BIOPTIC DRIVERS AUSTRALIA

What? I get to drive!! Legally Blind and driving

Born with Achromatopsia, at age 53 Suzanne Germano received her first driver licence using the bioptic driving system. Read Suzanne's blog to learn how she overcame barriers to achieve her dream of driving.

What? I get to drive!! Legally Blind and driving

Born with Achromatopsia, at age 53 Suzanne Germano received her first driver licence using the bioptic driving system. Read Suzanne's blog to learn how she overcame barriers to achieve her dream of driving.

Driving with Low Vision

During the past 40 years, bioptic lens systems have allowed thousands of Americans whose vision falls below the standard legal visual acuity limits (20/40-20/60) to drive an automobile.

At present, most (but not all) U.S. states permit persons with mild to moderate levels of central vision loss (but with intact peripheral, or side, vision) to apply for driving privileges when using a bioptic lens system.

The Road Ahead: Driving Devices for People with AMD & Low Vision

Bioptic telescopes are miniature telescopes that are typically mounted near the top of a pair of eyeglasses, just above a person’s natural line of sight. They allow the viewer to enlarge distant and hard-to-see images. Because bioptic telescopes are mounted near the top of a lens, drivers may continue to look through their regular eyewear the majority of the time, switching to the telescopic view for short glances, similar to how a rear-view mirror is used.

Driving While Blind

An individual can be completely blind in one eye and not have great sight in the other eye, and still be able to drive. By, “not great”, I can’t remember the exact acuity, but it is something much higher than legally blind. A device is mounted on top of glasses that provide a small telescope for the driver to look through, enabling spot-checking objects in the far distance; and the driver must be able to see a minimum of 20/40 through the telescope.