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| DRIVING WITH BIOPTIC TELESCOPES |
Have you been told you can't drive because of reduced visual acuity? Perhaps you can!
A BiOptic is a lens system with a telescope attached to a pair of glasses, above one's normal line of sight. This allows a trained user the opportunity to detect objects or movement within his/her driving scene using the wide field of view available through the regular spectacle lens and to resolve fine details such as road signs and traffic lights by glancing briefly and intermittently into and out of the miniature telescopic unit. Bioptic lens systems used for visual assistance in the driving task are available in a number of different styles, sizes, and powers: the latter most commonly ranging from 1.7X - 4X ( " X " referring to the strength or power of magnification of the telescopic unit).
It was William Feinbloom, O.D., Ph.D. who coined the name "Bioptic" in the 1950's, when he first designed the lens. Dr. Feinbloom defined a Bioptic as "a bi-visual optical system which mounts a miniature aperture telescope in the superior portion of a carrier lens enabling the user to rapidly change fixation from the carrier lens to the telescopic system." More information may be found in Dr. Feinbloom's many publications, in professional journals published during the 60's, and 70's, until his death during the 80's. He first reported on the Bioptic in 1958. Also, Schapero's Diction of Visual Science defines "a bi-visual system consisting of a small aperture telescope to magnify distant objects mounted in a portion of the patient's normal distance correction lens."
NOTE: Each state has its own licensing and license renewal criteria for drivers using Bioptic Telescopes.
NORTH CAROLINA:
Absolute visual acuity minimum: 20/100; 20/70 if one eye is blind.
Are Bioptic Telescopes allowed? Yes.
Bioptic telescopes are permitted for driving but are not permitted to meet visual acuity standards.
VIRGINIA:
Absolute visual acuity minimum: 20/200 in better eye with restrictions.
Are Bioptic Telescopes allowed? Yes.
20/200 through carrier lens, 20/70 through telescope.
TENNESSEE:
Absolute visual acuity minimum: 20/200 in better eye and REQUIRES BIOPTIC TELESCOPES.
Are Bioptic Telescopes allowed? Yes.
20/200 through carrier lens, 20/60 through telescope.
SOUTH CAROLINA:
Absolute visual acuity minimum: 20/70 in the better eye if worse eye is 20/200 or better; 20/40 if worse eye is worse than 20/200.
Are Bioptic Telescopes allowed? Yes.
Bioptic telescopes are permitted for driving but are not permitted to meet visual acuity standards.
IF YOUR STATE IS NOT LISTED ABOVE, PLEASE CONTACT US FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR STATE'S REGULATIONS, RULES, AND POLICIES.