In May 1975, a symposium on Telescopic Lenses and Driver Licensing was held in New York City under the auspices of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. The purpose of the conference was to gather data concerning the use of bioptic telescopic lenses for the guidance of the Department of Motor Vehicles in determining whether wearers of these prosthetic devices should be licensed to drive. The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles adopted the conference recommendation that BTL wearers be licensed under a carefully controlled and documented program, based on the fact that there is currently no evidence that the safety record of BTL wearers is any worse than that of drivers with normal vision.

This paper will briefly address the arguments for and against the use of telescopic lenses in driving, as a basis for establishing the rationale used by the Department in deciding upon its course of action. In addition, it will discuss the standards and procedures to be promulgated concerning the licensure of these drivers, and the evaluation techniques to be used in determining the effects of BTL use in New York State (through an examination of driving records) as compared to the over-all driving population.