Off-the-shelf reading glasses can leave a driver unable to focus on the road and could expose them to a €200 fine in Spain. The DGT warns that these lenses are designed for close-up reading, not driving; using unsuitable eyewear may be treated as a serious offence. Spain’s driving-licence visual standards are assessed during an authorised medical examination, and drivers must comply with any corrective-lens restriction recorded on their licence.
The problem is their generic fit. Premounted glasses use the same prescription in both lenses and do not correct astigmatism or differences between a person’s eyes. Unlike prescription spectacles, they are not tailored to account for each eye’s individual power or pupillary distance. They also do not correct distance vision, which drivers need to read signs and judge distances.
Spain sells around seven million pairs each year, commonly known as pharmacy glasses. They cost between €10 and €15, and 95% are bought in tobacconists or supermarkets. Petrol stations also sell them. Their ready availability does not make them suitable for use behind the wheel.
According to Tráfico y Seguridad Vial, the glasses must carry a sticker warning against driving in them. Wearing the wrong lenses can cause blurred vision and reduced sharpness. Drivers may also experience eye fatigue, dizziness or difficulty focusing.
The DGT estimates that one million people drive with visual acuity below the legal threshold of 0.5. Its separate guidance on driver equipment has also drawn attention, including its position on the V16 beacon.
The advice for drivers with presbyopia or glaucoma is to consult professionals and take extra care. Ready-made reading glasses are intended for occasional reading, not for driving. Drivers’ fitness is assessed against the visual standards for a licence, rather than by the retail category of the glasses they use.
