Driving with Bioptic Glasses for Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration causes central vision loss and makes it harder to drive. You need to get a lot closer to signs before you can read them. You may have trouble making out traffic lights. Night time driving may be even worse. These problems can make you very nervous and anxious while driving.

Nevertheless, low vision driving bioptic telescope glasses may help you continue to drive. Commonly called bioptics, these special glasses have miniature telescopes mounted above your eye level on a pair of prescription glasses. When you need to see a sign or a traffic signal, you take a quick look through the telescope.

The California DMV allows driving with Bioptic Telescope Glasses as long as certain vision requirements are met. You need to see better than 20/200 vision in the stronger eye. You may also need in the car training with the bioptic telescopic glasses.

Dr. Ashcraft can recommend a DMV certified trainer when needed. Dr. Harold Ashcraft has helped many patients drive safely in California, so they can be continue to be independent and live their life to the fullest.

Macular Degeneration Reading Glasses

Macular Degeneration causes a central blind spot which makes it tough to read small print. In addition, your eyes will struggle as you focus on new words. Words may jump in and out of your field of sight. Reading may be slow.

If you have macular degeneration, your current glasses are most likely not strong enough.

Using a hand magnifier is not much better. It can help when you need to take a quick look at small print but it is not practical for reading. It is hard to hold a magnifier stable for more than a few minutes at a time.

If you get new glasses, they may not seem much better than you old ones. Your eye doctor may have told you that your glasses are as strong as they can be made. That is usually not true. Custom Macular Degeneration Glasses come in higher magnifications which can help you read better.

To read better, you need more magnification and you need the right magnification.

Fortunately, custom low vision glasses for macular degeneration are available that have the magnification you need. These include prismatic reading glasses and Clear Image 2 microscope reading glasses. Other vision aids and devices are also possible.

During your examination at the Low Vision Center at Family Eyecare Center of Optometry, Dr. Harold Ashcraft will show you a variety of low vision macular degeneration glasses so you can see for yourself that reading is possible again.

Watching TV With Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration can make it harder for you to watch TV. To see the TV better, you might do one of the following:

• • Sit closer to the TV.
  • Get a bigger TV with a high definition large screen.
  • Use telescopic glasses to make the screen bigger. This is similar to using a low power pair of binoculars to see better at the distance. These low vision glasses may have special tints and anti-glare treatments to reduce glare and improve contrast.

At the Low Vision Center at Family Eyecare Center of Optometry, you can see for yourself how these telescopic TV glasses will help you see and enjoy watching television again.