diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 3c37ab7..70be95f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -67,6 +67,26 @@ if (!errors) {
 }
 ```
 
+For ease of use, email and uri formats accept a allowEmptyValue configuration
+
+```javascript
+env.addSchema('foo', {
+    type: 'object',
+    properties: {
+        email: {
+            type: 'string',
+            format: 'email',
+            allowEmptyValue: true
+        },
+        uri: {
+            type: 'string',
+            format: 'uri',
+            allowEmptyValue: true
+        }
+    }
+});
+```
+
 It is also possible to validate objects against unregistered and/or
 unnamed schemas by supplying the schema object directly. For example:
 
diff --git a/lib/jjv.js b/lib/jjv.js
index e3047fe..ef6e53d 100644
--- a/lib/jjv.js
+++ b/lib/jjv.js
@@ -146,10 +146,14 @@
     'hostname': function (v) {
       return v.length < 256 && (/^([a-zA-Z0-9]|[a-zA-Z0-9][a-zA-Z0-9\-]{0,61}[a-zA-Z0-9])(\.([a-zA-Z0-9]|[a-zA-Z0-9][a-zA-Z0-9\-]{0,61}[a-zA-Z0-9]))*$/).test(v);
     },
-    'uri': function (v) {
+    'uri': function (v, schema) {
+      if(v == '' && schema.allowEmptyValue)
+        return true;
       return (/[-a-zA-Z0-9@:%_\+.~#?&//=]{2,256}\.[a-z]{2,4}\b(\/[-a-zA-Z0-9@:%_\+.~#?&//=]*)?/).test(v);
     },
-    'email': function (v) { // email, ipv4 and ipv6 adapted from node-validator
+    'email': function (v, schema) { // email, ipv4 and ipv6 adapted from node-validator
+      if(v == '' && schema.allowEmptyValue)
+        return true;
       return (/^(?:[\w\!\#\$\%\&\'\*\+\-\/\=\?\^\`\{\|\}\~]+\.)*[\w\!\#\$\%\&\'\*\+\-\/\=\?\^\`\{\|\}\~]+@(?:(?:(?:[a-zA-Z0-9](?:[a-zA-Z0-9\-](?!\.)){0,61}[a-zA-Z0-9]?\.)+[a-zA-Z0-9](?:[a-zA-Z0-9\-](?!$)){0,61}[a-zA-Z0-9]?)|(?:\[(?:(?:[01]?\d{1,2}|2[0-4]\d|25[0-5])\.){3}(?:[01]?\d{1,2}|2[0-4]\d|25[0-5])\]))$/).test(v);
     },
     'ipv4': function (v) {