TY - JOUR PY - 2021// TI - Self-reported driving difficulty in patients with bilateral cataract JO - Journal of optometry A1 - Abd Rahman, Mohd Harimi A1 - Abdul Mutalib, Haliza A1 - Mohd Norizan, Nurul Hafizah A1 - Md-Muziman-Syah, Md Mustafa SP - ePub EP - ePub VL - ePub IS - ePub N2 - PURPOSE: 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.

METHODS: 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.

RESULTS: 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.

CONCLUSION: 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.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 1888-4296 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.optom.2021.09.003 ID - ref1 ER -