Eye test - driver's license

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Here it is not possible without an eye test: Driver's license holders will only be able to have the sharpness of their eyes officially checked. That is why it is for driving license applicants: Off to the eye test! Driving school or family doctor are not allowed to do this, however, a standardized driving license eye test at an official eye test center is necessary. If you fail here, you have to be examined by an ophthalmologist. Read more about this here!

What are the requirements for the eye test?

Driving license applicants must have their good eyesight certified by an official eye test center. Such an eye test center must demonstrate certain qualifications and examination equipment. Can be recognized as an eye test center

• Ophthalmologists,
• Optician,
• Doctors at the health department and
• those with the additional designation of occupational or industrial medicine.

You will pass the official eye test with a daytime visual acuity (visual acuity in daylight) of 0.7 in each eye (i.e. 70 percent vision in each eye). If the visual acuity deviation exceeds 0.8 diopters, the driver's license applicant needs glasses or contact lenses to compensate. If someone has to use such a visual aid for a perfect view in traffic, this is indicated with a corresponding note in the driver's license.

For driving license classes A, B, M, L and T, the following minimum requirements for visual acuity apply:

• 0.5 (i.e. 50% vision) on both eyes
• 0.5 (i.e. 50% vision) in one and at least 0.2 (i.e. 20% vision) in the other eye

For example, an applicant for a car driver's license who has only 10 percent visual acuity in one eye and 40 percent visual acuity in the other eye will not be allowed to drive.

If a patient loses an eye, he is not allowed to drive for three months so that he can get used to his restricted field of vision. He may then drive a vehicle again, provided the remaining eye has a visual acuity of at least 50 percent.

Eye test procedure

A driver's license is only given to those who present a certificate from an official eye test center to their driving school. Many opticians, but of course also ophthalmologists, offer such eye exams.

If you want to certify your eyesight, you need your identity card or passport. The optician or doctor then checks visual acuity in a standardized eye test using Landolt rings. The test result is recorded in writing.

Normally, there is a statutory fee of 6.43 euros for the test with certificate - additional reports from ophthalmologists can, however, become more expensive.

Eye test: truck driver's license

Significantly stricter requirements for eyesight apply to truck driving licenses (classes C and D) and passenger transport (such as taxis). In addition, applicants for these driving license classes have to undergo a further ophthalmological examination, which in addition to the eye test ...

• of the field of vision,
• spatial vision,
• eye movement,
• of twilight vision,
• the glare sensitivity and
• of color vision includes.

The ophthalmologist then writes an opinion that the applicant must present to the driver's license office.

How long is the eye test valid?

The eye test must not be more than two years ago when you acquired a driving license. This means that you have to get your driver's license within two years after the examination by the eye doctor or optician - otherwise you have to repeat the eye test. Since there is a fee associated with the examination, you should be careful not to let your eye test for the driver's license expire.

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