Abd Rahman Mohd Harimi, Abdul Mutalib Haliza, Mohd Norizan Nurul Hafizah, Md-Muziman-Syah Md Mustafa
Optometry and Vision Sciences Program, Center for Rehabilitation and Special Needs Studies (iCaRehab), Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Optometry and Vision Sciences Program, Center for Community Health Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
J Optom. 2022 Oct-Dec;15(4):313-318. doi: 10.1016/j.optom.2021.09.003. Epub 2021 Oct 19.
The presence of cataract causes reduction in visual acuity (VA) and contrast sensitivity (CS) and thus can affect individual's daily activities. The aim of this study was to investigate self-reported driving difficulty in patients with bilateral cataract.
A total of 99 participants aged 50 and above, with bilateral cataract, who possessed a valid driving license and drove regularly were chosen for this cross-sectional study that looked into their visual functions (VA and CS) and driving difficulty using the self-reported Driving Difficulty Questionnaire.
The mean age of the participants was 65.04±7.22 years old. Results showed that the mean composite driving difficulty score was 83.18±11.74 and most of the participants were having difficulty for driving in the rain (73.7%) and at night (85.9%). Furthermore, the study found that there was a significant correlation between driving difficulty score and CS (rs = 0.40, p = 0.03). However, there was no significant correlation between driving difficulty score and VA (rs = -0.14, p = 0.17). A linear regression was calculated to predict driving difficulty score based on binocular CS and a significant regression equation was found (F (1,28) = 8.115, p = 0.008) with R² of 0.225. Drivers with bilateral cataract will most likely experience some forms of difficulty, especially when driving under low contrast conditions.
The findings of this study demand that a comprehensive eye examination should be made compulsory for older adult drivers when issuing or renewing their driving license for the safety of all road users.
白内障的存在会导致视力（VA）和对比敏感度（CS）下降，从而影响个人的日常活动。本研究的目的是调查双侧白内障患者自我报告的驾驶困难情况。
本横断面研究选取了99名年龄在50岁及以上、患有双侧白内障、拥有有效驾驶执照且经常开车的参与者，使用自我报告的驾驶困难问卷来调查他们的视觉功能（VA和CS）及驾驶困难情况。
参与者的平均年龄为65.04±7.22岁。结果显示，综合驾驶困难平均得分是83.18±11.74，大多数参与者在雨中驾驶（73.7%）和夜间驾驶（85.9%）时存在困难。此外，研究发现驾驶困难得分与CS之间存在显著相关性（rs = 0.40，p = 0.03）。然而，驾驶困难得分与VA之间无显著相关性（rs = -0.14，p = 0.17）。基于双眼CS计算线性回归以预测驾驶困难得分，发现了一个显著的回归方程（F(1,28) = 8.115，p = 0.008），R²为0.225。双侧白内障患者很可能会经历某种形式的困难，尤其是在低对比度条件下驾驶时。
本研究结果表明，为了所有道路使用者的安全，在为老年驾驶员颁发或更新驾驶执照时，应强制进行全面的眼部检查。
