Nearly 36,000 NYers Get Drivers Licenses Suspended: Report

NEW YORK — Nearly 36,000 New Yorkers have had their driver's licenses suspended for failing to take the required eye exams in time, according to Newsday.

As of September of last year, 95,000 people in the state were in danger of losing their licenses unless they hurried up and submitted proof to the DMV that they've passed a vision test, the outlet reported at the time.

Why? In the early days of the pandemic, the DMV loosened up its license-renewing procedure. It allowed customers whose licenses expired between March 1, 2020 and Oct. 31, 2021 to postpone the vision test requirement, renewing their licenses online and self-certifying their vision in the meantime, the outlet reported.

After awhile, however, the rules began to tighten, and the DMV once again began asking for proof of a passing vision test. Those who wanted to keep their licenses were warned multiple times that they needed to do so before December, and many did.

It's the 35,833 who didn't that are now facing conviction of driving on a suspended license if they continue to drive, according to Newsday.

Read the full report in Newsday to learn more.

You must have 20/40 vision or better in at least one eye without glasses or contacts in order to drive without wearing them, according to the DMV.

You can find a list of locations that offer vision tests in your zip code on New York's Department of Motor Vehicles' Vision Registry, but the list is not exhaustive. If you want to receive an exam from another healthcare provider, ask them to fill out a MV-619 form, which is available on the DMV website.