Category: Bioptics

For many people with a visual impairment, driving can feel out of reach. Whether due to a genetic condition or progressive vision loss, the inability to drive can have a huge effect on independence, employment opportunities, and overall quality of life. Fortunately, Indiana, where Midwest Low Vision is located, and a growing number of states offer a pathway for individuals who qualify to pursue safe and legal driving with bioptics. Learn more about how Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation and your low vision doctor come together to help people with low vision become licensed drivers.

What is Bioptic Driving?

Bioptic driving is a means for people with moderate visual impairment to safely and legally drive a vehicle through the use of bioptic telescopic lenses. Bioptics are essentially mini binoculars that are mounted to your regular eyeglasses that help to make distant images larger. The glasses must be precisely fitted, allowing your eyes to move fluidly between your regular glasses for general driving and the bioptic lenses to clearly see signs, stoplights, or any potential hazards on the roadway.

What is Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation?

Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) is a department within Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration that helps people with physical or mental disabilities gain employment. VR helps you explore career interests, apply for jobs, and acquire assistive technology necessary for completing your work.

For those with visual impairments, Vocational Rehabilitation is the go-to resource for becoming a bioptic driver. You must be referred to the program; if accepted, VR will guide you through the steps you need to take and point you in the direction of resources. VR can even help cover some costs, including:

• Bioptic telescopic glasses
• Driving evaluations and training
• Testing and licensing fees
• Other vision-related assistive technology

To see a real-life example of this program in action, check out our blog post “More Than Meets the Eye: Living with Ocular Albinism,” which tells the story of an 18-year-old patient of ours who worked with the Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation program to cover the cost of his bioptic lenses, training, and licensing. This patient continues to pass regular recertifications and successfully drives to this day.

Pathway to Bioptic Driving Certification in Indiana

The process of becoming a bioptic driver requires a number of steps, including:

Step 1: Vision Assessment and Training

The first step in the pathway to becoming a licensed bioptic driver is to see an optometrist who specializes in low vision care (like us!) to determine eligibility. Your doctor will first complete an evaluation. This is not an ordinary eye exam though. Your low vision doctor will gather information about your medical history, talk with you about your vision goals, take measurements, and work with you to find and fit your bioptic telescopic lenses. (Our patient, Kathy, described her appointment as “the most relaxed eye exam I ever had.”)

Once the bioptics are fitted, you will receive instruction on how to use the lenses: observing stationary objects first, then objects in motion, and finally moving objects in a dynamic environment. Once the bioptics are properly fitted and used, your low vision doctor will reassess and confirm whether you meet the requirements to be a licensed bioptic driver.

In Indiana, people with low vision may be allowed to drive if they meet certain visual and functional requirements outlined by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles:

• Vision must be 20/200 or better with your regular glasses.
• Visual acuity must be 20/40 with the aid of bioptic lenses.
• Magnification of the bioptic telescope cannot exceed 4x.
• Peripheral vision must be at least 120 degrees in horizontal diameter.
• You must be able to distinguish colors.
• You must pass a cognitive skills test.

Step 2: Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Referral

If certified by the low vision doctor, the next step, if you have not already contacted them, is to be referred for application to Vocational Rehabilitation. Once accepted, VR will help you locate a Certified Driving Rehabilitation Specialist (CDRS) who will be the one to train you on the road with your bioptics. Indiana requires 30 hours of supervised behind-the-wheel training. With approval from the BMV Medical Clerk, you may take the standard BMV knowledge test, and if passed, receive your Learner’s Permit to practice road driving. Instruction begins by first getting used to the driving environment as a passenger and then moves to you actually doing the driving, gradually working through various driving conditions. Training focuses on using the bioptics to successfully navigate different traffic, lighting, and weather conditions.

Step 3: Driving Test

As the final step, once your training hours are completed and your instructor determines you are able to successfully maneuver on the road, you will be eligible to test with the BMV. The road test will evaluate driving skills in a variety of traffic situations. Upon successfully passing this exam, a license to drive with a bioptic telescope will be granted, with regular recertifications required.

Conclusion

Becoming a bioptic driver in Indiana is a collaborative journey that brings together low vision doctors, Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation, Certified Driving Rehabilitation Specialists, and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. With the right resources and training, qualified individuals with low vision can reach the goal of obtaining a license to drive. Midwest Low Vision is proud to play a role in safe, legal bioptic driving so that the only thing stopping you is red lights.

If you’ve never heard of bioptic telescopic glasses before, you’re not alone—but for people with low vision, they can be life-changing. These specialized glasses help people with everyday tasks like driving, reading overhead menus, or even just recognizing faces across the street. Think of bioptics (as they are often called) as tiny binoculars for your eyes. Let’s walk through what these lenses are, who might benefit from these glasses, how they are fitted and adjusted, and how we train people to use bioptics.

What are Bioptic Telescopic Glasses?

Bioptic telescopic glasses are designed to help people with low vision see more clearly at a distance. Featuring small telescopes mounted on the top of the glasses, this eyewear allows a person to look through regular glasses most of the time, but with a dip of the chin and a forward head tilt, use the telescopes as needed to see farther away. Bioptic glasses can greatly increase independence, and in some states, may even help people meet vision requirements for driving.

Who Might Benefit from Bioptics?

These lenses can help individuals with low vision—those who are unable to achieve 20/20 sight even with correction; common conditions may include macular degeneration, albinism, Stargardt disease, or optic nerve disorders.

Good candidates for bioptics are those with stable, non-progressive vision loss who still have some usable vision.

How Bioptics Are Fitted

The process to get fitted for bioptic glasses begins with a comprehensive low vision evaluation. This isn’t your typical eye exam—the low vision doctor assesses your remaining sight and, as related to your vision goals, recommends specialized eyewear solutions to regain functional vision.

Fitting bioptic telescopic glasses requires a little more than just “eyeballing” it (pun intended). The lenses must be:

• Centered on the interpupillary distance (PD)
• Sit just above the wearer’s line-of-sight
• Be tilted to the proper degree so that when the head is tilted forward, the user is looking directly through the center of the telescope.

If the telescope is mounted too low, the person ends up tilting their head back too far just to look through it. If it’s too high, you may never catch the telescope at all. This is what we adjust for during a fitting—the telescope should be easy to access but stay out of the way for day-to-day vision.

How to Use Bioptic Telescopic Glasses

After we get a proper fit, we walk through how to actually use the glasses. Bioptics take a little time to build comfort and confidence. Here is what training generally looks like:

1. We begin with the patient sitting stationary and focusing on objects at various distances around the room, all in a distraction-free environment.
2. Next, we get comfortable with moving objects. The user learns to read signs or recognize faces while moving around indoors or targeting moving objects outdoors.
3. Finally, we work on how to use the glasses in a dynamic environment. This includes viewing objects from a moving vehicle—first as a passenger, and then as a driver (if permitted).

It takes time to adjust to switching between the telescope and your regular lenses, but we equip you with the training to use the bioptics safely and effectively.

Bioptics and Driving

For many people with low vision, one of the activities they miss most is driving. You might wonder if bioptic telescopic glasses could make driving possible again—and in some cases, they can. Many states permit the use of bioptics with certain requirements and restrictions.

In Indiana, where Midwest Low Vision is located, individuals with low vision may be permitted to drive using bioptic telescopic glasses if they meet certain visual and functional requirements outlined by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. These include minimum standards for visual acuity, visual field, and color recognition, as well as limits on the magnification power of the telescope used.

Drivers must first be evaluated and receive certification from a low vision specialist. From here, the person will be referred to a Certified Driving Rehabilitation Specialist (CDRS) and to the BMV’s Driver Ability Department who may:

• Request additional documentation
• Impose limitations or endorsements on the license
• Require updates at 12- or 24-month intervals
• Suspend or revoke driving privileges, if necessary

For those who qualify, being able to drive again can make everyday life more convenient. It can help with getting to work, staying connected with others, and maintaining independence.

Conclusion

Bioptic telescopic glasses offer more than just magnification. From recognizing faces across the street to potentially returning to driving, this eyewear can help improve quality of life for people with low vision. If you would like to learn more about bioptic telescopic glasses for yourself or your patients, contact us today.