How Long Does the Eye Test Take? The Real Duration

How long does the eye test take? It is a question that almost everyone asks when they book their driving licence eye test, and the answer is more reassuring than most people expect. The eye test itself, the part where you sit in front of the chart and read the letters, takes about five minutes, and the whole visit to the optician, from walking in the door to walking out with the certificate in your hand, usually takes 15 to 30 minutes. That is the whole appointment, not just the test, and it means that the eye test is one of the quickest parts of the driving licence process, quicker than a theory lesson, quicker than a practical lesson, and far quicker than a trip to the licensing office.

There are good reasons to know the real duration, and not to guess. If you know that the test takes five minutes, and that the visit takes half an hour at most, you can book it into a lunch break, or between two lessons, or on the way home from work, without having to take a morning or afternoon off. If you are booking at the ophthalmologist instead, you need to allow more time, because the doctor’s examination is more thorough, and it takes 30 to 60 minutes, and if the doctor uses dilating drops, you will not be able to drive home afterwards, so you need to plan for that as well. And if you are a professional driver, the eye test is part of a longer medical examination, which can take an hour or more in total.

This guide gives you the real duration for each type of eye test: the optician’s eye test, the ophthalmologist’s examination, the professional test for lorry and bus drivers, and the time it takes to get the appointment itself, which is often longer than the test. It also tells you how to plan your appointment so that you are in and out as quickly as possible, what to do if you are in a hurry, and what to bring so that you do not have to come back a second time. For an overview of the whole process, read our guide to how the driving licence eye test works.

The eye test itself: about five minutes

The eye test at the optician is a simple, standardised procedure, and it is designed to be quick. You sit in a chair, the optician covers one of your eyes with a paddle, and you read the letters, numbers or Landolt rings on a chart on the wall, or on a screen, starting with the large letters at the top and working down to the smaller ones. The optician records the smallest line you can read for your right eye, then covers the other eye and does the same for your left eye, and then tests both eyes together. That takes two to three minutes, and it is the main part of the test.

After the visual acuity test, there are one or two quick additional checks. The optician may check that you can see at close range, by asking you to read a card at arm’s length, and they may check your colour vision, if the licence class you are applying for requires it, by showing you a few Ishihara plates. They will also ask whether you wear glasses or contact lenses, and they will test you with them on, as well as without them, so that they can record both your corrected and your uncorrected vision. Those extra checks take another two or three minutes, and they are the reason the total test time is about five minutes.

When the test is finished, the optician writes the certificate, which takes a minute or two. The certificate is a simple form, with your name, your date of birth, the date of the test, and the results, and it is signed and stamped by the optician. Some opticians print the certificate on the spot, while others write it by hand, and either way it is ready in a couple of minutes. You pay, usually between 5 and 10 euros, and you walk out with a certificate that is valid for two years. That is the whole test, from the first letter on the chart to the certificate in your hand.

Where the time goes: the whole visit

Although the test itself is only five minutes, the whole visit takes longer, and it is worth knowing where the time goes, so that you can plan for it. The first part is the travel: most people need 10 to 20 minutes to get to the optician, depending on where they live, and the same to get back, so the travel can take longer than the test. If you can book an optician near your home, near your work, or near your driving school, you can reduce the travel time, and the whole visit can fit into a lunch break.

The second part is the waiting. If you have an appointment, there is usually very little waiting, and you will be seen at the time you booked, or a few minutes afterwards. If you walk in without an appointment, you may have to wait while the optician serves other customers, and the wait can be 10 to 30 minutes, depending on how busy the shop is. That is the main reason to book an appointment, even though most opticians accept walk-ins, and it is the main reason that a planned visit takes 15 to 30 minutes in total, while an unplanned one can take an hour. For more on walk-ins, read our article on whether you need an appointment at the optician.

The third part is the preparation, and it is the part you can control. If you arrive with your glasses or contact lenses, your identity card, and the details of the licence class you want, the optician can start the test straight away. If you arrive without your glasses, or if you are not sure which licence class you are applying for, the optician will need to ask questions and work out what you need, and that adds a few minutes. Bringing the right things, and knowing what you need, makes the visit as quick as it can be, and it means that you will not have to come back a second time, which is the slowest outcome of all.

At the ophthalmologist: 30 to 60 minutes

If you need to take the eye test at the ophthalmologist, the eye doctor, rather than at the optician, the appointment is longer, because the examination is much more thorough. It usually takes 30 to 60 minutes, and it starts with a conversation about your medical history, your medication, and the licence class you are applying for. Then the doctor measures your visual acuity, your visual field, your colour vision, and your eye pressure, and they examine the front and the back of your eyes with a slit lamp. That is a medical examination, not just a test of whether you can read the letters, and it takes time because each part has to be done properly. For the details, read our guide to the eye test at the ophthalmologist.

There is another reason the ophthalmologist appointment takes longer, and it is that the doctor will often use drops to dilate your pupils, so that they can see the retina at the back of your eye. The drops take 15 to 20 minutes to work, during which you sit in the waiting room, and after the examination your vision will be blurry and sensitive to light for several hours. That means that the appointment itself takes an hour, but the effect on your day is longer, because you cannot drive afterwards, and you should not plan to do anything that needs sharp vision for the rest of the afternoon. Ask someone to drive you to the appointment, bring sunglasses, and plan your day around it.

For professional drivers, the eye test is part of a larger medical examination, and the total time is longer again. The medical examination for a lorry or bus licence includes the eye test, a general health check, a blood pressure measurement, and often blood tests and a hearing test, and the whole thing can take 60 to 90 minutes, or it can be split over two appointments. The eye test itself, within that examination, takes about the same time as the ophthalmologist examination, 30 to 60 minutes, but the rest of the medical adds to the total. If you are a professional driver, ask your employer or your driving school how long the medical will take, and plan a half day for it rather than an hour, so that you are not rushed.

Getting an appointment: the waiting time

There is another kind of time to think about, and it is the time it takes to get an appointment in the first place. For the optician, there is usually no wait at all. Most opticians accept walk-ins, and even if you book an appointment, you can usually get one on the same day or the next day, because the test is quick and the opticians are used to doing it. That is one of the best things about the optician’s eye test: it is the part of the driving licence process that you can do on a whim, without planning weeks ahead, and it is the part that rarely causes a delay.

For the ophthalmologist, the waiting time is longer, and it can be several weeks, or in some areas several months, because there are fewer eye doctors than opticians, and because a medical examination takes longer than a simple test. If you need an ophthalmologist’s report, book the appointment as early as you can, as soon as you know you will need one, and tell the practice why you need it, so that they can offer you the earliest available appointment or a cancellation. If your driving test is already booked, tell the practice the date, and ask whether they can fit you in before it.

The waiting time for the licensing office is a separate matter, and it is usually the longest wait in the whole process. Once you have the eye test certificate, you still need to hand in your application, your first aid certificate, your biometric photo, and the rest of your documents, and the licensing office usually takes two to four weeks to process the application, and longer in the summer and at the end of the year. The eye test is not the part that delays your licence. It is the part that you can do in five minutes, on any day, and the delay comes from the other parts. That is a good reason to do the eye test early, so that it is not the thing that holds you up.

If you are in a hurry: how to make it faster

If you are in a hurry, there are a few simple things you can do to make the visit as quick as possible. Book an appointment rather than walking in, and book it at a quiet time, such as a weekday morning, rather than a Saturday, when the optician is busiest. Choose an optician close to your home or your work, so that the travel is short, and get there five minutes early, so that any paperwork is done before your appointment time. Bring your identity card, your glasses or contact lenses, and the details of the licence class you want, so that the optician can start straight away, and tell them when you arrive that you are in a hurry, so that they know you need to be quick.

What you should not do is try to rush the test itself. The optician needs you to read the chart carefully, and if you rush, you can make mistakes, and the optician may need to repeat a line, which makes the test slower, not faster. Take your time, read each line carefully, and if you are not sure about a letter, say so, rather than guessing. The test takes five minutes, and that is fixed, so there is no way to make it shorter. The time you can save is in the waiting and the travelling, not in the test, and the best way to save it is to plan, not to rush.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the eye test take?
The test itself takes about five minutes, and the whole visit to the optician takes 15 to 30 minutes, including travel and waiting. At the ophthalmologist, the examination takes 30 to 60 minutes.

Do I need an appointment for the eye test?
Most opticians accept walk-ins, but booking an appointment is quicker, because you will not have to wait, and you can choose a quiet time. For the ophthalmologist, you always need an appointment, and the waiting time can be several weeks.

How long does the certificate take to get?
The certificate is written and stamped on the spot, in a minute or two, and you take it with you when you leave. The report from an ophthalmologist takes a few days, because it is written after the examination.

Can I do the eye test in my lunch break?
Yes, in most cases. The whole visit takes 15 to 30 minutes, so it fits into a lunch break easily, provided the optician is close to your work, and you have an appointment.

How long is the eye test certificate valid?
Two years. If you do not hand in your licence application within two years, you will need to take the eye test again.

Conclusion

How long does the eye test take? The real duration is short: five minutes for the test itself, 15 to 30 minutes for the whole visit to the optician, and 30 to 60 minutes for the examination at the ophthalmologist. The waiting time to get an appointment is usually zero at the optician, and several weeks at the ophthalmologist, and that is the time that matters most. If you book an appointment, bring your glasses or contact lenses, and choose an optician near you, the eye test will be one of the quickest and easiest parts of getting your driving licence.

So do not put it off. Book the test, allow half an hour, and you will walk out with a certificate that is valid for two years, and one less thing on your list. The eye test is not a hurdle, or a test you need to study for. It is a five-minute check that your vision is good enough to drive, and for most people it is a formality. Get it done, and get on with the rest of learning to drive.