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Home > Low Vision Rehabiltation > Driving Questionnaire

Driving with a Visual Impairment Questionnaire

Do you have difficulties reading all of the instruments on your car's dashboard clearly and rapidly?
- In daylight?
- In dim light (dawn, dusk, heavy clouds)?
- At night?
Do you have difficulties reading road signs in time to react to them with comfort?
- In daylight?
- In dim light (dawn, dusk, heavy clouds)?
- At night?
Do other cars on the road appear to unexpectedly "pop" into and out of your field of vision?
When driving, do you drive well below the speed limit and slower than most cars around you?
- In daylight?
- In dim light (dawn, dusk, heavy clouds)?
- At night?
When driving, do you have difficulties positioning yourself on the road with respect to other cars, landmarkers, curves, sidewalks, parking spaces, etc.?
- In daylight?
- In dim light (dawn, dusk, heavy clouds)?
- At night?
When driving, do you find yourself feeling confused and/or disoriented?
- In daylight?
- In dim light (dawn, dusk, heavy clouds)?
- At night?
Is my health condition (including vision) stable?
Has my eye doctor or low vision specialist said I could drive with my condition?
Has my general practitioner said I can drive with my condition?
Do the laws and regulations in my state enable me to drive with my condition?
Do I want to go through the steps necessary to acquire/retain a low vision driver's license?

Additional information

It is important to understand that possessing an unexpired driver's license does not automatically mean that the license is valid. To maintain the validity of a license (in most jurisdictions), the user is obliged to report to the responsible authority every change in his/her health, medical, and mental condition, including but not limited, to vision problems. If you are driving with an invalid license, your insurance coverage may not be binding.

The University of Iowa's Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences has more information on handicap parking placards and guidelines for dark window exemption.

For additional information concerning driving with a visual impairment, contact Mark E. Wilkinson, OD, Director, Vision Rehabilitation Service, UIHC Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242. Phone 319-356-8301.

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