General information

Truck driver and driving instructor (C license)
need:
1. the “medical examination
2. the “medical examination of the eyes

TAXI driver / HIRED CAR driver (P license)
need :
1. the “medical examination
2. the “medical examination of the eyes
3. the “company medical examination

OMNIBUS driver (D license)
need :
1. the “medical examination
2. the “medical examination of the eyes
3. the “company medical examination

There is no age limit

TAXI driver / HIRED CAR driver (P license)
need every 5 years:

1. the “medical examination
2. the “medical examination of the eyes

additionally from the age of 60 (sixty):

3. the “company medical examination

OMNIBUS driver (D license)
need every 5 years:

1. the “medical examination
2. the “medical examination of the eyes

additionally from the age of 50 (fifty):

3. the “company medical examination

With me you can have the medical examination, medical examination of the eyes prescribed by the official driver’s license regulation. However, you can also come just out of interest and have a part of the examinations done, e.g. if you want to have your driving ability checked voluntarily for reasons of age or illness.

Which examinations for whom?

INITIAL DRIVER’S LICENSE APPLICATION

Every 5 years: Follow-up examination of physical and mental fitness and eyesight.

Every 5 years: Follow-up examination of physical and mental fitness and eyesight. Performance psychological test only after the age of 60 every 5 years.

Those who held their Class 2 driver’s license before Dec. 31, 1998, are not required to take a follow-up physical and mental fitness examination until they turn 50 every 5 years.

Description of the examinations

During the “medical examination”, in accordance with legal requirements, blood pressure is measured, the current blood sugar level is determined, reflex behavior is checked, the heart is listened to, hearing is tested, previous illnesses are asked about, daily medications are asked about, metabolic disorders are examined for orientation and a corresponding protocol is drawn up.

The “eye examination” is performed in accordance with the legal requirements. The test is based on the following criteria: distance vision, color vision, stereo vision, visual field and contrast or twilight vision.
Please note that some driver’s license offices only mention ophthalmologists in their information for performing these eye exams. However, this is incomplete. The law explicitly states that company physicians and occupational physicians may also perform these eye examinations. There are even two different official forms for this.

During the examination of “visual acuity”, i.e. “seeing into the distance”, you will be placed in front of a device in which you will see rings of various sizes. These rings have an opening at various points (if you compare this with a watch, then the openings are at e.g. 12h, at 2h, at 3h, at 6h, at 7h etc.) You are now supposed to recognize at least 6 of 10 offered rings of the same size correctly, either with or without glasses or contact lenses, because this would correspond to a visual acuity of 100%. If you do not recognize the rings in sufficient number or size, then you will probably either need a visual aid (glasses, contact lenses) or need to have the visual aid you already have corrected.

During the color vision examination, you will be shown a color chart on which you must recognize certain numbers or letters, which are depicted in different colors. The reason for this study is that in heavy fog it is difficult for a “red-eyed” person to see the red tail lights of cars ahead because the red colors appear darker to him than they actually are. This creates the risk of rear-end collisions. If you recognize the red characters only poorly, the so-called anomaly quotient is still determined. As long as this is greater than 0.63 (up to this point you are still considered “normally sighted” by definition) this is okay. If the abnormal quotient is less than this, you will be referred to an ophthalmologist for further evaluation. This possible additional examination by an ophthalmologist is of course not necessary if the driver’s license is being renewed, since the “red deficiency” was already clarified during the initial examination. Until the last amendment to the law, a cab or bus driver with an anomaly ratio below 0.5 was not allowed to drive. Since the last amendment to the law, however, even severely “red-impaired” people are now allowed to drive under the above-mentioned conditions, provided they have still been examined by an ophthalmologist.
In stereo vision testing, you are shown a line figure in the vision screener (or tested with polarizing panels), by which you must identify which parts of this figure are closer to you or farther away from you. This is to prevent you from seeing pedestrians, cars, etc. twice in the street scene, which can happen not only when you are under the influence of alcohol, but especially when you are cross-eyed. The easiest way to detect this squint is via the stereo test. The estimation of distances is also often limited in the absence of stereo vision.
During the visual field examination, you will be placed in front of a large hemispherical device in which you will be shown briefly illuminated points at various locations. You must now recognize all of these points. If you do not see several points in certain areas, this may indicate that you have a failure of the retina or possibly also a failure in the visual center of the brain, etc. This can occur in the case of a “stroke”. This can happen in case of a “stroke”, retinal hemorrhage, brain tumor etc. This is to exclude that you overlook e.g. a pedestrian, who is at the roadside, because the area of the retina, which is responsible for the “sideways vision” has failed. This test is not a reaction test.
During the examination of contrast vision, you will be placed in front of a board on which different letters are printed at different brightness levels. Here you need to recognize letters of a very specific brightness level. A reduction in contrast vision usually occurs at an older age due to a clouding of the eye lens (called cataract).
In a twilight vision exam, you are shown certain visual signs in a device and then a bright light in the device illuminates you. You now have to recognize the visual cues despite this bright backlight. As with contrast vision, a reduction in twilight vision usually occurs at an older age due to clouding of the eye lens (called cataract).
Please note: The law provides for either contrast vision or twilight vision testing. We usually examine contrast vision, and occasionally twilight vision.