title: Cataract and pseudophakia in elderly European drivers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prevalence and association of different types and severities of cataract or pseudophakia with visual impairments in older European drivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this prospective European multicenter study, 2211 active drivers, 45 years of age and older, participated in an ophthalmologic examination, the measurement of visual functions, and were asked to fill in the NEI-VFQ-25 and another questionnaire about driving habits, driving difficulties, and self-reported accidents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalence of moderate and severe forms of cataract in an active driving population is lower than that in the general population, but could be found in both eyes in 20% (95% confidence interval [CI] 16%-25%) and 17% (95% CI:13%-21%) of subjects 75 years of age and older. In addition, there is a strong relationship between severity of cataract and parameters such as age, visual acuity, intraocular straylight, and contrast sensitivity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cataract is not as highly prevalent in the elderly active driving population as in the general population, but is frequently present in drivers over 65 years of age. Lower prevalence of severe bilateral cataracts in countries with mandatory tests of visual functions of drivers suggest that this could be a suitable measure to detect and to reduce the number of active drivers with severe bilateral cataracts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Paracelsus Private Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria. c.nischler@salk.at
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nischler
authors.forename: Ralph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Michael
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wintersteller
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marvan
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Emesz
authors.forename: Laurentius J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Van Rijn
authors.forename: Thomas J T P
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: van den Berg
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wilhelm
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Coeckelbergh
authors.forename: Rafael I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Barraquer
authors.forename: Günther
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grabner
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hitzl
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002386:Cataract / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000502:physiology; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019591:Pseudophakia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*