BiOptic drivers: could you help with a survey?  Additionally, if you have any relevant pictures, please upload them, here.

"If you don't like the way I drive", by Paul B Freman O.D. is an interesting article that says much about our website.  [160 Kbs PDF format]

Have you been told you can't drive because of reduced resolution or visual acuity?  Perhaps you can!

A BiOptic is a lens system with a telescope attached to a pair of glasses, above (BTL is below) one's normal line of sight. This allows a trained user the opportunity to detect objects or movement within his/her driving scene using the wide field of view available through the regular spectacle lens and to resolve fine details such as road signs and traffic lights by glancing briefly and intermittently into and out of the miniature telescopic unit.  BiOptic lens systems used for visual assistance in the driving task are available in a number of different styles, sizes, and powers: the latter most commonly ranging from 2X - 5.5X ( " X " referring to the strength or power of magnification of the telescopic unit). 

It was William Feinbloom, O.D. who coined the name "BiOptic" and the abbreviation BTS in the 1950's, when he first designed the lens.  He used the abbreviation BTS for "BiOptic telescopic system"  Dr. Feinbloom defined a BiOptic as "a bi-visual optical system which mounts a miniature aperture telescope in the superior portion of a carrier lens enabling the user to rapidly change fixation from the carrier lens to the telescopic system."  More information may be found in Dr. Feinbloom's many publications, in professional journals published during the 60's, and 70's, until his death during the 80's.  He first reported on the BiOptic in 1958.  Also, Schapero's Diction of Visual Science defines "a bi-visual system consisting of a small aperture telescope to magnify distant objects mounted in a portion of the patient's normal distance correction lens.

Some jurisdictions in the US restrict the power of the telescopes permitted.  Of course, not all BiOptics are used for driving.  The use determines the power, working distance and location on the carrier lens.