by Dean Monthei – May 23, 2025
I do not drive but a lot of people with BCM or other eye conditions drive using bioptics to help with poor acuity (lack of detail vision). Bioptics are small telescopes mounted in prescription glasses (see photo). They can have telescopes for one or both eyes. Be sure the type and brand you buy is allowed by your local laws since some laws limit the maximum magnification and/or brand. For driving, telescopes are mounted in the upper part of your glasses. As you tilt your head down you look through the telescopes to see stoplights and road signs. It is important to have an expert low vision optician mount the telescope in the exact location for the best or the dominant eye and to select the correct tinted filters for the telescope and the main glasses lens. Some BCM drivers use a different colored lens in each eye to help identify the color of stoplights (usually red in one eye and gray in the other).
The laws vary a lot by state, province or country and I found a lot of conflicting information. I recommend checking multiple sources yourself for your region. In the USA, all but a few states allow driving with bioptics but laws vary widely by state. Iowa, Connecticut, and Utah do not allow bioptic driving as of March 2025. If you are licensed in a state that allows bioptics, you can drive with bioptics in any other state. States can have restrictions for daytime only, worst acuity, even brand and max magnification of bioptic so it is important to check current laws for your state or country and work with a low-vision specialist in your region who has experience getting bioptic drivers approved. A typical bioptic costs between $600 to $3500. Adding filters helps detect stoplight and brake light colors. Another large cost can be driving lessons. In many areas, there are specially certified driving instructors who train drivers with bioptics (check your state or country). In some areas this special training is a legal requirement.
Some locations will require extra practical driving tests with a testing officer who has experience with bioptic drivers (and other special needs). Licenses may have special limits on how often they expire and for recurring exams by an eye specialist. For example, in the Netherlands bioptic licences are valid for five years. After that you need a medical eye check. If nothing is changed you licence is prolonged. In case of change you can adapt your bioptic telescope (e.g. higher magnification).
Ocutech is a major supplier of bioptics for driving in the US. They have filter options for both the main lens (your prescription lens) and slip on filter caps that can be placed over the telescope lens. For the main lens filter, both drop in filters and custom machined wrap-around tinted glasses are available (machined to fit around the telescope). Some examples are shown below.
The countries allowing bioptics that I have found strong references for are:
USA (most states)
Canada (some provinces)
The Netherlands
Brazil as of April 2024
New Zealand
Australia
South Africa
The Netherlands is not the only EU country currently allowing bioptic driving. Belgium also allows bioptic telescope driving, but they do not yet have their own education and training program. Currently there are a few Belgian people who have a official Belgian bioptic telescope licence after being trained in NL.
EU law for driver’s license – Directive 2006/126/EC – member country rules may vary
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32006L0126
2023 Proposal to revise Directive 2006/126/EC – potential to take away the Netherlands bioptic allowance?
https://transport.ec.europa.eu/document/download/964d4edc-5eea-49e1-ae08-2d1e38705713_en?filename=COM_2023_127.pdf
The Netherlands law for driver’s license
Here you have an amendment to the EU Law
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32015L0653
allowing driving with: “01.07. Specific optical aid”
EU Country Visual requirements (general)
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9561926/
This link states that EU-regulations allow drivers to use a bioptic under certain conditions but Directive 2006/126/EC does not say that
Example:
Requirements for bioptic telescope driving in the Netherlands:
Binocular best corrected visual acuity at least 0,16.
By looking through the monocular telescope you should reach acuity 0,5.
Visual field: Horizontal at least 120 degrees and no deficits in central 20 degrees.
In general, a valid driver’s license in one EU country allows you to drive in any other EER country. In principle, you could obtain residency in the Netherlands for 6 months, get your bioptic driver’s license, and then drive in any other EU and EEA countries, including Switzerland. You would have to maintain your residency in The Netherlands to keep your license valid. Correspondence with a representative from the Netherlands says they do not have capacity to support this approach for the required training so they cannot recommend this approach at this time. They did say they are working with Belgium and Denmark to create a similar bioptic driving license program in those countries so hopefully bioptic driving will be allowed in more EU countries in the future.
In some countries that do not directly ban bioptics, you might be able to convince the licensing organization that your bioptics fall under the category of prescription glasses. In particular, the BITA brand bioptics and the “mini-telescope” bioptic prescribed by an optometrist in Türkiye are tiny and could pass off as prescription glasses.
The reference below from an Australian bioptic presentation says “16 Countries use Bioptics” not that they allow passing a drivers license test with bioptics. However, several EU countries are listed and I cannot find any other reference saying those allow bioptics for driving. I could also not confirm several non-EU countries listed.
https://www.biopticdriversaus.com/statistics
I believe these from the list do allow bioptics:
The Netherlands, South Africa, New Zealand,
USA (most states), Australia, Canada (some provinces)
I could not find other references for these countries on the list:
Egypt, Singapore, Israel, Lebanon, Columbia
Turkey, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Switzerland
Some places seem to rely on eye specialist to make a determination on whether your vision is good enough to drive and some smaller countries seem to rely on self reporting of vision issues (do not test).
I found one reference that said China allows bioptic driving but cannot confirm it.
There are some US states and possibly some countries that specifically say you can’t use bioptics to pass the vision test but you can use bioptics to pass the practical driving test where an inspector is riding with you and you can use bioptics while you drive.
Finally, be sure that your car insurance also allows you to drive with a bioptic telescope!
Bioptic Suppliers:
Ocutech.com – many styles – one eye only is the most common type used for driving
https://ocutech.com/
colored filters for the telescope and the main lens are at:
https://ocutech.com/ocutech-bioptics-products-overview/ocutech-bioptic-accessories/
Design for Vision – one or both eyes – wide range of types
https://www.designsforvision.com
https://www.designsforvision.com/LVhtml/LVtel.htm
Bita – very small bioptic – one or both eyes
https://www.bita-ve.com
Mini-telescope bioptic for one eye – optometrist in Türkiye – $2700 and can order online without a visit
https://minitelescopics.com
Beecher – one or both eyes – wide field of view – bulky – may not be allowed for driving in your area
Available through low-vision optometrists or direct from Maxiaids and LS&S Products
Links of interest for bioptic driving
Bioptic Driving in the US by state (website by Dr. Laura Windsor)
http://www.biopticdrivingusa.com/state-laws
Excellent Video by a woman bioptic driver with achromatopsia in Australia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ao03tyhgGE&t=327s
She shows a large digital speedometer you can add to a car. There are many GPS-based add-on speedometers on Amazon.
UK does not currently allow bioptic driving but there was a petition submitted to Parliament. Looks like the issue is ongoing. BCM members in the UK might want to get involved in any future petition.
https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/550090
Additional Links of Interest
Bioptic Drivers Australia
https://www.biopticdriversaus.com
Bioptic Drivers Netherlands – 2024 presentation in Dubai – Countries in the presentation may not be accurate.
https://www.cieca.eu/sites/default/files/members-area/General-Assembly-Members-Forum/2024-Congress-Dubai/Congress-7-3-2024/8%20KOK%20CIECA%202024.pdf
American Academy of Ophthalmology – by state vision requirements
https://eyewiki.org/Driving_Restrictions_per_State
American Academy of Ophthalmology Driving Restrictions by State
https://eyewiki.org/Driving_Restrictions_per_State
Intro to the Netherlands’ adoption of bioptic driving
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2453517/
The Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists
https://www.aded.net
There are several active FaceBook Groups – search Facebook groups for bioptic
As of April 2024 Brazil allows bioptic driving – Active Facebook group
https://www.oservidor.com.br/noticia/41427/comissao-aprova-projeto-que-permite-o-uso-de-oculos-biopticos-no-processo-de-habilitacao-para-dirigir
“The Road and Transport Commission of the Chamber of Deputies approved Bill 2902/21, which allows visually impaired people to use assistive technologies, such as bioptic glasses with telescopic lenses in the process of obtaining the National Driver’s License (CNH).” (translated from Portuguese)
https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/what-to-know-about-driving-with-bioptic-lenses
“Research indicates that once drivers with low vision are trained and licensed to drive with the help of bioptics, there is not much difference in the incidences of traffic violations or accidents between such drivers and those who drive without bioptic lenses.”
2016 Article in Pubmed – “Current Perspectives of Bioptic Driving in Low Vision”
Current Perspectives of Bioptic Driving in Low Vision – PMC
Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators – search on bioptic
https://www.ccmta.ca/web/default/files/PDF/National%20Safety%20Code%20Standard%206%20-%20Determining%20Fitness%20to%20Drive%20in%20Canada%20-%20February%202021%20-%20Final.pdf
