Brussels, 16/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - A report drafted by three European federations in the optical industry points to the lack of harmonisation between EU member states regarding application of the directive on driving licences in member states (2009/113/EC), and particularly with regard to eye tests. The study reveals considerable differences in the way that eye tests are carried out in the EU, with some countries even doing without a professional opinion, simply issuing a licence on the basis of whether a registration number can be read at a certain distance (Cyprus, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom). Furthermore, although drivers in most European countries must renew their eye sight tests in order to continue driving after a certain age, other countries do not check drivers' eyesight at all during their lifetime. This is the case of Austria, France, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. On this basis, Eurom (European Federation of Precision Mechanical and Optical Industries), Euromcontact (European Association of Contact Lens manufacturers) and ECOO (European Council of Optometry and Optics) call on the Commission to revise the directive on the driving licence in order to have greater harmonisation of eye sight testing throughout the Union, and to compel member sates to mover further forward in applying European rules on their territory in this respect. According to the above associations, road safety is also at stake, and eyesight testing is important for the EU's objective to reduce fatal road accidents by half by 2020.