J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.
2012 Apr;53(4):559-564.
A Study of Driving Behaviors among Patients with Chronic Ophthalmological Disorders
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Ophthalmology, Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. scheye@hosp.sch.ac.kr
Abstract
- PURPOSE
This study examines driving behaviors among patients treated for chronic ophthalmologic disorders and the effects of visual acuity and visual field on driving performance.
METHODS
A 15-item survey was given to 153 patients treated for chronic ophthalmologic disorders including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, retinal vessel occlusions, and senile macular degeneration. Six items questioned the patient's discomfort based on a five-point scale according to different driving conditions and one item involved a self-assessment of driving problems. Results were compared with the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and visual fields of the patients.
RESULTS
In total, 16.2% of first-class drivers and 24.1% of second-class drivers rated below the evaluation standards of the driving license aptitude test. Overall, 82.6% of the patients continued to drive, while 7.8% renounced driving due to decreased visual acuity. Patient discomfort was significantly correlated with visual acuity (r = -0.503, p < or = 0.01). Among the patients scoring below the evaluation standards, 74.2% responded that their visual acuity had become a problem while driving.
CONCLUSIONS
These results call for appropriate driving programs and measures to educate people about responsive driving considering the visual function of patients treated for chronic ophthalmologic disorders.
MeSH Terms
Figure
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Figure 1 Scatter plots representing the correlation between mean scores of patients' discomfort with visual acuity (panel A: above) and horizontal visual field (panel B: below). BCVA = best corrected visual acuity. *Tested by Pearson's correlation coefficient.
Figure 2 Patients' response indicating the level of hindrance poor eyesight had on driving. These figures were created using patients' response from questionnaire item 15, which asked whether their eyesight (including visual field) hindered their driving. The response categories were measured using a 5-point ordinal scale: (1) No, not at all (dark blue), (2) No, not much (red), (3) Yes, moderately (green), (4) Yes, to some degree (purple), and (5) Yes, very much (light blue).
Reference
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