Macular Degeneration. Legally Blind? Maybe, Maybe Not

A few days ago I saw two patients who had recently been told by their retinal specialists that they were legally blind and must stop driving.  The first patient, a West Virginian, received a letter from the retinal specialist stating that his best vision with glasses was right eye 20/400 and left eye 20/300.  That meets the definition of legal blindness.  The patient's children asked him to quit driving although his wife, who often rode with him, had not noticed that he was having any problems driving.  When he came to me for help his visual acuity  was 20/120 in the better eye with his glasses.  That's not legally blind but still not good enough to drive.

After a thorough low vision evaluation I prescribed spectacle miniature (bioptic) telescopic glasses.  With them he sees 20/50 with his better eye.  That will allow him to obtain a special license to drive in West Virginia while wearing the telescopic glasses.

This man was quite aggravated that the previous doctor had not actually checked his vision himself.  He relied on a staff person to do that.

The other patient is a young Virginian who suffers from Stargardt's disease.  Her vision without any lenses is 20/120 with each eye.  Definitely not legally blind.  Wearing the telescopic glasses that I prescribed, her vision improves to better than 20/60 with each eye.  She will be able to drive in Virginia with a special permit requiring her to wear the telescopic glasses.

In a busy ophthalmolgy office patients are often turned over to staff members to do some of the basic testing.  Especially with someone who has reduced vision from eye disease, that may not be the best thing for the patient.  Both of these people had been told by the doctor, as a result of the technician's testing, that they must give up driving.  In both cases, careful testing revealed much better vision than they had been told. 

If you've been told that you should not drive because of your vision it may be a good idea to consult a low vision optometrist who will take the time to carefully evaluate and prescribe appropriate help.  Of course, there are times when people must give up driving for safety reasons and I respect their decision to do that.  Giving up driving is not an easy thing to do. Give me a call for a free telephone consultation. I will tell you if low vision glasses will help you get back to activities that you have had to give up. Call me toll free 1 866 321-2030 #stargardtsdisease #biopticdriving