The 72-year-old will remain at the Val de Grace military hospital in the capital Paris for about a week.
The hospital said the president was being treated for “a minor vascular incident” that had slightly affected his eyesight.
Mr Chirac’s office said all presidential engagements had been cancelled for the coming week.
“The president of the republic was hospitalised last night at the Val de Grace hospital for a minor vascular incident that led to a slight vision disorder, which should be over within a few days,” the military hospital said in a statement.
“The president of the republic is expected to remain hospitalised for about one week.”