Bioptic Telescopes Meet the Needs of Drivers with Moderate Visual Acuity Loss (2005)

Alex R. Bowers, Doris H. Apfelbaum and Eliezer Peli

​Purpose: Visually impaired people are permitted to use bioptic telescopes for driving in many states in the United States. However, it has been suggested that the telescope is used only to meet the visual acuity criteria for licensure. In this study, a survey was used to establish the extent to which bioptic telescopes are used by and meet the driving needs of people with moderately reduced visual acuity.

Conclusion: The bioptic telescope met the (self-reported) driving needs of the majority of visually impaired drivers in this survey and was found to be a useful aid for tasks requiring resolution of detail.

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