The invention concerns a device (1) for controlling the exterior aspect of fuel rods (2) for nuclear reactors, said device comprising optical means (40) having at least one camera (42, 42') and linked to an image acquisition and processing system (48) capable of detecting geometric defects present on each rod (2) to be controlled, and further comprising a roughness tester (50) controlled in such a way as to measure the depth of each geometric defect detected by the image acquisition and processing system (48).Moreover, the invention further concerns a method capable of being implemented with the aid of said device (1).