Hey there. I'm totally blind in my right eye and only with glasses can I see 20/20 with my left. I've been like this since I can remember. I'm in my early 30s and learned to drive when I was 15. I will say that I got into a few sticky situations at first. I didn't judge the distance from our front gate to our car and completely scraped the side. I almost ran someone off the road bc I didn't check my blindspot well enough.

Over time I learned a few things. Practice turning your whole body to the right when you check your blind spot. You're going to snap your neck trying to do it by just turning your head. You'll want to practice bc turning the body will be easier and safer over time but is tricky at first bc the wheel may turn with you. Always use your mirrors, they are there to help you. I recently got a car with a side camera that turns on when I turn on my right blinker. It's amazing to have but not necessary.

To stay in my lane, I keep the lane stripe (whatever it's called) that's on the left side of my car, in line with my registration stickers that are placed in the bottom left of my window (if you're sitting in the driver's seat). When the stripes are "going thru" the stickers, I know I'm in my lane correctly and not drifting.

I don't know you but I doubt you don't have depth perception. If you really didn't, you'd be running into walls, people, anything all the time. The body adapts and learns to create a form of a 3d image even when an eye is lost. If the world truly looks flat to you, I suggest finding an occupational/vocational therapist that might be able to help with that. Your brain can be trained.

Hopefully these tips help. I've been driving for 17+ years now so it's something I do without thinking but these are some key tips that I could think of. Yeah you'll probably mess up a few times at first but it's ok. That's the case for ALL new drivers and not just bc of your visual impairment.

" I also don’t have any depth perception."


You almost certainly do. The notion that someone without two eyes and/or without binocular sight lacks depth perception is a myth. Depth perception relies only partly on fused binocular vision. If you can tell that someone is farther away because they look smaller, that's depth perception.

Video games with 3D graphics look 3D because they fake our sense of depth perception: objects farther away look smaller, and may be blurry and darker; as we move our head items that were previously hidden are partly revealed; objects cast shadow according to their size; and so on.

Tell anyone you know that you DO have depth perception. Read a bit about what depth perception involves so that you can explain.

I have vision in both eyes, but I lack fused vision. Effectively I only concentrate out of one eye at a time. Like me, you may rely more heavily on cues related to shading, how much something moves in your field of vision when you move, and so on. Generally we're unaware of this. Sure, you may bump into door jambs more often, but that's a matter of impaired depth perception under certain circumstances, not a total lack.


You posted publicly about something that's difficult to talk about. You have enough courage. Courage doesn't mean not feeling fear: it means going ahead anyway. If someone didn't feel fear or anxiety, we wouldn't say they have courage.

When I first started out driving some decades ago, a family friend who had lost an eye--and who drove regularly--gave me some pointers. I'll combine those pointers with mine.


1. Practice, practice, practice. There's no substitute for practice. Build up your confidence by driving in low-risk areas. If you've only driven 10 times in 3 years, you're coming to the wheel as a new driver every time. To learn any new skill you need to practice at least part of that skill every few days. Try for at least once a week even if it's just driving around the block.
2. Initially just try to meet a goal of driving on a schedule. Get used to the regularity of it. You don't have to drive for long.
3. After you're familiar with a schedule and one or more routes, set a goal for yourself for each trip. One trip, one goal. For example, you might drive just a block further. Maybe you'll take a left turn this time instead of a right turn. Maybe a goal is simply to feel more confident about the same trip you made last time.
4. Assume you'll need to move your eye and your head frequently to scan the road. Unfortunately, you'll need to be more vigilant than the average driver, BUT this means you're setting yourself up to be a safer driver.
5. More recent cars will have sensors to help detect when you drift out of a lane, but that's not something you want to depend on while you learn to drive. You might end up relying on that feature 20% more than other people, but it shouldn't be something you absolutely need. What other one-eyed drivers have done, you can do, too.
6. Check whether having additional mirrors is an option. You might even have a mirror inside the car to be able to see passengers without having to look too far away from the road.
7. If you can afford it, get driving lessons again. Or ask a friend or family member to go with you.
8. Force yourself to learn how to parallel park. Watch videos online about it.
9. Practice, practice, practice.
10. Did I mention practice?

I lost my right eye to cancer as an infant. I learned to drive but I never learned to feel comfortable driving. I always felt like I was over a lane line or worried about my blind spots. Mirrors help, but they never made me feel at ease. I went off to college and moved to a city with great public transportation. Never did get my license and now my sight in my left eye is even worse than it was then so it ain't ever happening
On the other hand, my friend's dad lost sight in one eye decades after he was already comfortable driving and he didn't seem to have trouble adjusting.

For what it’s worth about 20 years ago I knew a woman who had an artificial eye and was a truck driver. From what I remember she told me she had a fight getting her CDL but she did it. I also am married to a woman who doesn’t have any depth perception and she prefers a 4x4 3/4 or 1 ton pickup because she says it’s easier to see being up higher. Of course she is short so that could play a part.

Hi I have 20/400 vision in my right eye and have been driving for 7 years. I lack center vision in my right eye but have some peripheral vision. I usually cannot see my passenger too. Luckily I have never hit anything! I also have night blindness so I don't drive at night. In my state I need to get a thorough vision test from my doctor every few years to continue driving. I still have some confidence issues but for the most part I love driving because it gives me a lot of freedom. if you have any questions lmk

As far as tips, I'd say

1. frequently pay attention to your blind spots by panning your head to the right side
2. Take routes where you can go slower and there will be less traffic and pedestrians
3. Focus on the left lines of the lane and straighten your car to those lines which should prevent you from drifting

I can go ask my mother who's been doing it successfully for 30 years or so if you like?

Is the vision in your other eye good? I lost the sight in my right eye at 15 and at the time my corrected vision in the other eye was 20/25-20/30. I was very nervous about learning to drive as well. I didn't learn until I was 20 and I took the whole process really slowly. Get comfortable in empty parking lots first, then move onto quiet side streets. The busier side streets... you get the idea. Your body and brain have to build "muscle memory" to be a good driver - lots of practice! One thing that helped me stay centered in my lane to begin with was angling my side view mirror slightly down, so that I could see the curb/lines. You'll figure out what you're comfortable with. If your vision is solid in your remaining eye, you'll probably be able to drive wherever you want. If not, you may be a little more limited. Good luck!