Visibility Vol 9 Issue 1 & 2, 2015

In more than 40 US states, people who cannot meet state vision standards for driving licensure with conventional optical correction are permitted to use bioptic telescopic spectacles (BTS) to obtain licensure. BTS are spectacles with a small telescope implanted in the top portion of a lens of an otherwise normal pair of spectacles. The driver can use the telescope to obtain a magnified view of distant objects like signs, pedestrians, or traffic signals. Older drivers do not compose a large percentage of all bioptic drivers, though there is reason to believe that BTS use may play an important role in allowing aging drivers with vision impairments to maintain licensure in the future.