The law on driving licences in Finland has changed in accordance with European Union's new directive on driving licences. However, when a young person applies for a group 1 driving licence, their sufficient vision can be proven with a young person's health certificate in Finland also in future. The certificate is obtained at the age of 15 and is usually valid for five years. During this period, the vision of a young person can change and does not necessarily fill the requirements for a group 1 driving licence.

The objective of the study was to describe the vision of young people aged 17−20 and to compare their vision to the information indicated on their health certificates and also to the new vision requirements regarding a group 1 driving licence. The aim was also to find out if the measured vision of young people was equivalent to their own assessment of their vision. The purpose of the study was to raise discussion on whether a young person's health certificate is enough to prove the sufficiency of vision when a group 1 driving licence is applied for.

The study was quantitative and descriptive. We examined the vision of 43 young persons with a few simple tests. The tests included Lea Numbers Visual Acuity Test (also with +1.50 D lenses), Lea Numbers 2.5 % Low Contrast Test and a visual field test using finger perimetry. We wrote down the information on vision from the young person's health certificate if the participant had a copy with him/her. We also collected some preliminary information by a short interview.

The results of our study showed that the visual acuity and visual fields filled the requirements for a group 1 driving licence in all persons, with eyeglasses if needed. However, the visual acuity of all the informants (including those with eyeglasses at the time of the examination, but not at the time of granting the health certificate) could decrease below the requirements during the validity period of the young person's health certificate without corrective lenses. That was the case with two persons in our study. Contrast vision was normal with all persons. The results also showed that the informants’ own opinion of vision correlated quite well with the measurements as none of the 43 people overestimated their vision.

In conclusion, a young person's health certificate may not be enough to prove a sufficient vision when a group 1 driving licence is applied for.