Vision Standards for Driving and Jobs in India: Railways, Defence, Aviation
Last updated: October 2026
Patients often bring forms for a driving licence or a job medical. This card summarises what is checked in India and where the official standard is set. Standards change with each recruitment notice, so always read the notice the candidate is applying under.
Driving licence (Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989)
- Form 1 (self-declaration) asks whether the applicant can read a vehicle number plate at 25 metres in good daylight (with glasses if worn) and whether they can distinguish colours.
- Form 1A (medical certificate) from a registered medical practitioner is needed for transport (commercial) licences and, in most states, for applicants aged 40 and over or renewing after 40.
- Since GSR 401(E) of 24 June 2020, people with mild or moderate colour vision deficiency can obtain a licence; only severe colour blindness is a bar.
- The Ministry of Road Transport has advised that people with vision in only one eye can be licensed for private vehicles if the field and acuity of the seeing eye are adequate; states apply this differently, so check with the local RTO.
- No numeric acuity is written into the rules. Many examiners use 6/12 with both eyes open (with glasses if needed) and a full horizontal field as a practical minimum for private driving, in line with standards in many other countries.
Indian Railways medical categories (vision)
| Category | Typical posts | Distance vision | Near vision | Glasses | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-1 | Loco pilot, assistant loco pilot, motorman | 6/6, 6/6 without glasses | Sn 0.6, 0.6 without glasses | Not allowed | Must pass fogging test; colour, binocular, field and night vision normal |
| A-2 | Guard, station master, traffic assistant | 6/9, 6/9 without glasses | Sn 0.6, 0.6 without glasses | Not allowed | Colour, binocular, field and night vision normal |
| A-3 | Safety posts listed as A-3 in the notice | 6/9, 6/9 with or without glasses | Sn 0.6, 0.6 | Allowed, power within ±2 D | Colour, binocular, field and night vision normal |
| B-1 | Technical and signalling posts | 6/9, 6/12 with or without glasses | Sn 0.6, 0.6 for close work | Allowed, power within ±4 D | Colour, binocular and night vision normal |
| B-2 | Other technical posts | 6/9, 6/12 with or without glasses | Sn 0.6, 0.6 for close work | Allowed, power within ±4 D | Colour, binocular and night vision normal |
| C-1 | Posts listed as C-1 in the notice | 6/12, 6/18 with or without glasses | Sn 0.6, 0.6 | Allowed | Colour vision not required |
| C-2 | Clerk, typist, ticket clerk | 6/12, nil with or without glasses | Sn 0.6 combined | Allowed | Colour vision not required |
From the Indian Railway Medical Manual standards as reproduced in recruitment documents. Rules on refractive surgery differ by category and have changed over time (LASIK has been disallowed for the A categories and B-1 in many notices). Check the current RRB notification.
Defence, aviation and police
- Armed forces: standards differ for each entry (NDA, CDS, AFCAT, Agniveer, medical and technical branches) and are printed in the appendix of each notification. They specify uncorrected and corrected acuity, maximum myopia and hyperopia, colour perception grade (CP-I to CP-III) and the conditions under which LASIK or PRK is accepted (minimum age, time since surgery, corneal thickness, axial length).
- Civil aviation (DGCA): standards follow ICAO Annex 1 and DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements (Section 5, Series C). Class 1 (commercial) requires good corrected acuity in each eye, limits on refractive error and anisometropia, normal colour vision or a pass on an approved lantern test, and normal fields and binocular function. Examinations are done only by DGCA-approved examiners.
- Police and paramilitary: set by each state or force notification; most require a minimum distance acuity in each eye (with and without glasses) and normal colour vision.
When certifying: refract fully and record unaided and best-corrected acuity for each eye, near vision, colour vision (Ishihara, and lantern if required), fields by confrontation or perimetry, binocular status and fundus. Write exactly what you found; do not certify "fit" for a standard you have not read.
Related: colour vision testing, acuity conversion, disability calculator.
Key sources
- Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989: Form 1 and Form 1A
- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. GSR 401(E), 24 June 2020 (colour blindness and driving licences)
- Indian Railway Medical Manual, vision standards for medical categories (as reproduced in NHSRCL standards of medical examination)
- ICAO Annex 1, Chapter 6 (medical provisions) and DGCA CAR Section 5 Series C
- UPSC NDA/CDS and AFCAT notifications (appendix on medical standards)
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