so i went for my 5 month post op visual field test today and the optician confirmed that my eyesight will never get better and so consequently i will never be able to drive. Has anybody else had this problem and if so how are you coping with it?
Hi Becca. I did a search for you...
http://www.avmsurvivors.org/main/search/search?q=loss+of+peripheral+vision
I am guessing this is the issue with your sight. I know it must be a huge disappointment to you. However, I know lots of people who live in large cities and they never drive. It is too expensive to own a car in places like New York or Chicago or for that matter London!
I can't drive either due to the hemonymous hemianopia. I'm sure it will never get better since it's been almost 4 years with no change. I have to rely on the kindness of friends and family to get me around. It's frustrating but there's not much public transportation here so I have no choice. I have an adult trike that I use to go around the neighborhood and that's great!
hiyya- yes i have lost my periphral on my left eye and the inner on my eye right. so pretty much all vision on my left hand side. i inted to pursue a career in medicine if this visual impairment doesnt stop me etc so at least then id most likely be working in a city :) have you ever driven trish? before this happened x
thats very true- will certainly give me an excuse to do some exercise! aha :)
Hi Becca. My AVM bleed was on my right parietal/occipital lobe, so an eye nerve was injure, causing me to lose my visual field in my left eye. Since I cannot drive because of this, I rely on public transportation in my town. It has worked out quite well for the past three years. I've been able to go to work, school, or down to the Washington DC area to visit my family. Sometimes I have to rely on my roommates to take me places when my bus never arrives (due to a breakdown).
I will echo what Barbara and Jim had said. A coworker had once told me two years ago that the benefits of not driving is that I get to save money on car payments, car insurance and gas prices. And I say the same thing to you. You'll get to save a lot of money on insurance and the crazy expensive gas prices. :-)
I'm not driving right now - screaming into a pillow works for me so far =)
Seriously, I think your best bet is public transportation, a para-transit bus, or Trish's bike basket.
I had a visual test and found each eye ball's left peripheral vision cannot see light well. I still have a license since I can see ok and had passed the test. I just turned my head towards the left so I could focus to my right better. I passed. My biggest problem is my mild seizures. I passed out one time driving and my car went head on to incoming 18 wheeler truck. Survived that one unscratched. Been afraid ever since. So I decided to drive only in emergency. I mostly use my bicycle if I have to do some errands or even walk. I hope this gives you ideas.
Thankyou for all the replies, it seems that i really have to think about how much money im going to save which obviously is a massive plus
Yes Becca, I did drive before. I have to say I miss it terribly!
Yup, like Julie said y'all can squeeze into the basket on my trike. It's fairly good size, it'll fit at least two of you!
As I was told by my opthomologist. Your eyes work fine, your brain just isn't processing what your eyes see! Occipital Lobe, i think the medical term is hemionopsia--while I am not certain that is the correct spelling, it Is illegal to drive with hemionopsia And, I did pass the field of vision test, and to my family's dismay, I was issued a liscence, so, there's hope, but No one in my home has shared the keys yet!
Cheers,
Nicole
I can relate, Becca. My AVM "hit" me in '88 & seizures came about some 6 weeks after the brain surgery. I drove anyway. The seizures went into remission (I guess) in '92, then came back with a vengeance in '06.
I've been dependent on my wife since that time. We live between the cornfields in IN so there is NO public transportation. My peace only comes from Jesus Christ, but I truly understand the frustration you're experiencing!
Thankyou all for your kind responses, its good to talk about with people who understand what it is like. Many people ask me to describe what i can actually see but its difficult to explain without actually experiencing it. I can get to grips with the fact that i can't drive in the future i think it just upsets me that i have never tried it (as i'm 16) and now never will. ah well life goes on.
I had total heminopia in both eyes. I did nearly two thousand hours of re-training using nova vision and passed the visual field test. I need to find out how long the results are good for. You can order nova vision or similar products online. IT WORKS.
Lagoon luck.
Joel.
P.s. How long are the results good for? I’m hoping for life.
Joel.
I’ve had periods where I was unable to drive for a while and it was hard for me with work etc however I did start getting used to it… God bless!
The loss of independence is difficult. I rely on family and friends as the area I live in has limited public transportation.
I was told the same thing but repetitive exercises fix it.
Because of the heminopia I suffer from as a result of gamma knife surgery in 2015 I will never be able to drive as the visual loss is in the middle of my line of sight. The means that if a child or an adult steps out into the road I would never see them. This is my decision not to drive any more. It’s taken away my independence which I hate.
Hey @Doonie
I agree this is tough. I can see back in the thread that people are saying that in the big cities it is less of a problem, so then I wondered where you are and you’re in my county!
For the benefit of everyone else, I’d say we have a somewhat radial bus transport system in Leicestershire and while you can get to most places by bus, often the only way to get to where you want is to head into the city, change buses and come all the way out again, even if the villages are only a short distance apart. The buses are also fantastically unreliable. And there is no “system”! 
Regards trains, there are probably fewer than a dozen stations in the county, despite being about 1,300 square miles.
I think the main encouragement I can offer is that I think far more people will travel by public transport in future because owning a car and driving will get more expensive.