title: Previous Driving Experience, but Not Vision, Is Associated With Motor Vehicle Collision Rate in Bioptic Drivers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Bioptic telescopic spectacles (BTS) consist of a small telescope (or telescopes) mounted high in a pair of spectacle lenses. More than 40 states allow for some form of bioptic driving licensure for people with decreased central vision. The purpose of this study was to determine significant associations among previous driving experience, vision, and motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) for bioptic drivers in Ohio.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a retrospective study of patients who received a vision examination and subsequently obtained bioptic licensure. We obtained driving records from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles in order to determine MVC involvement. Relationships among vision measures, age, sex, previous experience, and MVCs were investigated using time-to-event analysis and the Cox proportional hazards regression model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 237 bioptic drivers (65% male). Age at initial exam ranged from 16 to 81 years, and mean visual acuity was approximately 20/120. The number of MVCs per driver ranged from 0 to 11, with 124 (52%) drivers having had at least one MVC. Visual acuity and contrast sensitivity were not significant predictors of MVC. Drivers without previous driving experience were significantly more likely to have been involved in an MVC (P < 0.001), and this association remained significant after adjusting for age and sex (P = 0.01). The rate of MVC per year decreased steadily over a 10-year period for drivers without previous experience.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Previous nonbioptic driving experience, but not visual acuity or contrast sensitivity, was associated with yearly MVC rate in bioptic drivers.
authors.affiliation: The Ohio State University College of Optometry Columbus, Ohio, United States.
authors.forename: Bradley E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Dougherty
authors.affiliation: The Ohio State University College of Optometry Columbus, Ohio, United States.
authors.forename: Roanne E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Flom
authors.affiliation: The University of Houston College of Optometry, Houston, Texas, United States.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bullimore
authors.affiliation: The Ohio State University College of Optometry Columbus, Ohio, United States.
authors.forename: Thomas W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Raasch
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001334:Automobile Driving; D005139:Eyeglasses; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009820:Ohio / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015354:Vision, Low / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014792:Visual Acuity; D055815:Young Adult