Are Your Eyes 'on the Road'? Findings from the 2019 National Study on Vision and Driving Safety in Spain

Background: Vision is an undisputable contributor to the explanation of many human-factor related traffic crashes happening every day. The Inland Transport Committee (ITC), the United Nations regulatory platform, included on 1st April 2020 special action on the vision of road users inside the ITC Recommendations for Enhancing Road Safety Systems. The results of this wide-scale study on drivers' vision health conducted in Spain perfectly illustrates the need of global action and its potential impact on the public health figures and the burden of potentially preventable traffic causalities. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess three key visual health issues (i.e., visual acuity, visual field campimetry and glare recovery) among Spanish drivers, in order to formulate implications and possible guidelines to enhance road safety. Methods: This cross-sectional study examined the visual health of a representative sample of 3249 drivers (70% males and 30% females) with a mean age of 41 (SD = 13) years, gathered from all the 17 autonomous communities of Spain. Results: The tests performed allowed to determine that 15% of Spanish drivers have a poor photopic vision, while 38% of them present an inadequate mesopic vision. Further, 23% of drivers have deficiencies in peripheric visual field campimetry, and the average time for full-vision recovery after a 10-s glare was 27 s. Sex, age and driver type (professional vs. non-professional) differences were found for the study variables. Conclusions: The findings of this study support the idea that certain demographic-based population groups of drivers present several unaddressed deficiencies and impairments in visual health. Overall an estimated 29.5% of Spanish drivers present visual issues, that need to be attended in order to enhance the prevention of driving crashes and the road safety of all road user

Possibilities for a Positive Change in the Body Image of Students in Dance-Motor Training

This article presents a study on the effectiveness evaluation of the author’s program of dance-motor training aimed at developing a positive image of the physical self in adolescence. The authors used a comprehensive approach to assess the effectiveness of training: the types of psychological problems, the characteristics of the image of the physical self, and the functional state of the participants in the training were monitored. The study involved 96 students from Nizhny Novgorod universities aging from 18 to 25. The researchers used the methods of the drawing test ‘Human figure’ (K. Mahover, F. Gudinaf); the test of twenty statements ‘Who Am I’ (M. Kun, T. McPartland); and the method of computer campimetry for assessing the functionalstate of the body by the function of color-diffusion (SA Polevaya). The self-body image of the subjects in the experiment was characterized by weak integration and awareness; negative and disharmonious deep self-esteem; low values of awareness of one’s own uniqueness; and the maximum limit of the green color was detected in more than half of the subjects (61.45%). Dance-motor training was based on themethodological principles of the integrative-holistic and syndrome-factor approach to mental disorders, developed by A.R. Luria. The development of the psychomotor sphere of a personality was considered as a trigger mechanism for restoring the interaction between the psychological and physiological sub-systems of mental activity. The dependence of the content and structure of mental processes on sociocultural experience (i.e., world artistic culture) was actualized. The mechanism of the regulating role of an image and speech in building the movement has become more active. Dance-motor trainings with students were conducted over the course of a year. We used methods of body-oriented psychotherapy, vegetotherapy, and dance-motor therapy, including contact improvisation. The dance-motor training included warm-ups (aerobic and anaerobic exercises, muscle-stretching exercises); the thematic study of muscle clamps; and choreographic performances (learning movement stereotypes, free and contact improvisation). In the control experiment, a statistically significant conjugate dynamics was observed for the majority of the studied parameters (0.001). Keywords: body image, dance-motor training, student

Mapping the visual field : an empirical study on the user experience benefits of gaze-based interaction in visual field testing

Visual field testing is a medical procedure used for detecting impairments in a patient s field of view. While plenty of research and different applications concerning visual field testing exist, gaze-based interaction in visual field testing is quite an understudied subject. This study s goal was to investigate, whether it is possible to build a functional visual field test application with a relatively simple pc + monitor + eye tracker setup that utilizes gaze input from the user, and if so, whether the gaze input could have potential user experience -related or other advantages over more traditional mouse click input. To acquire a basic understanding on the human visual field and the principles of visual field testing, a literature review was conducted as the basis of this study. After that, a test software with available gaze input and mouse click input was designed and built. User tests with overall 8 participants were arranged in the university s gaze research laboratory. In the tests, the participants completed two test runs with each input method, and were asked to evaluate and compare the following user-experience related attributes, the mental and physical load, effort, discomfort and learnability, during and after the test. Finally, a lightweight interview where the participants were allowed to elaborate their evaluation was conducted. While the participants did not consider either of the tested interaction techniques too difficult to use, the gaze interaction generally gained more favourable evaluations from the participants. Based on the results, gaze input shows promise, although a lot more work, for which some ideas are proposed in the discussion section of this study, is still required to make any definitive conclusions

Campimetry with Offset Stimulus and Dynamic Fixation

The dark-on-bright (negative contrast, light decremental, light offset) stimulus and dynamic fixation target are non-conventional and their usefulness in visual field examination has not been fully documented before. The utility of light offsets (i.e. offset stimuli) and dynamic fixation was investigated for kinetic and static perimetry on a tangent screen without or with automation and the results were compared to those from conventional bright-on-dark (positive contrast, light incremental, light onset) stimuli and static fixation. The disappearance eccentricities of offset and onset stimuli of equal size were determined in eight normal eyes, using dynamic fixation technique at two different levels of surrounding illumination. Kinetic' offset stimulus has a smaller "isoptre" than onset stimulus and, the variation of ambient illumination has less effect on the visibility of offset stimulus. The Oculokinetic Campimetry (OKC) with a constantly exposed offset stimulus was performed in 366 glaucomatous eyes and 217 normal eyes. When a 1.5 mm stimulus was used, a true positive OKC result was obtained in 45% of eyes with relative scotomas and 81% of eyes with small absolute scotomas. A false positive result was obtained in 9% of patients aged 60-70 yrs and 13% of patients older than 70 yrs. When a 3 mm stimulus was used in the glaucomatous patients above the age of 60 yrs, the OKC test was positive in 33% of eyes with relative scotomas and 56% of eyes with small absolute scotomas while none of the control subjects produced a positive result. In 63% of the eyes, abnormal OKC results reflected smaller scotomas than those to the conventional visual field tests, suggesting underestimation of the topographical extent of the scotomas. Inside the absolute scotomas, constantly exposed offset stimulus was still detectable with 19% - 67% frequency between

Conducción, tecnología, intervención y riesgo vial en conductores españoles

Lamentablemente, los siniestros de tráfico siguen siendo una de las primeras causas de mortalidad y lesividad en la población española y se han convertido en una pandemia a nivel mundial. La Organización Mundial de la Salud, calcula que alrededor de 1,35 millones de personas siguen muriendo en el mundo anualmente, a causa de los siniestros viales. Actualmente nos encontramos ante un nuevo Decenio de Acción para la Seguridad Vial 21-30, declarado por la Asamblea General de Naciones Unidas, que solicita continuar trabajando para reducir a la mitad la mortalidad y lesividad derivada de estos siniestros. Números estudios siguen afirmando que el factor humano está directamente relacionado con la siniestralidad vial y que, entre el 70% y el 90% de los siniestros, se explican por diversos errores humanos. Al objeto de reducir la siniestralidad vial y mejorar la movilidad, esta Tesis de Psicología por Compendio de Publicaciones investiga sobre factores emergentes en seguridad vial con efectos determinantes en la población conductora española. Estos factores han sido agrupados en tres ejes temáticos relacionados con la tecnología y la automatización de los vehículos, la salud visual y las conductas infractoras reincidentes, que dieron como resultado cuatro publicaciones científicas. Para el desarrollo de las investigaciones, se elaboraron herramientas específicas de recogida de datos, se realizó investigación documental y de campo, con muestras robustas y representativas a nivel nacional y se analizaron los datos obtenidos en busca de respuestas prácticas a estos factores emergentes. En la parte final de este documento, se encuentran los artículos científicos resultantes y un resumen en castellano de cada uno de ellos

Strategies for improving early detection and diagnosis of neovascular age-related macular degeneration

Treatment of the neovascular form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has been revolutionized by the introduction of such agents as ranibizumab, bevacizumab, and aflibercept. As a result, the incidence of legal blindness occurring secondary to AMD has fallen dramatically in recent years in many countries. While these agents have undoubtedly been successful in reducing visual impairment and blindness, patients with neovascular AMD typically lose some vision over time, and often lose the ability to read, drive, or perform other important activities of daily living. Efforts are therefore under way to develop strategies that allow for earlier detection and treatment of this disease. In this review, we begin by providing an overview of the rationale for, and the benefits of, early detection and treatment of neovascular AMD. To achieve this, we begin by providing an overview of the pathophysiology and natural history of choroidal neovascularization, before reviewing the evidence from both clinical trials and "real-world" outcome studies. We continue by highlighting an area that is often overlooked: the importance of patient education and awareness for early AMD detection. We conclude the review by reviewing an array of both established and emerging technologies for early detection of choroidal neovascularization, ranging from Amsler chart testing, to hyperacuity testing, to advanced imaging techniques, such as optical coherence tomography

Assessment of Visual Function Using Mobile Apps

With the advances in smartphone and tablet screens, as well as their processing power and software, mobile apps have been developed reporting to assess visual function. This review assessed those mobile apps that have been evaluated in the scientific literature to measure visual acuity, reading metrics, contrast sensitivity, stereoacuity, colour vision and visual fields; these constitute just a small percentage of the total number of mobile apps reporting to measure these metrics available for tablets and smartphones. In general, research suggests that most of the mobile apps evaluated can accurately mimic most traditionally paper-based tests of visual function, benefitting from more even illumination from the backlit screen and aspects such as multiple tests and versions (to minimise memorisation) being available on the same equipment. Some also utilise the in-built device sensors to monitor aspects such as working distance and screen tilt. As the consequences of incorrectly recording visual function and using this to inform clinical management are serious, clinicians must check on the validity of a mobile app before adopting it as part of clinical practice