The Glasses Passport and the Eye Test: What You Need to Know

The glasses passport and the eye test: what is the glasses passport, what does it have to do with your driving licence eye test, and do you need one? The glasses passport, or Brillenpass in German, is a small card, about the size of a credit card, that your optician gives you when you buy a pair of glasses, and it records your prescription, the strength of your lenses, your pupillary distance, and the details of the frames. It is not a legal document, and you do not need one to take the eye test, but it can be very useful, because it tells the optician what your last prescription was, and it helps you to order a new pair of glasses, or to compare prices, without having to have a new eye test every time. This guide explains what the glasses passport is, what it contains, and when it helps with the eye test and with your driving licence.

The glasses passport is a simple idea, and it is one that many people do not know about, even though they may already have one without realising it. When you buy glasses from an optician, the optician writes your prescription on a card, and gives you the card to keep, often in a small plastic sleeve, and sometimes in a digital form that you can store on your phone. That card is the glasses passport. It is not the same as the eye test certificate for your driving licence, which is a different document, issued for a different purpose, and which has a different validity period. But the two documents are related, because they both record the state of your vision, and because the prescription on the glasses passport is the prescription that the eye test will measure.

Understanding the glasses passport is useful for two reasons. First, it helps you to take better care of your eyes, because it gives you a record of your prescription, so that you can see whether it is changing, and so that you can tell a new optician what your last prescription was, without having to guess. Second, it helps you with the driving licence eye test, because if you bring the passport to the test, the optician can see your prescription at a glance, and they can check whether your glasses are still the right strength, or whether they need to be updated before you take the test. That can save you a failed test, and a wasted trip, and it is the main reason to keep your glasses passport with you, and to keep it up to date.

What the glasses passport is

The glasses passport, or Brillenpass, is a small card that records your prescription and the details of your glasses. It is issued by the optician when you buy a pair of glasses, and it is yours to keep, and to take with you when you go to another optician, or when you order glasses online, or when you need to prove what your prescription is. It is not a legal requirement, and there is no law that says you must have one, but most opticians in Germany give one as a matter of course, and many customers keep one for years, updating it each time they buy new glasses. It is a free service, and it is included in the price of the glasses, so there is no reason not to ask for one if you have not been given one.

The passport is usually a paper card, about the size of a credit card, but some opticians offer a digital version, which you can store on your phone, or in an app, and which you can show to an optician on your screen. The digital version has the same information as the paper card, and it is more convenient, because you cannot lose it as easily, and because you always have your phone with you. If your optician offers a digital passport, it is worth using it, especially if you travel a lot, or if you are likely to need glasses in a hurry, because it means that your prescription is always at hand. Ask your optician whether they offer a digital passport, and if they do, set it up on your phone.

It is important to know what the glasses passport is not. It is not an eye test certificate, and it is not a substitute for one. The eye test certificate for your driving licence is a separate document, issued after a specific test, and it is valid for two years, and it is the document that the licensing office wants to see. The glasses passport is a record of your prescription, and it is valid until your next pair of glasses, and it is the document that an optician wants to see when you are buying glasses. They are different, they are kept separately, and they are used for different purposes, but they are both useful, and it is worth keeping both of them safe. For the difference between the two documents, read our guide to the validity of the eye test certificate and our article on the eye test with glasses.

What is on the passport

The glasses passport contains the numbers that define your prescription, and it is worth understanding what those numbers mean, so that you can read your own passport, and so that you can tell whether it is out of date. The most important number is the sphere, or sph, which is the strength of the lens, measured in dioptres, and which corrects short-sightedness or long-sightedness. A negative sphere, such as minus 2.00, means you are short-sighted, and a positive sphere, such as plus 1.50, means you are long-sighted. The stronger the number, the stronger the lens, and the more you need it, and the more difference it will make to your visual acuity, and to your result on the eye test.

The second number is the cylinder, or cyl, which corrects astigmatism, the condition in which the cornea is not perfectly round, and which makes the vision blurry at all distances. The cylinder also has an axis, which is an angle in degrees, and which tells the optician in which direction the astigmatism lies. If you have astigmatism, your passport will show a cylinder value, and an axis value, and the optician will use both of them to make your lenses. If you do not have astigmatism, the cylinder will be zero, or it will be blank, and that is normal. The axis does not matter for the eye test itself, but it does matter for the glasses, and it is part of why a new pair of glasses needs to be made to your exact prescription.

The third piece of information on the passport is the pupillary distance, or PD, which is the distance between your pupils, measured in millimetres, and which tells the optician where to put the centre of the lenses in the frames, so that you look through the right part of the lens. The passport also records the addition, or ADD, which is the extra strength that is added to the lower part of the lens for reading, or for progressive lenses, and which is used for varifocals. Finally, the passport records the date of the prescription, the name of the optician, and any notes that the optician has made about your eyes, such as a reminder that you need a new test, or that your prescription is changing quickly. That date is important, because it tells you how old your prescription is, and whether it might be time for a new eye test.

How the glasses passport helps with the eye test

The glasses passport helps with the eye test in a simple, practical way: it tells the optician what your prescription is, so that they can check whether your glasses are still the right strength before the test starts. If you take the eye test, and your glasses are out of date, the result will be worse than it should be, and you may fail the test, even though your eyes themselves have not changed much, and even though a new pair of glasses would put it right. If you bring the passport, the optician can see the date of the prescription, and they can tell you whether it is recent enough, or whether you should get a new eye test and a new pair of glasses before you take the driving licence test. That can save you a failed test, and a wasted trip, and it is worth the few seconds it takes to bring the card.

It is also useful when you are buying new glasses, because it means that you do not need a new eye test every time you want a new pair, if your prescription has not changed. If your prescription is less than a year old, and your vision has not changed, the optician can make a new pair of glasses from the passport, without testing your eyes again, and you can choose new frames, or a new style, or a second pair, without the cost and the time of a full eye examination. That is a matter of convenience, but it is also a matter of money, because an eye examination costs money, and a passport can save you from having one more often than you need to.

And the passport helps with the driving licence in another way, because it is a record of your vision that you can keep, and that you can show to the licensing office, to your driving school, or to your insurance company, if they ask what your prescription is, or whether you need glasses to drive. It is not a legal proof of your vision, and it does not replace the eye test certificate, but it is a useful record, and it is the document that most opticians will ask for first, when you go in for glasses. For more on the eye test with glasses, read our article on the eye test with glasses and contact lenses versus glasses in the eye test.

Getting a glasses passport and keeping it up to date

Getting a glasses passport is easy. When you buy a pair of glasses, ask the optician for a Brillenpass, and they will give you one, free of charge, with your prescription written on it. If you already have a pair of glasses, and you were not given a passport, go back to the optician who made them, and ask, because they will have your prescription on file, and they can write it on a card for you. It takes a minute, and it is free, so there is no reason not to do it. Keep the passport in your wallet, or in your glasses case, so that you always have it when you need it, and so that you do not have to go looking for it when you are in a hurry.

Keeping the passport up to date is just as easy, and it is just as important as having one in the first place. Every time you get a new pair of glasses, or a new prescription, ask the optician to update the passport, or to give you a new one, and throw the old one away, so that you do not get the old prescription and the new one mixed up. If you have a digital passport, it will usually be updated automatically, or you can ask the optician to update it, and you should check that it has been updated, before you leave the shop. That is the most common mistake with a glasses passport: keeping an old one, and showing it to an optician, who then makes a pair of glasses to the wrong prescription.

Finally, it is worth knowing that a glasses passport is not the only record you should keep. You should also keep your eye test certificate for your driving licence, and any report from an ophthalmologist, and any prescription for contact lenses, because each of those is a different document, and each of them has a different use. Keep them together, in a folder, or in your phone, so that you can find them when you need them, and so that you do not have to search for them at the last minute, before a driving test, or before a visit to the optician. That is a small amount of organisation, and it can save you a lot of time and trouble in the long run.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a glasses passport?
It is a small card, the Brillenpass, that records your prescription, your pupillary distance, and the details of your glasses. It is issued free by your optician when you buy glasses, and it helps you to order new glasses without a new eye test.

Do I need a glasses passport for the eye test?
No, you do not need one to take the eye test, and it is not a legal document. But bringing it helps, because the optician can see whether your prescription is up to date, and whether your glasses are still the right strength.

Does the glasses passport replace the eye test certificate?
No. The eye test certificate for your driving licence is a separate document, issued after a specific test, and it is valid for two years. The glasses passport is a record of your prescription, and it is valid until your next pair of glasses.

How much does a glasses passport cost?
Nothing. It is issued free by the optician when you buy glasses, and it is updated free each time you get a new pair.

Can I get a digital glasses passport?
Some opticians offer one, which you can store on your phone. Ask your optician, and if they offer it, set it up, because it means your prescription is always at hand.

Conclusion

The glasses passport is a small, simple, free card, and it is one of the most useful things in eye care, because it keeps your prescription in your pocket, and it saves you from having a new eye test every time you want a new pair of glasses. It does not replace the eye test certificate for your driving licence, and you do not need one to take the eye test, but it is a useful record, and it can help the optician to see whether your glasses are still the right strength before the test starts.

Ask your optician for a Brillenpass, if you do not have one, keep it in your wallet or in your glasses case, and keep it up to date every time you get a new pair of glasses. Bring it to the eye test, and bring it with you when you buy glasses, and it will save you time, money, and trouble, for years to come.