Partially Blind Riders?

[Sharkey]

Regina is taking her MSF beginners course this weekend. She is legally blind in her right eye, and is having a rough go in the tight maneuvers. She does not have the same depth perception, and has to turn her head a lot more to see through the turns. I want her to enjoy riding, but she looked really bummed when she arrived home tonight.
I think she will be fine it time. She has no trouble driving. Any other riders with sight troubles have any tips. Sharkey

[Valker]

Sharkey, she should be fine with just a bit more practice. I train riders with this class and have had several in the same situation. If she looks further ahead of her path of travel (eyes up more) the problems should be minimized and the depth perception problem rendered moot.

[3W-lonerider]

i am legally blind in my left eye...you learn to adapt by turning your head more. tell her not to get bummed , she will over come it. my eyes have been this way ever since i can remember.. so having 2 good eyes iv'e never experianced that.

[Oss]

+1 on the above
hey lone between us we almost have 2 good eyes

when I was a preschooler I was told I was legally blind in the right eye from amblyopia (lazy eye) which was corrected by the time I was 13 with patch and then glasses and exercises,  Around the time I turned 30 I had some leaks and a detached retina in that right eye and now have a nice center blind spot.   I can still catch a fly cause the peripheral vision is aok but cant read with it. I do not enjoy night driving at all as my right side reaction time is down in low light

Whoever invented progressive glasses is now one of my heroes. I can ride, see the cagers and even the speedo

I know lots of folks with one good eye only, long as she remembers to keep her head moving constantly she should be just fine

[Joe Hummer]

Hey Brian,

Tell Regina not to get bummed about it.  I too have limited eyesight in my right eye (had a bottle rocket hit me in the eye when i was 15, cataract out by 17).  Yeah, I usually wear a contact lens but when I wear my glasses, it is a different world.  Like said...she has to turn her head more and learn to use points of reference for the depth perception. 

Joe

[gregc]

   Lost my right eye at 20, you will learn to adjust. Hasn't stopped me from doing anything, I have driven tow trucks and towed tractor trailers. Only thing I still can't do is stand over a clear glass at the sink and fill it to the right height, no reference of the water against the clear glass.  Or a dark mug and pour coffee.  I cheat and put my finger in the mug, when it hits my finger I stop.

[Duey]

She just needs to practice her depth perseption.. My youngest son lost the use of his left eye in an accident when he was 14.. They started teaching him how to judge distances and it wasn't long before he had no more issues with it. He is 28 now and if you didn't know it you would say he is using both eyes.. Drives, rides mc, uses power tools, builds models and works with electrical stuff. 
 Practice makes perfect in anything she wants to do.. Just go for it! 

[Sharkey]

Thanks to all. She passed her course,    and is in much better spirits. She has been blind in the eye since childhood. I guess the stress of learning something new, made her more aware of it,

[island18]

Regina is taking her MSF beginners course this weekend. She is legally blind in her right eye, and is having a rough go in the tight maneuvers. She does not have the same depth perception, and has to turn her head a lot more to see through the turns. I want her to enjoy riding, but she looked really bummed when she arrived home tonight.
I think she will be fine it time. She has no trouble driving. Any other riders with sight troubles have any tips. Sharkey

Lost my right eye on December 1960, and my driving licence shows outside mirrors required.
On the saddle more than 37 years without a problem.When I get a new bike, first thing I do is install the biggest mirrors I can find.
Takes time..... but works

[Mo Lee]

Brian guess I missed this thread till now, kinda down with a cold all weekend. I've had 20/200 in my right eye since I was a kid (lazy eye) mine was not caught in time for treatment. I never considered it a problem however I was told a few years back that is why I never was any good a ball type sports. As for driving I have a good record and many years on two wheels, State put a restriction on my CDL requiring right side mirrow however I havn't seen a truck without one. 23 years in the Army without problems also just the last few years they have required a statement from the eye doctor to renew my military license. 

[rmrc51]

I lost the use of both eyes working together as a young kid so I can't even remember that real depth perception would look like.

I have, what doctors have termed it, "Image Perception". I can basically tell how far an object is from me by it's relative size and how large the object is getting as I approach it. Many times in the past when this became a topic of discussion, people would ask approximately how far and object was from me. I would always guess with in a foot or so. Your mind adjusts to compensate when your eyes don't work in unison with each other. At least that's how it turned out for me.