§ 46.2-312 Persons using bioptic telescopic lenses
A. Persons using bioptic telescopic lenses shall be eligible for driver’s licenses if they:
1. Demonstrate a visual acuity of at least 20/200 in one or both eyes and a field of seventy degrees horizontal vision without or with corrective carrier lenses or a comparable measurement that demonstrates a visual field within this range, or if these persons have vision in one eye only, they demonstrate a field of at least forty degrees temporal and thirty degrees nasal horizontal vision or a comparable measurement that demonstrates a visual field within this range;
2. Demonstrate a visual acuity of at least 20/70 in one or both eyes with the bioptic telescopic lenses and without the use of field expanders;
4. Accompany the license application with a report of examination by an ophthalmologist or optometrist on a form prescribed by the Department for evaluation by the Medical Advisory Board.
B. Persons using bioptic telescopic lenses shall be eligible for learner’s permits issued under § 46.2-335 provided they first meet the requirements of subsection A of this section, except for that part of the examination requiring the applicant to drive a motor vehicle.
C. Persons using bioptic telescopic lenses shall be subject to the following restrictions:
1. They shall not be eligible for any of the driver’s license endorsements provided for in § 46.2-328;
2. Their driver’s licenses shall permit the operation of motor vehicles only during the period beginning one-half hour after sunrise and ending one-half hour before sunset.
D. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision C 2 of this section, persons using bioptic telescopic lenses may be licensed to drive motor vehicles between one-half hour before sunset and one-half hour after sunrise if they:
1. Demonstrate a visual acuity of at least 20/40 in one or both eyes with the bioptic telescopic lenses and without the use of field expanders;
2. Have been licensed under subsection C of this section for at least one year; and
History
This law was first created in 1986. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 115 of that year’s edition of “Acts of Assembly,” the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1986 “Acts” aren’t available online. It has been modified 2 times. Those modifications are cataloged by “The Acts of Assembly,” a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly’s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1989, chapters 147 and 727; in 2010, chapter 18.
1986, c. 115, § 46.1-357.3; 1989, cc. 147, 727; 2010, c. 18.