Vision tests under mesopic, glare conditions may predict night-driving difficulty
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Key takeaways:
- Mesopic visual acuity and disability glare index accounted for the greatest variation in night-driving difficulty scores.
- Photopic and mesopic contrast sensitivity and disability glare index also were associated with driving difficulties.
Mesopic visual acuity, photopic and mesopic contrast sensitivity, and disability glare index appeared to be significant predictors of night-driving visual difficulties, according to a study published in the Journal of Optometry.
“Driving is a complex task that requires the effective coordination of cognitive and motor skills and cannot be executed without vision, which is responsible for approximately 95% of all the sensory driving requirements,” Samuel Bert Boadi-Kusi, PhD, associate professor in the department of optometry and vision sciences at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, and colleagues wrote.
“Although several other factors including weather conditions, driver’s demographics, types of roads, vehicle state, as well as the psychological and physical state of the driver can impact safe driving, visual challenges associated with nighttime driving, that affect optimum visual function can be very daunting and can impact negatively on driving performance and safety.”
In a cross-sectional study, Boadi-Kusi and colleagues sought to determine which visual function tests may predict vision-related night-driving difficulties among 107 male drivers (mean age, 46.06 years) from two universities in Ghana. Eligible participants had binocular visual acuity of 0.2 logMAR or better and a history of night driving for at least 6 months.
The researchers measured visual acuity and contrast sensitivity under photopic and mesopic conditions, and remeasured mesopic visual acuity after introducing a peripheral glare source to assess disability glare index. Participants also completed a standard vision and night-driving questionnaire.
According to results, the average self-reported vision-related night-driving difficulty was – 3.9 ± 1.95 logit, with participants reporting a range of difficulty from – 7.72 to – 0.93 logit on the questionnaire.
Mesopic visual acuity and disability glare index were the most significant predictors of questionnaire scores, accounting for 21% variation in score, followed by photopic contrast sensitivity, mesopic contrast sensitivity, mesopic visual acuity and disability glare index.
“Seeing dark-colored cars when driving at night” was the most challenging vision task, while “reading street signs” was the least difficult, according to questionnaire results.
“This study has provided the foundation based on which improvements in safety on the road at night can be directed,” Boadi-Kusi and colleagues wrote. “It is therefore recommended that future studies be directed toward identifying appropriate vision aids for drivers identified with vision-related night driving difficulties.”
Collapse
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts