[Visual acuity and driver's licence among young people. Are routine vision tests necessary?]

The minimum visual acuity for obtaining a driver's licence for smaller vehicles in Norway is 0.5 (5/10). However, visual acuity is not routinely tested on application for the licence. Among 720 conscripts examined by a draft board, five (0.694%) had a visual acuity of less than 0.5, and did not have spectacles or lenses. The estimated standard deviation is 0.31%. The upper 95% one sided confidence limit was estimated to be 1.46% (Poisson-distribution). It is concluded that checking the vision of all applicants for a driver's licence would have only a marginal effect on safety.