Address disability barriers - maximising vision for the driving task

My eye sight condition is Achromatopsia, in Australia they call it Rod Monochronatism. Because the cones in the retina have not developed (or do not exist) I have no colour vision, poor visual acuity and Hemeralopia (day blindness - a severe form of glare sensitivity). For the driving task I considered that all of these factors needed to be addressed individually and in conjunction in various settings.

The advice given to my parents and me is that nothing can be done, just provide some reading glasses, a magnifier and miniscope (hand help scope to read distance generally about 12x). So throughout school that is what I used. It wasn't until I found a pair of Bolle Irex 100 sunglasses in a phone box putting them on changed my perspective. These are a dark brown/amber with yellowish tint. I could finally run down the road and see slightly better and not squint as much. I bought several pairs off ebay and took them to an optometrist to ask that they make several pairs for me. Over years I experimented with different opaqueness and yellow/brown combinations.

In this picture you can see the top right colourful frame is a template of the Bolle Irex 100. This is the last pair I bought and can only get them from the USA now because the Australian medical community recommended that this lens type is banned from sale in Australia due to motor vehicle accidents i.e. that people with normal vision forget they are wearing these tinted glasses and go through red lights. This of course disadvantaged the disability community who use this lens type to help maximise their vision.

The Rex Specs next to the Bolle has one eye tinted more than the other eye and the lens has my prescription for distance vision. I used these glasses a lot for cycling and other sports because I needed something that would wrap around my head to stay on my face. From here I went to the Ugly Fish frames on bottom left. These were excellent in that the frame allowed for a clip in head band strap or clip in arms (not in photo) which were flexi and designed to fit in a motorcycle helmet. So I got many different frames and had added various lens shades of brown/yellow tints from very dark to lighter for afternoon riding. The great thing about these is the fit in gasket that holds the prescription lens which I had added my distance and a bifocal for reading. For downhill biking and snowboarding I would add the goggle mask that gave me extra coverage from glare. On hot days if I am not riding fast enough my glasses would fog up meaning I would have to stop and wipe them clean - so from the motorcycle shop I got the Ugly Fish lens cleaner and Cat Crap that is a wax to prevent fogging - voila! No more fogging. At the bottom right are Barz Optics which are surfing goggles. I took them to my optometrist and had them add a dark Bolle Irex 100 tint. I love these and wear them in the surf swimming and body boarding because they allow for water flow.

It then was not until I joined an international Facebook group for my eye sight condition that I discovered red tinted contact lenses and medical specific glasses. I bought many types of tints in the cheapest frame so I could try different combinations of brown with amber with yellow and red with brown and yellow and various wave lengths of light opaqueness. At first I used these mountain biking to work out what best suits. However, over the years I have come to accept that no matter what combination I seek I cannot compensate for morning sun on the mountain so morning mountain biking in the bush I cannot do - along with many other things I try from time to time just to see if I can. The best time for me to ride is the afternoon sun and shade to evening. But as it turned out, the different environment for driving meant those barriers were different and not as severe so a different approach was needed for maximising my vision.

This picture shows the types of tinted contact lenses I have tried. At first the optometrist I was with was sceptical about red contacts saying they will reduce my vision by making it too dark. But, like many before, I had to educate them about Achromatopsia. To start with I got the top left red central contact lens for the better eye. I really did not think I could cope with puting my finger in my eye and the contact lens, it took months of practice! I persevered because I wanted the benefits. I then got the light brown contacts and trialed them with the red in the other eye. This was good. I then went to the reds on the bottom left. These were sent back several times to get the tint correct and to spread the tint over the whole eye because I was getting leak of glare that would blind me suddenly. I loved these and would wear them with the NOIR of various shades. Later I got the brown/reds for a more natural look and they are slightly darker so I use these in summer and bright areas.

Whilst wearing contacts makes my eyes look more natural in that I do not squint as much and my vision is more comfortable, they make it difficult to read the computer screen and printed text so I no longer wear them at work on a regular basis.

After reading more about bioptic driving and how others adapted their disability with the driving task, I now felt ready to buy a bioptic and try various tins of fit overs with contacts and no contacts for riding my bike and walking around.

This picture shows the Ocutech bioptic with a lens cap that is tinted brown. There are three slip ins that came with the bioptic. I do not use these because the yellow and brown are too light and the red is not the right colour and too dark. Also, I had to add the blinkers on the side to stop the glare from reflecting on the back of the slip in into my eyes preventing me from seeing out of the glasses.

I did not have to look long as corresponding with other bioptic drivers I found the NOIR fit over could be cut to allow the bioptic to be inserted. This allowed me to purchase many different shades for different driving environments. I could also use different combinations of contact lenses. The goal is to maximise what I see for the driving task. From top left to bottom right is tint #98 UVlight (no longer made by NOIR but I use it for heavy fog, dark/bad weather), #90 UVShield (main use is driving), #570 Glareshield (for me the red does not pop out as much as the other three), #93 UVDark (use in really bright areas).

The reason for red is being totally colourblind I do not see colour. In my natural state I can only see green traffic lights and cannot see amber or red signals nor indicators nor brake lights. There are people with my condition who choose to drive like this and to compensate they leave a bigger gap. I however wanted to work a system I could see all lights. The red does this. However, this meant I could no longer see green lights. So, by puting a brown tinted cap on the bioptic I can now use the bioptic to verify that the green light is on or off and matches opposite to the lights I see through the red carrier lens.

The final outcome for driving looks like this:

This is only a brief overview of a journey that continues today. Happy to answer any questions and to take feedback on any options that might improve maximising my vision for the driving task.

I hope this story helps others to consider how they can embark on their own journey of exploring options to maximise functional ability. As the person with disability, we are the experts. Coming to this realisation empowers to seek possibility rather than leaving our efficacy to others.