Older glaucoma patients’ driving safety not affected by disease

Older people with glaucoma drive just as safely as people of a comparable age without the disease, according to a study.

Gerald McGwin Jr., PhD, and colleagues at three university-affiliated eye care practices studied the rate of motor vehicle collisions in people with and without glaucoma who were at least 50 years old. They evaluated the associations between the diagnosis of glaucoma and the number of motor vehicle accidents. Information on driving behavior was gathered using patient surveys. Motor vehicle accident involvement was determined from local police records.

Patients with glaucoma were less likely to be in motor vehicle collisions than those who did not have the disease. Of the participants involved in motor vehicle collisions, there was no difference in at-fault crash rates between those with glaucoma and those without.

People with glaucoma reported significantly more avoidance of certain types of driving: at night, in fog, in the rain, during rush hour and on highways. These patients also tended to avoid high density driving, the researchers found.

The study is published in the November issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.