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Driving self-restriction associated with fewer motor vehicle collisions
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Men with primary open-angle glaucoma who restrict their driving in poor conditions reported fewer motor vehicle collisions, according to a study recently published in Optometry and Vision Science.
Ono and colleagues assessed 252 Japanese participants with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) who were between 40 and 85 years old.
Participants completed questionnaires regarding their driving habits to evaluate self-restriction. The questions included whether participants practiced self-restriction pertaining to driving in poor weather, at night or on freeways, as well as their lane changing habits and history of motor vehicle collisions (MVCs).
Researchers divided the participants into two groups based on their responses; the no-restriction group comprised participants who reported no self-restriction, and the self-restriction group comprised participants who reported restricting their driving in at least one way.
After comparing the prevalence of MVCs, researchers found an association between self-restriction and MVCs in male participants. Both the crash rate and the prevalence of MVCs was significantly lower in the self-restriction group. Researchers also reported that the amount of self-restrictions was associated with MVCs.
"Our study indicates that driving self-restriction may be associated with a lower prevalence of MVCs in men with glaucoma," the authors concluded. "A future prospective cohort or interventional study is needed to provide strong evidence of the efficacy of driving self-restriction among patients with glaucoma."
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.
Perspective
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Carl H. Jacobsen, OD, FAAO
Motor vehicle accidents claimed 35,000 U.S. lives in 2009. Said differently, two people die per minute in MVAs.
Vision compromise is one of many factors contributing to this sad statistic, and we play an important role in helping our patients reduce their driving risk. When vision loss is too great, we recommend they stop driving. This advice is often met with resistance as patients contemplate the loss of independence and change of lifestyle. In the end, many disregard our advice and continue driving.
Ono and colleagues have found that glaucoma patients who choose to drive less or avoid high-risk situations reduce their risk of MVA. This data is quite useful in clinic and can likely be generalized to patients with other types of vision loss.
Instead of limiting driving discussions to night driving restriction or driving discontinuation, we should engage in a more meaningful dialog. By helping our patients identify situations where they feel less confident in their driving ability, perhaps we can make the roads a safer place while allowing our compromised patients their independence.
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