Low-Vision Drivers

BOSTON (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Whether it’s age-related macular degeneration or a condition they’re born with, millions of Americans have vision that cannot be corrected. Many live their lives thinking driving is out of the question, but a researcher in Boston says they can get behind the wheel and drive safely and legally.

For most people, driving is something that’s taken for granted. For Laura Holt, a low vision sufferer, it’s a dream come true. "It’s hard to learn a new thing at 33, when most people do it at 16, and so, it’s great," Holt says.

Laura is one of millions of people in the U.S. with low vision, which is sight that cannot be corrected to 20/40. Twenty/forty is what’s needed to get a driver’s license. "Losing your driver’s license is really a terrible thing for many people," says Eli Peli, O.D., a vision rehabilitation researcher at Harvard Medical School. He says it doesn’t have to be that way, and that’s why he wrote "Driving With Confidence."

Peli says, "Many people don’t know what are the situations that would let them extend their driving condition." For example, 34 states allow people with low vision to drive using telescopic glasses. Many also allow people who are blind in one eye to drive if the other has good vision. Many states allow for restricted licenses based on time of day, distance from home and even maximum speed. But poor peripheral vision will keep you from getting a license in most states.

"But even if it’s legal, it still may not be safe for an individual person, and that needs to be determined as a second thing," Peli says. For Holt, telescopic glasses were all she needed. She says, "With these glasses, I can drive. I have a valid daytime driving license in the state of Massachusetts, which is fabulous." Holt knows her limits and doesn’t go too far, but just knowing she can do it legally makes all the difference.

Studies show visual impairment is not the greatest risk factor for driving accidents. Instead, the most dangerous drivers are young men who may have good vision but poor judgment. People with neurological and heart diseases are also at higher risk of accidents than those with visual impairment. Peli’s book, "Driving With Confidence," is available in book stores and on the Internet.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Richard Godfrey
Patient Liaison
Schepens Eye Research Institute
20 Staniford St.
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 912-2569