Citation

Elgin J, McGwin G, Wood JM, Vaphiades MS, Braswell RA, DeCarlo DK, Kline LB, Owsley C. Am. J. Occup. Ther. 2010; 64(2): 268-278.

Affiliation

Driving Assessment Clinic, Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 700 South 18th Street, Suite 609, Birmingham, AL 35294-0009, USA. jenwells@uab.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, American Occupational Therapy Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

20437914

PMCID

PMC2964938

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether some drivers with hemianopia or quadrantanopia display safe driving skills on the road compared with drivers with normal visual fields. METHOD: An occupational therapist evaluated 22 people with hemianopia, 8 with quadrantanopia, and 30 with normal vision for driving skills during naturalistic driving using six rating scales. RESULTS: Of drivers with normal vision, > 90% drove flawlessly or had minor errors. Although drivers with hemianopia were more likely to receive poorer ratings for all skills, 59.1%-81.8% performed with no or minor errors. A skill commonly problematic for them was lane keeping (40.9%). Of 8 drivers with quadrantanopia, 7 (87.5%) exhibited no or minor errors. CONCLUSION: This study of people with hemianopia or quadrantanopia with no lateral spatial neglect highlights the need to provide individual opportunities for on-road driving evaluation under natural traffic conditions if a person is motivated to return to driving after brain injury.

Language: en