Centre for Policy on Ageing



Vision and driving self-restriction in older adults
Author(s)	Catherine G West, Ginny Gildengorin, Gunilla Haegerstrom-Portnoy
Journal title	Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, vol 51, no 10, October 2003
Pages	pp 1348-1355
Keywords	Visual impairment ; Driving capability ; Social surveys ; United States of America.
Annotation	Subjects were participants in the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute (SKI) Vision Study, and comprised 629 current drivers aged 55+ who had their driving behaviour, health and physical function assessed and vision function tested in 1993-95. These subjects completed a vision-related questionnaire and a battery of vision tests designed to assess visual performance under commonly encountered conditions of variable lighting and contrast. Even if they do not acknowledge the visual impairment as the cause for restricting their driving, older people with early changes in spatial visual function and depth perception appear to recognise their limitations and restrict their driving. Poor visual attention, a risk factor for crashes, may not be recognised. Additional studies of driving self-restriction in relation to risk factors for crashes in older people may help refine this strategy of reducing driving-related injury and death. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-031212204 A
Classmark	BR: OPF: 3F: 7T
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing

...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.