UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Are Eye Clinics Safe For The Road? An Observational Report

Papamichael, E; Mathew, R; Kamal, D; Murdoch, IE; (2016) Are Eye Clinics Safe For The Road? An Observational Report. Journal of Glaucoma , 25 (4) e384-e385. 10.1097/IJG.0000000000000356. Green open access

[thumbnail of Murdoch_Accepted version for open access Dec 2016.pdf]
Preview
Text
Murdoch_Accepted version for open access Dec 2016.pdf

Download (315kB) | Preview

Abstract

We report an observational study, based on the examination of 319 medical records, identifying the proportion of patients whose driving status was documented on the first and subsequent glaucoma clinic visits. We also established the proportion of patients with documented Driving and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA)-related advice when they did not meet driving standards based on their visual acuity and/or visual fields (VF). On presentation, driving status was assessed in 61% (n=195) patients. Of the remaining 124, 44% (n=55) had their driving status documented at a subsequent visit, on an average 8 years later. Of all patients (78%, n=250) whose driving status was assessed at some stage, 42% (n=134) were drivers. Of the 203 patients who were either drivers or whose driving status was unknown, 37% (n=75) were assessed as having a visual acuity or bilateral VF defect that was below the legal limit for driving, 39 of whom were known drivers. Only 13 were advised to inform the DVLA, and only 5 patients were advised to update their spectacles or listed for surgery to improve their vision. We therefore potentially failed to perform our DVLA duty in 76% (n=57) of patients. We have made suggestions for improving the current performance in this respect based on the findings of this study.

Type: Article
Title: Are Eye Clinics Safe For The Road? An Observational Report
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1097/IJG.0000000000000356
Publisher version: http://doi.org/10.1097/IJG.0000000000000356
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved. This is a non-final version of an article published in final form in Papamichael, E; Mathew, R; Kamal, D; Murdoch, IE; (2016) Are Eye Clinics Safe For The Road? An Observational Report. Journal of Glaucoma , 25 (4) e384-e385. 10.1097/IJG.0000000000000356.
Keywords: DVLA, driving, legal obligation
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Institute of Ophthalmology
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1513277
Downloads since deposit
328Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item