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Driving Habits of Visually Impaired Drivers Who Use Bioptic Telescopes

Driving Habits of Visually Impaired Drivers Who Use Bioptic Telescopes. Alex Bowers, Doris Apfelbaum and Eli Peli. Bioptic Telescopes. For people with reduced visual acuity Spectacle mounted Distance spotting Most of time look through carrier lens. Driving with Bioptic. Background.

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Driving Habits of Visually Impaired Drivers Who Use Bioptic Telescopes

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  1. Driving Habits ofVisually Impaired Drivers Who Use Bioptic Telescopes Alex Bowers, Doris Apfelbaumand Eli Peli

  2. Bioptic Telescopes • For people with reduced visual acuity • Spectacle mounted • Distance spotting • Most of time look through carrier lens

  3. Driving with Bioptic

  4. Background • Little data on driving habits of bioptic drivers • Self-restriction of driving habits with onset of visual impairment is well documented • (Ball et al, 1998; Owsley et al, 1999; Lyman et al; 2001; Keeffe et al, 2002; West et al, 2003; DeCarlo et al, 2003) • Questionnaire survey • Establish habits of bioptic drivers • Impact of bioptic use on driving habits and quality of life

  5. Methods • Driving Habits Questionnaire (DHQ)1 • Telephone interview • 58 bioptic drivers from 12 states 1. Owsley et al (1999) J. Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci; 54:M203-211

  6. General driving habits Confident about driving: • Drive same speed as the general flow 84% • Rate quality of driving to be above average 72% • Moderately or very confident driving with bioptic 88% • But 60% used visual assistance (passenger) • Reading traffic signs • Identifying color of traffic light signals • Warning of hazards ahead • Help with directions or navigation

  7. Median: 200 miles per week Distances driven Miles per week • Furthest distance: • 60% out of state • 33% out of region Normally-sighted: 203 miles per week (US Dept Transportation, 2003)

  8. Driving difficulty in 9 situations

  9. Driving difficulty in 9 situations

  10. Perceived driving difficulty and other self-restricting behaviors: * p = 0.05; ** p =0.01

  11. Impact of bioptic use on quality of life For subjects aged ≤ 65 years: 90% were employed & 85% drove to work

  12. Is driving less restricted when a bioptic is used? • Compared our results to previous studies that used Driving Habits Questionnaire for visually impaired driving without bioptics • Hypothesis: • Bioptic drivers would have less restricted habits than non-bioptic drivers with similar visual acuity of a similar age

  13. Bioptic drivers compared to non-bioptic drivers with AMD1 1. DeCarlo et al (2003) Optom Vis Sci; 80:207-213

  14. General driving habits * Chi square, p = 0.1

  15. Percentage reporting no difficulty with driving p < 0.02

  16. Percentage avoiding driving p < 0.05

  17. Bioptic drivers compared to non-bioptic drivers with cataract1 and normal sight1 1. Owsley et al (1999) J. Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci; 54:M203-211

  18. p < 0.03 * * * * * * Percentage reporting driving difficulty

  19. Conclusions • Bioptic drivers: • Relatively unrestricted driving habits • Low levels of driving avoidance due to vision impairment • Less restricted driving habits and much lower levels of driving difficulty than non-bioptic drivers with AMD (similar age and VA) • Self-restrict in relation to perceived limitations • Quality of life: • is enhanced through being permitted to drive with a bioptic

  20. Acknowledgements • Subject recruitment • Chuck Huss (West Virginia Low Vision Driving Program) • Renee Paquin (New Hampshire Association for the Blind) • Bioptic Drivers Network (www.biopticdriving.org) Supported in part by NIH grant #EY12890

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