Validation of Mesopic and Photopic Contrast Vision Tests With Respect to Nighttime Driving Ability

Summary

A) The main purposes of this study are (i) to develop a related virtual reality (VR) environment in order to judge the nighttime driving ability under mesopic and under glare conditions (ophthalmologically healthy subjects and patients with incipient to intermediate cataract, i.e. opacities of the human lens, will participate in this study), (ii) to validate the above-mentioned VR environment with respect to a related on-road driving scenario under mesopic and glare conditions, (iii) to validate clinical photopic and mesopic contrast vision tests and glare tests with respect to the prediction of nighttime driving ability, (iv) to assess the test retest reliability of clinical photopic and mesopic contrast vision tests

B) Background:

An intact mesopic vision and a glare sensitivity within a normal range are essential pre-requisites for safe driving at nighttime (DOG \& BVA, 2011). Anderson \& Holiday (1995) have shown that (simulated) opacities of the refractive media (with only minor effects on daytime visual acuity) induce a pronounced impairment of contrast sensitivity under nighttime conditions. Especially under glare conditions by the headlights of traffic on the opposite lane or by stationary street illumination, an impairment of the mesopic vision may cause traffic hazards. The prevalence of impairments of the central visual acuity, the mesopic vision and the glare sensitivity is significantly higher for subjects being involved in nighttime traffic accidents (Lachenmayr, 1998). Furthermore, these impairments occur more frequently in aged drivers and are, among others, related to an increase of age-related media opacities (Aulhorn \& Harms, 1970, Babizhayev, 2003). Due to the demographic change, the relevance of nighttime driving ability is increasing in the next years since more and more aged employees will participate at the motorized traffic at night.

The German Fahrerlaubnisverordnung (FEV i.e. driving license regulation) specifies pass/fail criteria with regard to mesopic vision and glare sensitivity. The luminance level during nighttime driving is usually between 0.01 and 1 cd/m\^2, and therefore can be attributed to the level of mesopic vision. However, over the last years, the attempt was made to introduce photopic contrast sensitivity test to diagnose nighttime driving ability (i.e. testing of contrast vision under daytime conditions without time consuming adaptation procedures). Current research aims at investigating the relationship between contrast tests under various luminance conditions (Wilhelm et al, 2013). It is questionable, whether photopic tests are at all reliable predictors with regard to nighttime driving (Gramberg-Danielsen et al., 1984, Hertenstein et al., Graefe´s Archive of Ophthalmology, 2016).

Conditions

• Cataract
• Traffic Accident
• Vision Disorders
• Driving Impaired

Interventions

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Slit lamp (LOCS III Score)

Diagnostic procedure only

Sponsors & Collaborators

• DGUV (Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung/German Social Accident Insurance Institutions)

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Study Course Ophthalmic Optics and Optometry, University of Applied Sciences Aalen

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Study Course Mechatronics, University of Applied Sciences Aalen

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Steinbeis Transferzentrum AWFE, University of Applied Sciences Aalen

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Würzburg Institute for Traffic Sciences GmbH

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Aalen University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Ulrich Schiefer, Prof. Dr. · Aalen University of Applied Sciences

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2017-05-02

Primary Completion

2018-12-31

Completion

2018-12-31

Countries

• Germany

Study Locations