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Choi, Cho, Ha, Choi, Lee, and Park: A Study of Driving Behaviors among Patients with Chronic Ophthalmological Disorders
Original Article
Journal of the Korean Ophthalmological Society

Journal of the Korean Ophthalmological Society 2012; 53(4): 559-564.

Published online: 17 April 2012

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2012.53.4.559

A Study of Driving Behaviors among Patients with Chronic Ophthalmological Disorders

Jun Ho Choi, MD, A Ran Cho, MD, Seung Joo Ha, MD, Kyung Seek Choi, MD, Sung Jin Lee, MD, Song Hee Park, MD

Department of Ophthalmology, Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Address reprint requests to Song Hee Park, MD. Department of Ophthalmology, Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, #59 Daesagwan-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul 140-743, Korea. Tel: 82-2-709-9356, Fax: 82-2-798-7797, scheye@hosp.sch.ac.kr

Received 3 January 2011       Accepted 25 February 2012

Copyright © 2012 The Korean Ophthalmological Society

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 ≤ 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.

Keywords: Chronic ophthalmologic disorder, Driving, Survey, Visual acuity, Visual field

Figures and Tables

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.
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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).
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Table 1
Patient demographics
jkos-53-559-i001

Values are presented as mean ± SD or n (%).

n represents the specific sample size associated with the descriptor.

SD = standard deviation.

Table 2
Driving behavior results
jkos-53-559-i002
Table 3
Best corrected visual acuity of subjects
jkos-53-559-i003

Values are presented as mean ± SD or n (%).

BCVA = best corrected visual acuity

Table 4
Visual fields of subjects
jkos-53-559-i004

Values are presented as mean ± SD or n (%).

Table 5
Mean scores of patient discomfort by visual acuity and visual fields
jkos-53-559-i005

Values are presented as mean ± SD.

*Tested by independent-sample t-test.

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