Bioptic Driving Definitions Bioptic driving is a way for people who have central vision loss to drive. Specifically, bioptic driving is only for individuals who have trouble seeing things straight ahead (central vision) but can see things to the side just fine (peripheral vision). Bioptic drivers use special glasses called bioptic glasses. These glasses help them use their normal vision most of the time, but they also have a tiny telescope on them. When these drivers need to see something far away, like road signs or traffic lights, they can quickly look through the telescope to see those things better. It’s like having a mini magnifying glass that helps them focus on distant details while driving. Bioptic driving requires careful fitting of the bioptic devices and extensive training in safety and using the bioptic device while driving. An evaluation is needed to determine if bioptic driving is a good fit for individuals.
Guiding Questions What have you heard about bioptic driving? What interests you about bioptic driving? Are you familiar with your own visual acuity and visual field? Do you know where you can go for a bioptic driving evaluation? Do you know where to go to find out about insurance and state laws around bioptic driving? Resources Bioptic Driving — What Is It? Could it Work for You? -ConnectCenter (aphconnectcenter.org) This resource reviews what bioptic driving is, how it can help with driving, and additional concerns about driving with low vision. Included is a link to The Basics of Bioptics and Bioptic Driving webinar .
Bioptic Driving USA - Common Questions This resource helps answer common questions about bioptic driving. It also helps readers learn where to get evaluated for bioptic driving and about related state laws.
Videos – RCVI(Resource Center for the Visually Impaired)– Tennessee School for the Blind (tsbtigers.org) This session presents an overview of considerations of bioptic driving for teens and young adults with low vision. Panelists include a low vision specialist and adults with low vision sharing why they decided bioptic driving was or was not a good fit for them.
LowVision_Guidelines.pdf (tn.gov) These are the guidelines for bioptic driving in Tennessee.
