A cataract diagnosis doesn't automatically mean you lose your driving licence, but drivers must meet legal eyesight standards and may face restrictions depending on their condition.
Drivers in Portugal can continue driving with cataracts if their vision meets legal requirements and they are medically fit to do so.
The condition itself does not automatically trigger a driving ban, but its effect on eyesight can determine whether someone remains eligible to drive.
Under Decree Law No. 138/2012 of 5 July, the assessment goes beyond how clearly a person can see. Doctors must also consider peripheral vision, low-light vision, glare sensitivity, contrast perception, and double vision.
These rules are set out in Annex V of the Regulation on Legal Fitness to Drive, which establishes the medical standards drivers must meet.
Eyesight requirements
For drivers of cars and motorcycles classified under Group 1, the minimum required binocular visual acuity is 0.5 (5/10), with both eyes working together.
This standard can be met with or without glasses or contact lenses.
However, reaching the minimum score does not automatically guarantee fitness to drive. Other aspects of vision must also be satisfactory, particularly where cataracts affect a person’s ability to recognise hazards or judge distances.
Drivers who need glasses or contact lenses to meet the eyesight requirements must use them when driving, and their licence must record this condition as a restriction.
Separate provisions apply to people with vision in only one eye, so their circumstances must be assessed under the relevant rules rather than treated the same as binocular vision.
Vehicle type
The requirements are more demanding for Group 2 drivers, including those who drive heavy goods vehicles and buses in categories C and D.
Certain drivers holding B and BE licences also fall into this group when working in specific roles, including ambulance services, firefighting, patient transport, school transport, collective transport for children and some passenger transport services.
These drivers must have visual acuity of at least 0.8, or 8/10, in their better eye and 0.5, or 5/10, in their worse eye, with or without corrective lenses.
Additional conditions may apply when these standards can only be achieved with glasses or contact lenses, including requirements relating to uncorrected eyesight and the strength of the lenses.
Driving at night
Cataracts can affect more than just vision sharpness, as headlight glare, reduced contrast, and difficulty seeing in dim light can also make driving more challenging.
Portuguese regulations specifically address impaired twilight vision, which can lead to restrictions depending on the driver’s licence category.
For Group 1 drivers, a confirmed twilight-vision deficiency requires, at a minimum, a restriction limiting driving to daylight hours. This is a formal legal condition, not simply medical advice to avoid driving at night.
For Group 2 drivers, the rules are stricter, as a licence cannot be issued or renewed if the candidate or driver has impaired twilight vision.
Regular checks
The legislation also establishes specific requirements when a progressive eye disease is identified or declared.
Under point 1.7 of Annex V, a licence may be issued or renewed only for Group 1 drivers, subject to annual examinations by an ophthalmologist.
This makes regular medical monitoring particularly important when eyesight is deteriorating, as a satisfactory result at one examination does not necessarily mean the condition will remain compatible with driving indefinitely.
Where there are doubts about a person’s visual fitness, the regulations require an ophthalmological examination to determine whether the impairment affects their ability to drive safely.
License validity
Cataracts do not automatically disqualify someone from driving in Portugal.
What matters is how much the condition affects their vision and whether they meet the applicable medical standards.
Article 16 of the regulation also makes clear that a valid driving licence alone is not enough.
Drivers must continue to satisfy the minimum physical, mental and psychological fitness requirements.
Anyone diagnosed with cataracts who notices worsening vision, increased glare or difficulty driving in low light should seek advice from an ophthalmologist and establish whether any restrictions are necessary before continuing to drive.