You need the eyesight test before you hand in the application for the learner’s permit – just like the first-aid course. It is compulsory as long as you do not yet hold a valid learner’s permit or driving licence, and it briefly checks your visual acuity, your field of vision and how well your eyes move (VZV Art. 9). In the sections below you will find everything about the eyesight test:
01
What the eyesight test costs me
For the eyesight test, the portal of the Confederation and the cantons expects around 10 to 15 francs (ch.ch).
You will find an overview of the full cost of a driving licence in the article «Cost overview driving licence»
02
Where I can take the eyesight test
The eyesight test for the application for the Lernfahrausweis (learner’s permit) may be carried out by qualified opticians, optometrists and doctors working in Switzerland (VZV Art. 9). Some cantons name only opticians and eye doctors on the application – check your canton’s form.
There are also a number of platforms offering an online eyesight test. That one is not valid for the learner’s permit application.
03
What I have to bring with me
Before you go to the optician or the doctor, you download the application for the learner’s permit, print it and fill it in. You will find it on the website of the Strassenverkehrsamt (road traffic office) of the canton you live in (ch.ch) – all 26 addresses are in the table below. In Ticino you apply online.
- Besides the learner’s permit application, you also have to bring a valid identity document to your appointment (ID card, passport or residence permit)
- If you wear glasses, bring them: your eyesight is measured without and with them (application form, Basel-Stadt).
- If you wear contact lenses, tell the person testing you and bring your glasses too, if you have any.
04
How much time I have to allow
The eyesight test is a short check – the law calls it «summarisch» (summary) (VZV Art. 9). So it is easy to slot in somewhere.
05
How long the eyesight test is valid
The eyesight test is valid for exactly 24 months.
06
Can I retake the eyesight test?
In the eyesight test, visual acuity is measured first without and then with a visual aid. For category B you need at least 0.5 on your better eye and 0.2 on the worse one – if one eye sees less than 0.2, the other needs 0.6 – plus a field of vision of at least 120 degrees and no double images that get in the way (VZV Annex 1). If you only reach these values with glasses or contact lenses, you pass with a visual aid: you then have to wear it on every drive (VZV Art. 7), and it is entered as code 01 in your learner’s permit and driving licence (Strassenverkehrsamt Aargau).
07
What is checked in the eyesight test
The eyesight test checks three things: your visual acuity, each eye on its own, without and with a visual aid; your field of vision, that is, how far you can see to the side; and how well your eyes move, so that you do not see double (VZV Art. 9). Three-dimensional vision is not part of it.
08
Online eyesight test
There are free online eyesight tests on the internet. They do not count for the learner’s permit: the test has to be done by a doctor, a qualified optician or an optometrist working in Switzerland, who confirms it with a stamp and signature on the application (VZV Art. 9, Annex 4).
09
Can I cheat in the eyesight test
As already mentioned, anyone who only passes the eyesight test with glasses or contact lenses also has to wear a visual aid when driving. It is noted in the driving licence as well as in the learner’s permit.
Let us suppose you wore contact lenses during the eyesight test and said nothing about it to the optician or eye doctor. Officially you would have passed the test without a visual aid. Nothing would be noted in your driving licence and the eyesight test would be «faked»
It is not worth it: this is first and foremost about your own safety and that of others. Your eyesight is also measured explicitly without a visual aid – Basel-Stadt requires these values (application form, Basel-Stadt).
You should also not forget that deliberately cheating in the creation of official documents is a criminal offence, and that legal consequences have to be expected accordingly.
10
What an eyesight test is good for
When driving, you have to see other road users, signs and distances in good time.
We have put together a detailed checklist for the way to your driving licence in the article «Detailed driving licence checklist».
The law sets minimum values for eyesight for everyone who holds or wants to obtain a driving licence (VZV Art. 7). For category B these are: visual acuity of 0.5 on the better and 0.2 on the worse eye, a horizontal field of vision of at least 120 degrees, no double images that get in the way and no significantly limited vision at dusk (VZV Annex 1).
Anyone who cannot see well enough endangers themselves and others. That is why the minimum values apply not just on the day of the eyesight test, but for as long as you hold a licence (VZV Art. 7). With glasses or contact lenses you may drive just the same – the visual aid then belongs to every drive.
11
What happens if I drive without my glasses?
The law sets a minimum visual acuity (VZV Annex 1). If you only reach it with glasses or contact lenses, you have to wear the visual aid when driving (VZV Art. 7), and your driving licence carries code 01. If you drive without it anyway, you break a condition of your driving licence and are liable to a fine (SVG Art. 95).
The official rules on the eyesight test are in the Verkehrszulassungsverordnung (licensing ordinance), Article 9 and at the Strassenverkehrsamt Bern.