L eye test report is the form a physician, ophthalmologist, or optometrist uses to certify that you still meet New York’s minimum vision standards when you cannot pass the standard 20/40 screening. You fill out the patient section at the top, your eye doctor completes the clinical section, and the original goes by mail to the DMV’s Medical Review Unit in Albany. The Medical Review Unit then decides whether to issue or renew your license, usually with driving restrictions.

Who Needs the MV-80L

Most drivers never see this form. If your corrected vision is 20/40 or better, you pass the standard screening at a DMV office or have a provider submit results through the Online Vision Registry on the MV-619.1New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Vision Requirements and Restrictions

The MV-80L is for two groups who cannot meet that threshold:

  • Drivers whose corrected vision is worse than 20/40 but at least 20/70 in either or both eyes, and who have a horizontal binocular field of vision of at least 140 degrees.
  • Drivers who need bioptic or other telescopic lenses to reach 20/40, with at least 20/100 through the carrier lens and a 140-degree field of vision without field expanders.2New York State Senate. New York Codes, Rules and Regulations Title 15 Section 5-3

If your corrected vision is worse than 20/70 and you don’t use telescopic lenses, New York will not issue a driver license, and the MV-80L cannot change that.2New York State Senate. New York Codes, Rules and Regulations Title 15 Section 5-3

Which Providers Can Sign It

Only a physician, ophthalmologist, or optometrist can complete and sign the MV-80L.3New York Department of Motor Vehicles. Form MV-80L – Eye Test Report for Medical Review Unit The broader list that can sign the standard MV-619, including physician assistants, opticians, registered nurses, and nurse practitioners, cannot sign this one.1New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Vision Requirements and Restrictions If the wrong provider type fills it out, you start over.

What You Fill In

The patient section at the top is yours. Four items:3New York Department of Motor Vehicles. Form MV-80L – Eye Test Report for Medical Review Unit

  • Your full legal name as it appears on your current license, permit, or non-driver ID.
  • Your current mailing address.
  • Your nine-digit New York State Client ID number, printed on the upper portion of your photo document. Enter only the digits, with no spaces or hyphens. The number stays the same across replacement documents, so a number from an expired card still works.4New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Sample New York DMV Photo Documents
  • Your date of birth and sex designation (M, F, or X).

The Medical Review Unit matches the form to your driving record using the Client ID. A missing or wrong number means the form sits.

What Your Eye Doctor Fills In

The practitioner section is more involved than a standard screening. Your provider records:3New York Department of Motor Vehicles. Form MV-80L – Eye Test Report for Medical Review Unit

  • Visual acuity by the Snellen method for the right eye, the left eye, and both eyes together, noting whether the readings were taken with corrective lenses, without them, or with telescopic lenses. For telescopic lenses, acuity is recorded separately through the telescope and through the carrier lens.
  • Horizontal binocular field of vision, with a mark for whether it meets or exceeds 140 degrees.
  • The specific medical condition causing the vision loss, such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, or cataracts.
  • Whether the condition is stable, and whether you should be re-examined every six months or every year.
  • Recommended driving restrictions: day driving only, full-view mirror required, no limited-access roads, or none.
  • A yes-or-no opinion on whether the condition interferes with safe driving. A “yes” requires a written explanation.

The provider also indicates whether the exam is an initial evaluation or a re-evaluation, enters the examination date, and signs with their license or certificate number.

The examination date carries a hard deadline. The exam must have been performed within 60 days of the date the DMV receives the form.3New York Department of Motor Vehicles. Form MV-80L – Eye Test Report for Medical Review Unit An older date gets the form rejected, which usually means a new appointment. Mail it promptly and count backward from the postmark day, not from the day it arrives.

If You Use Telescopic Lenses

Telescopic lens wearers have an extra certification at the bottom of the form that you sign yourself, not your provider. On a first-time evaluation, you certify that you completed the minimum training requirements for telescopic lens wearers set out in Part 5 of the Commissioner’s Regulations, and you provide the name, address, and phone number of the person who trained you along with the date training was completed.3New York Department of Motor Vehicles. Form MV-80L – Eye Test Report for Medical Review Unit

A license issued through this pathway carries a “TELESCOPIC LENSES” restriction and is limited to Class D or Class DJ. You cannot hold a commercial driver license, motorcycle license, or moped license with it.3New York Department of Motor Vehicles. Form MV-80L – Eye Test Report for Medical Review Unit To remove the restriction later, you would submit a new MV-80L showing you no longer need the lenses.1New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Vision Requirements and Restrictions

Where to Mail It

Send the completed original to the Medical Review Unit, not to a local DMV office and not to the License Production Bureau:5New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. DMV Medical Review Program

Medical Review Unit
New York State DMV
6 Empire State Plaza, Room 337
Albany, NY 12228

Make a photocopy before you mail it. If the original is lost in transit, your provider will have to complete a new form, and if the 60-day window has closed by then, you will need another exam. The MV-80L does not go through the Online Vision Registry, and providers cannot submit it electronically.

What Happens After the DMV Receives It

The Medical Review Unit reviews the acuity numbers, field of vision, medical condition, your provider’s safe-driving opinion, and the recommended restrictions, then decides whether to approve your license, approve it with restrictions, or deny it.

Common restrictions placed on a license based on the MV-80L include:

  • Day driving only, meaning no driving between sunset and sunrise.
  • Full-view exterior mirror required.
  • No driving on expressways, freeways, or interstate highways.
  • Corrective lenses required while driving.

The Medical Review Unit may also call you in for an interview at a DMV office, which can include additional eye, written, and road tests.5New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. DMV Medical Review Program The re-evaluation interval your provider chose on the form, every six months or every year, sets how soon you repeat the process. When that interval comes up, you need a fresh MV-80L with a new examination date within 60 days.

Mistakes That Get the Form Rejected

Most rejections come down to the same handful of problems:

  • Exam date older than 60 days by the time the form reaches Albany. This is the most common issue.
  • The wrong provider type signed it. An optician, physician assistant, or nurse cannot sign the MV-80L even if they can sign the MV-619.
  • Missing or wrong Client ID number, which prevents the Medical Review Unit from matching the form to your record.
  • Blank fields in the practitioner section. The medical condition, stability assessment, and restriction recommendations all have to be filled in.
  • Mailed to a local DMV office or the License Production Bureau instead of the Medical Review Unit address above.

If the Medical Review Unit rejects your form, you will typically get a letter explaining why. Depending on the problem and how much time has passed, you may need a brand-new examination rather than just a corrected form.