Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Driving Simulators

JB, very best wishes for your speedy return behind the wheel of your Mog.

As Sportster has said it is learning to compensate for the loss of your left visual fields. Effectively by twisting your head to the left, to bring the functioning right fields around to scan on your left. Humans are very lazy and so it is really going to be about retraining your brain to keep the twist and scan to the left going continually whilst driving. May I also suggest that along with his suggested walk on the right side of the road, with the "action" happening to your left. That you also learn to give a continual running commentary on what you pass and what is happening to your left. Not easy, but all part of retraining your brain to bring in the twist to the left. I'm sure that is what any future examiner will want to see, that you are picking up and registering any potential hazard on your drive right and left.

Alistair's suggestion of multiple screens should help with this, particularly with the main emphasis being to the left of straight ahead and ahead.

Then, is there any chance of access to private roads or land, to put the practice into action before any test?

Good luck

Hi Heinz,

It’s going to be a combination of eye movement or head movement. It depends how far to the left you’re going to need to be able to see.

I can’t answer questions with any authority about 3D goggles because I have never looked through them but it is my understanding a person has to move their head with the googles on to see the world around them. Maybe there are virtual reality experts in this forum that could advise us on that.

A convex mirror appropriately placed will help with maintaining awareness of cars behind you to the left so you won’t have to turn your head to the left as much while driving. And maintaining situational awareness to the left ahead by looking farther down the road won’t require head movement as much. Just eye movement would be enough for this.

This is what’s great about this forum JB62, with enough people out there thinking about this, you’ll have many great suggestions to work on to get you back in your Speedster as soon as your 12 month requirement has passed.

A while back I posted a link to a site about how fighter pilots are trained to change the way they scan with their eyes. It was to help overcome the jumping effect as your eyes scan, resulting in gaps in registered images from point to point. It was found when looking at how motorcyclists are sometimes missed by drivers as they check when exiting junctions. I’ll look for it.

"Virtual reality headsets are like being in the real world except there is a slight lack of definition when compared to your eyes in the real world.
My son has a set that he uses in conjunction with his sophisticated driving sim setup. You don't need his setup to use the virtual reality goggles to retrain your brain, but I really do think the headset would do what you want it to do. There may even be vr software out there designed for your specific problem. If there isn't then perhaps someone clever should write some?

Here it is - I kept your link and refer back to it from time to time.

How fighter pilots scan

Paul F and sospan,

Excellent article! It’s right on the mark and gives all of us as drivers great recommendations.

The VR headset probably is not going to be as effective to aid your development as it is primarily in the main line of site in the same manner as a good size single screen. The edge of vision will be darkness. It will however be quite a lot tidier!

I am happy to help - it will depend on a few decisions in my experience.

If you want to do something on a desk or go to the full honky?
You can blow £15,000 on a serious gaming system, chair, monitors etc.
You can get away with £2400 on a three monitor desk mounted system.

What are you going to use it for?
The modern car games are quite amazing but can feel unrealistic unless you have grown up on computers for many people including me. I am rubbish are car racing games as I can never get a feel for the car through my bum and so constantly crash. I would look at flight simulator, the new version is amazing and the game has been engineered for visual display. It would allow you to increase the other planes in flight and also fly around things on the edge of your vision. https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/microsoft-flight-simulator. Different pedals same tin.

Practice
New XBox Series X
65" UHD TV, sit quite close
Simple Logitech wheel or joystick (flightsim)
MS Flight Sim 2020 standard

Chunky Upgrade to

Don't go nuts but make it good specification.
3*27" monitors 1080p FHD which need to offer >120Hz refresh rate so there is no flicker to make it most effective for your eyes. £700
These can be desk mounted on a decent stand or one of the seats/frames. I would recommend Next Level Racing kit if you want to go the full way with floor mounts etc.
A decent PC in the region of £1500-£1800 in total, a lot of that will be the video board, don't skimp.
You can sit reasonably close and get an amazing view width using the three monitors.

Okay I am enjoying this now - addicted

Go large specification (plus room to fit it in and approval if you are wise!)
3* 50" UHD TV's and a stand https://www.overclockers.co.uk/next...le-monitor-stand-nlr-a010-gc-045-nr.html
Deathwish PC £7k https://www.overclockers.co.uk/infi...spired-gaming-pc-fs-46f-oe.html#t=a2b1c1
Seat https://www.overclockers.co.uk/play...tor-gaming-chair-fa.00036-gc-014-pa.html
Control https://www.overclockers.co.uk/logi...ight-rudder-pedals-bundle-bu-008-lg.html

Any help ?

You have my sympathy. I has a TIA 18 months ago and a couple of days before I took delivery of the current toy car. Luckily I was only off driving for three months and my vision came back.

I cant see a normal domestic sim being a help because the screen is directly in front of you. The ones with multiple screens to the sides are likely to cost as much as your car. But cant you do the necessary eye training in the passenger seat with SWMBO driving? Will the doc give you the necessary letter for plod? Failing that can you sit sideways to watch TV?

PaulF.
I'll set a link to find it easier myself.

Chaps- thank you very much for the input. I have also been in touch with a Racing Driver Performance Specialist ( with particular interest in eye performance) who very much agrees with the train of thought on here- ie make the eyes scan.

He in turn has put me in touch with a ( German) Optometrist who suggests that I take another FOV test- to work out the exact blind spot- and then make a decision on whether a wrap-around or VR technology will address my particular loss..if it’s too great- other techniques would work better ( Sportster has outlined some of those - which I have immediately adopted. Thank you)

Alistair- if it turns out that a technology approach might work- I’d be grateful for further help on the procurement choice/ set up front! ( sounds like a lot of fun anyway!).

Howard- I haven’t actually given my licence up yet- as I have to have a test to prove to the DVLA that they need to revoke my licence. ( so I’m told!). Lockdown is delaying things. What GP note did you acquire? I’ve not been told about that. ( hope you are well recovered?).

My two day old grandson left hospital this morning during the snow. They had to pull over and park up- my wife did a sterling job rescuing the little chap and family in the 110. I was commentating-from the passenger seat- not sure how useful I was!!

He had been blue- lighted in from an aborted home birth on Friday.

Quite a way to come into the world as a true Lockdown Baby.

Thanks again all. JB