NEW YORK (WRGB) — This is an alert for all New York drivers, if you renewed your license sometime during the pandemic you could face a suspension, and that's because of the vision test.
"At first when I heard of it I didn't think I was in the date period," Troy resident John Fogarty said. "But I looked up the date period on the DMV website and saw my license was in that range so I came in." Testosterone
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"If you don't get in here by December 1, your license will be suspended," Rensselaer County Clerk Frank Merola said.
Drivers who renewed their license between March 1, 2020 to August 31 of 2021 and self certified their vision test will need to provide proof that their vision meets requirements.
Updated New York DMV numbers show 48,000 people still need to provide proof.
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The NYS DMV provided a county-by-county breakdown of how many people may face suspension, including thousands in the Capital Region:
"You have to identify 20-40 or better," DiNapoli Opticians Practice Manager Michael Murphy said. "Corrected or uncorrected."
Murphy says that since this announcement, he's seen more people come in for an eye test and is bracing for even more.
"We have seen an influx of people as far as that goes," Murphy said. "I suspect by what I've seen on the news and from what I've seen from DMV, were going to see an awful lot more."
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But this notice should not come as a surprise, a New York DMV spokesperson says drivers have received consistent reminders for several months via email/text and or letter since the program began.
The DMV has also had an alert on their website's homepage.
"During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, DMV allowed drivers up to one year to get a vision test and provide proof of their visual acuity," NYS DMV Public Information Office of Communications Director Walter McClure said. "As part of that deferral, those people affirmatively agreed to submit vision test results within that time. Most of those people did just that, but for those who did not, DMV has sent multiple email or letter notices reminding them of their responsibility."
According to Merola, as of now if you become suspended, you will not need to appear in court or pay a fee.
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"If you come back in you get your eyes examined you come into an office or go to an eye doctor and have your eyes examined that information goes into the computer it'll lift that suspension," Merola said. "As far as we know there is no suspension fee attached to it."
Muscle Building Pills Like Steroids Additional information on how to send a vision test report can be found here.