Welcome jwild!
Vision requirements for police officer candidates vary, sometimes greatly, depending on the department. Some police departments require candidates to have very good uncorrected vision. Some police departments are primarily concerned with your corrected vision being at least 20/20. Two examples are below. Visit the website of the police departments that you are interested in. The websites will often contain the department's vision requirements.
The Los Angeles Police Department requires candidates to have at least 20/30 in each eye with the following exceptions. If glasses are worn, vision must be at least 20/30 in each eye while wearing the glasses and uncorrected distance vision must not exceed 20/70 in either eye and the better eye must be at least 20/40. If soft contact lenses are worn, they must have been worn for at least three months and vision must be at least 20/30 in each eye tested with the contacts in. If a LASIK procedure (refractive surgery) was performed, vision must be at least 20/30 in each eye.
The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia requires candidates to have at least 20/100 vision, correctable to 20/30 in both eyes.
You do not have to have perfect vision to be a police officer.
We invite you to join our forum as a registered user. It is free and easy to register!
