Predicting practical fitness to drive in drivers with visual field defects caused by ocular pathology

Vision, viewing efficiency, visual attention, and on-road driving performance were assessed in 100 participants with central and/or peripheral visual field defects caused by ocular pathology. Driving was evaluated by the Dutch driving license authority making use of the protocol for investigating practical fitness to drive. A smaller percentage of participants with central visual field defects passed the on-road driving test, in comparison with participants with peripheral or mild field defects. The predictive power of a model based on the current vision requirements for driving significantly increased when taking compensatory viewing efficiency into account. The results of the latter model were comparable to those of a model based on tests of visual attention and contrast sensitivity. Despite the increased explained variance of practical fitness to drive when taking higher-order visual functions into account, sensitivity and specificity remained quite low, limiting the use of these tests in identifying unfit drivers. Actual or potential applications of this research include the development of training programs to improve practical fitness to drive in drivers with visual field defects.