Beginning Jan. 1, Kentuckians will need a vision screening in order to renew their driver’s licenses.
The vision screenings can be performed by an optometrist or can be taken in the renewal office. The state screening takes approximately one minute to perform, per Kentucky Health News. If the candidate fails the screening, they would be guided toward a medical professional for additional insight.
When the law requiring screenings (House Bill 439) passed in 2021, it received near-unanimous approval from both the Kentucky House and Senate. The House approved the bill 89 to 5 and the Senate 31 to 4, and the bill was signed by Gov. Andy Beshear. Upon his signature, Kentucky became the 43rd state to require a vision screening each time a license is renewed.
“Driving is a privilege many of us enjoy and this best practice is one way we look out for each other on the road to make our highways safer for everyone,” said Gov. Beshear of the bill.
These screenings will not increase the cost of license renewal, which is currently $21.50 for a four-year standard license and $24 for a four-year RealID license. The screening itself can be done for no charge.
License renewals can be done at the Driver Licensing Regional Office in Columbia, and can be done up to six months before the license is set to expire.
