Titre | Visual acuity and factors influencing automobile driving status in 1000 patients age 60 and older |
But | To evaluate the number of people driving in accordance with common legal standards, measured through far binocular visual acuity and to identify variables associated with non-legal driving habits. |
Méthodes | Subjects aged of 60 years and older were recruited at a tertiary referral center. We measured visual acuity on each eye and far binocular visual acuity. Driving criterias were defined as far binocular visual acuity equal or better than 20/40, according to the European legal driving requirements. Socioeconomic informations were obtained by questionnaires. |
Résultats | 1000 subjects were enrolled in the study during seven months (mean age: 71.3 years), of whom 810 were current drivers. Among the 810 current drivers, 732 (90.4%) had a far binocular visual acuity equal or better than 20/40, and 78 (9.6%) did not. Among the 190 non-drivers, 94 (49.5%) never drove; 47 (24.7%) had stopped driving because of their impaired vision; and 49 (25.8%) had stopped driving for other reasons. A logistic regression was performed to identify the variables statistically associated with the practice of driving without minimal visual requirements among licensed drivers, which revealed that a non-recent ophthalmological examination (p<0.001), the subject’s non-perception of impaired vision (p=0.001) and non-access to stores without a car (p<0.001) were influencing factors. |
Conclusion | 81% of our subjects aged 60 years and older were still driving, of whom 10% did not meet the European legal driving requirements set at equal or better than 20/40. The variables associated with driving status were the time of last examination, non-perception of visual impairment and limited access to stores without a car. |
Nom | MARINESCU |
Initiales | C |
Institut | CHU Mont-Godinne |
Ville | Yvoir |
Nom | LEVECQ |
Initiales | L |
Institut | CHU Mont-Godinne |
Ville | Yvoir |
Nom | DE POTTER |
Initiales | P |
Institut | CHU St-Luc |
Ville | Bruxelles |
Nom | JAMART |
Initiales | J |
Institut | CHU Mont-Godinne |
Ville | Yvoir |