Blog Vol.2, # 3. Bioptics are here.
Earlier in the year I wrote on
the exciting news that drivers in Ontario with visual impairments can now
obtain a “G” license. Just last week, we
dispensed our first two pairs of bioptics.
After a training session with the telescope, spotting and tracking and
dipping, the patients were sent home to practice in familiar environments. They will return in three weeks for another
assessment and, if everything is progressing nicely, we will check acuities and
field of vision to ensure that they meet the MTO visual standards.
These are people who did not,
for one reason or another, meet MTO standards before and now they do! These
first two patients are university students and how exciting is this!
Here is a pair of Bioptics
with a more powerful Keplerian system.
The next step, as for everyone
who has not driven before, is the G1 written test, then driver training; almost
there. This process would, of course, be
streamlined for people with a lot of driving experience. Practise is key. The patient has to be using
the telescope at regular intervals, similar to the way drivers use rear-view
mirrors. So you can see we are pretty
excited about the possibilities.
Other jurisdictions, mostly in
the U.S.A, have noted that most people with visual impairments who take up driving
are in a younger cohort with few seniors pursuing the opportunity. That has also been our experience , the seven
Bioptic assessments performed thus far, have all been people in their twenties.
We continue to get a lot of calls and emails from all over the province.
Please do not hesitate to contact
us, and I would encourage more elderly patients to consider the possibility of
driving again.
Til next week,
the good doctor
