Vision and Driving in Multiple Sclerosis

• Published in: Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation Vol. 91; no. 2; pp. 315 - 317
• Main Authors: Schultheis, Maria T., PhD, Manning, Kevin, MS, Weisser, Valerie, MS, Blasco, Alison, BS, Ang, Jocelyn, BA, Wilkinson, Mark E., OD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.02.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Accidents, Traffic; Adult; Automobile Driving; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Cohort Studies; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Female; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Multiple sclerosis; Multiple Sclerosis - complications; Multiple Sclerosis - physiopathology; Multiple Sclerosis - psychology; Multiple sclerosis and variants. Guillain barré syndrome and other inflammatory polyneuropathies. Leukoencephalitis; Neurology; Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; Radiotherapy. Instrumental treatment. Physiotherapy. Reeducation. Rehabilitation, orthophony, crenotherapy. Diet therapy and various other treatments (general aspects); Rehabilitation; Vision Disorders - complications; Vision Disorders - physiopathology; Vision Disorders - psychology; Visual acuity; Visual Acuity - physiology; Young Adult; Department of Motor Vehicles; Multiple sclerosis; Automobile driving; MS; Visual acuity; Rehabilitation; HC; DMV; healthy controls; Nervous system diseases; Reeducation; Orthopedics; Central nervous system disease; Inflammatory disease
• ISSN: 0003-9993; 1532-821X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2009.09.021

Abstract Schultheis MT, Manning K, Weisser V, Blasco A, Ang J, Wilkinson ME. Vision and driving in multiple sclerosis. Objective To examine the relationship between measures of visual dysfunction and driving performance in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). Design Between-group comparison. Setting All data were collected in an outpatient research setting. Participants Persons (N=66) with MS of the relapsing remitting type (26 self-reporting visual difficulties; 40 self-reporting no visual difficulties) and 26 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Measures of vision included visual acuity, depth perception, and color perception. Driving was measured using documented accident/violation rate and self-reported driving behaviors. Results Quantitative analysis only revealed that MS persons with self-reported visual difficulties performed significantly worse than healthy controls on color perception (Kruskal-Wallis; χ22 =8.89, P =.01). There were no group differences on driving behaviors, and correlational analysis revealed a lack of relationship between the selected visual (visual acuity, depth perception, color perception) and driving performance measures (documented accident/violation rate and self-limiting driving behaviors). Conclusions Persons with MS who self-reported difficulties with vision had acceptable visual acuity, despite demonstrating impairment in color perception. The fact that visual acuity remains the most common measure for visual fitness to drive remains problematic. There is a need to further define measures of visual dysfunction relevant to driving among this clinical population.