SC residents will have to pass eye tests — and prove it — to renew driver’s licenses
A change is coming for South Carolina residents looking to keep a valid driver’s license.
In a month, they will be required to take an eye exam before having their licenses renewed, the Department of Motor Vehicles said Tuesday in a news release.
Starting on Oct. 1, DMV says drivers must provide vision test results to renew any type of licenses. There are two ways residents are permitted to prove their vision is good enough to maintain their license.
One option for drivers is to have their eyes checked in person at any of the DMV branches across South Carolina.
As an alternative, the in-person screening can be waived if a South Carolina-licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist submits drivers’ vision examination results to the DMV electronically, according to the release. The results must be dated within the past 12 months, according to the DMV.
The DMV said vision tests for first-time licenses and commercial driver’s licenses continue to be required.
If a resident does not pass the vision screening at a DMV branch, they’re required to visit an eye-care professional who must submit the exam results electronically after assessing the person’s vision, officials said.
After passing the vision exam, the driver will be able to renew their license online, or return to an DMV branch office, according to the release.
“The need to have a vision test to renew your driver’s license was taken out of state law when the state passed the REAL ID bill in 2017,” South Carolina DMV Executive Director Kevin Shwedo said in the release. “Many existing drivers are already qualified to obtain REAL ID driver’s licenses online. If a driver wishes to obtain a REAL ID license online without having to take a vision test, the driver will need to do it by September 30. ... The same is true for people whose non-REAL ID driver’s licenses are due for renewal.”
Drivers who wear contacts or glasses will have an “A” printed on their licenses, DMV officials said. Those who need to add or delete restrictions associated with their vision must visit a DMV branch, according to the release.
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