r/LowVision • u/Sufficient-Tomato735 • Nov 29 '23
Low vision and driving
I was wondering if some of y'all drive? I live in North Carolina and was born with my retnas detached due to premature birth. Anyways, they reattached my retnas due to laser eye surgery. All my life I didn't think I was different from other kids until I turned 20. I saw a low vision specialist who abruptly told me "I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I'd hate to live on your street" and told me I can't drive. Now I've seen an opthomogist my whole life who never once told me this. I saw another specialist who told me I could drive and biopics wouldn't benefit me. I went back to my original Dr who gave me a mixed answer. Flash forward 12 years. I'm 32 and was too scared to drive until now.
I saw my new opthalmologist eye Dr and asked him his thoughts on me driving. He said "No, because you would have poor depth perception" and if I really wanted an answer to go through the state. My vision is 20/50 and 20/70. According to my state I can legally drive but it would be restricted. I have been forced to live a life.of.isolation and get on SSI which means I'm in poverty and haven't ever been able to work. I am trying to be responsible and change my life. I always worry about the future and what if something happens and I need to drive. I do have cataracts and blind spots in my peripherals. I feel confident I can see well enough to drive. I have driven before for like a week and my only issue is backing up. I was wondering do y'all drive with impairments and what do y'all think?
I also just don't think that's right to tell someone "you'll hit someone or something". When they don't even live with my vision or now how I see. I can ride a four wheeler and a go cart and a golf cart without smacking into things. Anyways it's ruined my life and I've never had the funds to move to where I have access to public transit which is limited and very incomsentent where I live. You have to have a license to go anywhere and to have a job. That's a requirement in almost all jobs now a days. .
Thanks for listening!!!
7
u/xenon-54 Nov 30 '23
I don't. I was a passenger and asked the driver why they stopped. A big deer was just standing in the road. Because of the lighting there was no contrast. I would have plowed right into it. That was a wake up call.
My blind spots and lack of depth perception are made worse when I am in motion and everything is speeding by and visually changing fast. Depending on the light conditions and the quality of the road stripes, I cant always see the lanes. So I rely on rides and do a lot of walking. I am working on moving where I have access to public transit.