Driving With Glaucoma: Is It Safe?

A new study presented at the 2019 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) conference evaluated the rate of car accidents in patients with glaucoma.

The study followed 161 patients (average age: 64 years) with moderate open angle glaucoma in at least one eye over 4 years. Patients were asked yearly if they were a driver in any motor vehicle accidents during the previous year. Researchers examined their visual acuity, peripheral vision, and contrast sensitivity.

Findings showed that 5%-10% of this cohort were involved in yearly motor vehicle accidents despite qualifying as legally being able to drive, compared to a 2017 1.1% motor vehicle accident rate for drivers of similar age.

More research is needed, but the findings suggest an independent risk factor for motor vehicle accidents is an impaired visual field in patients with glaucoma.

You can read more here.