Waiting Time Before You Can Retake the Eye Test
You failed the eye test, and the first question is usually the simplest one: how long do I have to wait before I can try again? The honest answer is better than most people expect, because for the ordinary eye test there is no fixed waiting period in German law at all. You can retake the test as soon as the reason for the failure has been fixed, which in practice means as soon as your new glasses are ready, or as soon as the eye condition that caused the failure has been treated. The waiting time before you can retake the eye test is therefore not a legal deadline but a practical one, and how long it lasts depends entirely on what went wrong.
This guide explains the rules in detail, so that you know exactly where you stand. It covers the difference between the simple eye test and a medical opinion, why retaking the test immediately is usually a waste of money, how long new glasses and treatments really take, and what to do if the driving licence authority has given you a deadline. By the end, you will know how to use the waiting time well and how to make sure the next attempt is the one that passes.
Is there a fixed waiting period?
For the simple eye test, the test that most applicants take at an optician, there is no waiting period set by law. The test is a measurement of your vision, and if the measurement shows that your vision is below the required level, you can have it measured again whenever you like. There is no rule that says you must wait three months or six months, and no register in which a failed test is recorded and held against you. You could, in theory, walk out of one optician and into another on the same day, and no one would stop you, although it would be pointless, because the result would be the same.
The situation is different when the driving licence authority has asked for a medical opinion, usually from an ophthalmologist, and has set a deadline for it. In that case the deadline is the waiting period: you must submit the report by the date given, and if you miss it, the authority may refuse the application. There is no fixed period for the medical opinion either, because the deadline depends on the individual case, but it is usually a few weeks to a few months. The important thing is to read the letter from the authority carefully, note the date, and work backwards from it, because the eye test you need is the one that produces the report in time.
Why you should not retake the test immediately
Even though there is no legal waiting period, retaking the eye test straight away is almost always a bad idea. The test measures your vision, and your vision does not change between one appointment and the next unless something has been done about it. If you failed because your glasses are wrong, you will fail again with the same glasses; if you failed because you were tired or your eyes were dry, you might pass if you rest, but it is a gamble with the fee, and a failed result on a second attempt does not help your confidence. The sensible approach is to find out exactly why you failed, and to fix that first.
The other reason to wait is the cost and the paperwork. Every eye test costs a few euros, and every failed test means another certificate that is not issued and another appointment to book. A week spent waiting for new glasses is cheaper and more useful than two failed tests in two days. The exception is a failure caused by something temporary, such as an eye infection or an allergic reaction: once the eye has recovered, usually within a few days, the test can be repeated, and the wait is only the time it takes for the eye to heal. In all cases, the right moment to retake the test is when the cause has been dealt with, not before.
The eye test and the medical opinion: different rules
It is worth understanding the difference between the two kinds of examination, because the waiting time is different for each. The simple eye test is a measurement carried out by an optician, and it produces a certificate that is valid for two years. The medical opinion, by contrast, is a full examination by an ophthalmologist, ordered by the driving licence authority when there is a doubt about your fitness to drive, and it produces a report that the authority uses to decide your application. The first can be repeated whenever you like; the second is governed by the authority’s deadline, and the report itself is usually only accepted for a limited time after it is issued.
Most applicants only ever deal with the simple eye test, and the medical opinion is the exception, usually after a failed test where the optician found something unusual, or after an illness that affects the eyes. If you are in that situation, the waiting time is set by the time it takes to get the appointment with the ophthalmologist, which can be several weeks, and by the time the authority allows. Book the appointment as soon as you receive the letter, because ophthalmologists are often booked up, and a delay at that stage is the most common reason for missing the deadline. Our guide to how long the eye test certificate is valid explains the two-year validity of the simple certificate, which is the other date you need to keep in mind.
How long new glasses and treatment take
In practice, the waiting time is usually the time it takes to get new glasses. A simple pair of single-vision glasses from an optician usually takes between three days and two weeks, depending on the strength and the coatings, while more complicated lenses, such as varifocals, can take up to three weeks. Contact lenses are quicker: the optician can usually fit them within a week, and sometimes on the same day if the strength is a standard one. Ask the optician for a realistic delivery date before you order, and book the retest for a day or two after the glasses are expected, so that any delay does not leave you without an appointment.
If the failure was caused by an eye condition, the wait depends on the condition. A simple infection or an allergic reaction usually clears up within a few days, a dry eye can be helped with drops within a week or two, and a cataract operation, if one is needed, involves a wait of several weeks for the surgery and a few more for the eye to heal. In those cases the waiting time is not wasted: it is the time the eye needs to recover, and a test taken too early would only show the same result. Follow the advice of the ophthalmologist about when the eye is ready to be tested again, rather than guessing.
The retest: how it works
The retest is exactly the same as the first test, and there is no special procedure for it. You go back to the optician, with your new glasses or contact lenses, and the test is done again in the same way, with the same rings and the same chart. You can retake it at the same optician or at a different one, and there is no rule that says you must go back to the place where you failed. Some people prefer to go to a different optician for a fresh start, and that is perfectly acceptable, although the first optician knows your history and may be better placed to check that the new correction is right.
Two things are worth remembering about the retest. First, the cost is charged again, because it is a new test, so it is worth waiting until you are confident of passing rather than booking too early and paying twice. Second, the new certificate, when it is issued, is valid for two years from the date of the retest, not from the date of the failed test, so the clock starts again. Our guide to what to do if you failed the eye test because of your glasses explains the most common reason for a failed test and how it is fixed, which is the usual first step before booking the retest.
If the authority gave you a deadline
If the driving licence authority has set a deadline, the waiting time becomes a real one, and the most important thing is to act quickly. The first step is to find out exactly what the authority needs, whether it is a new eye test certificate or a full medical opinion, and to book the appointment on the same day you receive the letter. If the deadline is short and the ophthalmologist cannot see you in time, tell the authority: write or call, explain the appointment date, and ask for an extension, because the authority is usually willing to extend a deadline if you can show that you are trying to meet it.
If the deadline passes without the report being submitted, the authority may refuse the application, and you would have to start again, including paying the fee a second time. That is the worst outcome and it is avoidable. Keep a copy of everything you send, note the date of every phone call, and do not leave the appointment to the last week. A deadline is not a suggestion, and the authority does not have to wait for you, so the safest plan is to have the report submitted at least a week before the date given.
Waiting time before you can retake the eye test: making the wait count
The waiting time is only wasted if you do nothing with it, and there is a lot you can do. The first thing is to get the new glasses ordered as soon as possible, because the delivery time is the one part of the wait you cannot shorten, and the sooner you order, the sooner the retest can be booked. If the optician offers a faster delivery for a small charge, it is usually worth it, because the cost of the faster delivery is less than the cost of a second retest, and the time saved is the time the application is waiting. Ask the optician for a realistic date, not a hopeful one, and book the retest for the day after the glasses are expected, so that a delay of a day does not leave you without an appointment.
The second thing is to use the time to practise, and to do it properly. A few minutes a day with a Landolt chart, or with the rings on a screen, will make the test feel familiar, and that familiarity is worth more than hours of practice the night before, because it means the test measures your vision rather than your nerves. Practise with the glasses you will wear for the test, in a well-lit room, at the distance the chart asks for, and stop when your eyes feel tired, because practice with tired eyes teaches you nothing and only makes the next session harder. A little practice each day is enough, and it is the best use of a waiting time that would otherwise be dead time.
The third thing is the paperwork, and it is the least exciting and the most useful. Check the certificate you have, if you have one, and note its expiry date, because a certificate that has expired during the wait cannot be used, and a new test would be needed. Gather the identity document, the appointment details and the receipt for the glasses, and put them in one place, so that the morning of the retest is a matter of picking up a bag rather than searching the house. And if the authority has given you a deadline, write it on the same page, and check the appointment dates against it, because the deadline is the one date in the whole process that cannot be moved without asking.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long must I wait before retaking the eye test? There is no legal waiting period for the simple eye test. You can retake it as soon as the reason for the failure has been fixed, usually when your new glasses are ready.
Can I retake the test at a different optician? Yes. There is no rule that you must return to the same optician, and a failed test is not recorded anywhere that would stop another optician from testing you.
Does a failed eye test get reported to the authority? No. The optician does not report a failed test. The authority only knows what you submit, so a failed test does not harm your application unless a deadline is missed.
What if my certificate expired while I was waiting? The certificate is valid for two years from the date of issue, so if the wait has been long, check the date. If it has expired, you need a new test, and the waiting time starts again.
Can I book the retest before the glasses arrive? Yes, and you should, because the optician’s diary fills up. Book the retest for the day after the glasses are expected, and if the glasses are delayed, move the appointment, which is usually free of charge if you give enough notice.
Does a failed test affect the next test? No. A failed test is not recorded anywhere, and the optician who does the retest will not know about it unless you tell them. Each test is a fresh measurement, and the only thing that matters is the result on the day.
Conclusion
The waiting time before you can retake the eye test is, for most people, simply the time it takes to fix what went wrong. There is no fixed period in the law, no register of failures and no penalty for trying again, only the practical question of whether your eyes are ready. Get the right glasses, let an infection heal, and book the retest when you are confident of passing, and the wait will be measured in days or weeks, not months.
If the authority has given you a deadline, treat it as the real one: book the appointment immediately, tell the authority if the date cannot be met, and submit the report in good time. The system is not designed to punish you for failing a test, it is designed to make sure you can see well enough to drive, and once that is true, the licence follows.