Department of Optics, Laboratory of Vision Sciences and Applications, University of Granada, Edificio Mecenas, Av. Fuentenueva s/n, Granada, Spain.
Appl Ergon. 2013 Jul;44(4):523-31. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2012.11.006. Epub 2012 Dec 6.
The aim of this study is to examine the effects of aging as well as visual impairment on retinal-image quality and visual performance in drivers. We use a new visual test called Halo v1.0 software for quantifying the discrimination capacity, an important visual function for evaluating the visual disturbances perceived by the observer. The study included 55 subjects with normal vision and 15 older subjects with cataracts. All subjects were examined for visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, visual-discrimination capacity and optical quality. Subjects also completed a subjective Driving Habits Questionnaire (DHQ). Older drivers with and without visual impairment showed significantly (p < 0.05) worse visual performance and deteriorated retinal-image quality, even when their binocular visual acuity was ≥20/25. In conclusion, some visual functions are considerably diminished in older drivers, even when visual acuity is sufficient to get or renew a driver's license. Halo software enables easy quantification of night-vision disturbances such as halos, which could impede the detection of pedestrians, cyclists, or traffic signals, thereby making this system advisable in clinical practice, e.g. in the requirements for a driver's license, particularly for older drivers.
本研究旨在探讨年龄增长以及视力障碍对驾驶员视网膜成像质量和视觉表现的影响。我们使用了一种名为 Halo v1.0 的新型视觉测试软件来量化辨别能力，这是评估观察者感知到的视觉障碍的重要视觉功能。该研究纳入了 55 名视力正常的受试者和 15 名患有白内障的老年受试者。所有受试者均接受了视力、对比敏感度、视觉辨别能力和光学质量检查。受试者还完成了一份主观驾驶习惯问卷（DHQ）。有和没有视力障碍的老年驾驶员的视觉表现和视网膜成像质量明显（p < 0.05）更差，即使他们的双眼视力≥20/25。总之，即使视力足以获得或更新驾驶执照，一些视觉功能在老年驾驶员中也会明显下降。Halo 软件可以轻松量化夜间视觉干扰，例如晕影，这些干扰可能会妨碍对行人和骑自行车的人或交通信号的检测，从而使该系统在临床实践中成为可行的选择，例如在驾驶执照的要求中，特别是对老年驾驶员。
