A team of scientists from the Department of Optics of the University of Granada (UGR) has analysed which visual parameters can predict safe driving performance among older drivers.
The results of their study, which have recently been published in the scientific journal PLOSONE, indicate that the level of intraocular scattering, which is related to glare sensitivity, could help predict driving performance in people aged over 55 years.
As a result of the ageing process, a series of physiological changes take place that can sometimes evolve into pathological alterations such as senile cataracts, and which can significantly affect drivers’ vision (decreased visual acuity, loss of contrast, and glare sensitivity).
In Spain, the national 2018 driver census conducted by the Directorate-General for Traffic recorded 26,853,754 drivers, of whom approximately 14% were over 65 years of age—a percentage that is expected to increase in the coming years due to a rapidly ageing population.
The present study was carried out by researcher Sonia Ortiz Peregrina and directed by Dr Rosario González Anera and Dr Carolina Ortiz Herrera. A total of 20 drivers over the age of 55 were included in the study sample, 10 of whom were diagnosed with bilateral cataracts. All of the participants underwent a series of tests to analyse their level of visual function, and their driving ability was evaluated using a driving simulator.
More information on Canal UGR.