Prevalence and Causes of Ocular Morbidity among Commercial Intercity Vehicle Drivers in Jos, Nigeria

Background: To determine the prevalence and causes of ocular morbidity among commercial intercity vehicle drivers in Jos, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey of registered commercial intercity vehicle drivers at the Bauchi Road Motor Park Jos. The study instrument was a pretested semi-structured questionnaire. Information obtained included demographic data, operational route, and ocular history. Each participant had a detailed ocular examination. The principal cause of visual loss for each eye and for the person was documented in accordance with WHO guidelines. Results: Two hundred and sixty eight 268 drivers were recruited and assessed (survey coverage: 82.5%). Their age ranged from 20-90 years (mean: 44.2, SD 9.2). Most 158 (71.5%) respondents had ocular symptoms, the most common were difficulty in reading small prints 78 (35.3%), itching 56 (25.3%), and poor distant vision 17 (7.7%). Eight (3.6%) drivers complained of glare. Ten (4.5%) drivers had a visual acuity of <6/12 and thus did not qualify to possess a driving licence. The prevalence of ocular morbidity was 72.9% (161/221). The most prevalent ocular morbidities were presbyopia (42.5%), allergic conjunctivitis (26.2%), cataract (8.6%), refractive errors and pterygium (2.7%). One (0.5%) respondent had advanced chronic glaucoma. Conclusion: A significant number of drivers do not have the minimum visual requirement for driver's licensure. The prevalence of ocular morbidity among the drivers is high. The national policy on eye examination as a precondition for driver's licensure and renewal should be enforced.Key words: Drivers, Vision, Morbidit

Visual Function as a Risk Factor for Road Traffic Accidents among Commercial Intercity Vehicle Drivers in Jos, Nigeria

Background: To assess the effect of visual function on the occurrence of road traffic accidents (RTA) amongst Commercial Intercity Vehicle Drivers in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional survey of commercial intercity vehicle drivers at the Bauchi Road Motor Park, Jos, was undertaken in November 2006. The study instrument was a semi-structured questionnaire. Information obtained included demographic data, operational route, history of involvement in road traffic accident (RTA), cause of RTA and ocular history. Each participant had a detailed ocular examination. Data from 221 subjects were collected and entered into Epi-info version 6.04d, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland. Data entry validation was done through duplicate entry. Frequency tables were then generated. Results: A total of 221 of 268 drivers were assessed (response rate was 82.5%). All the drivers were males. Their age ranged from 20-90 years (mean: 44.2, SD 9.2). Up to 58(26.2%) drivers reported involvement in RTA. The main causes of RTAs were burst tyre 10(17.2%), reckless driving 9(15.5%), sleep 8(13.8%) and pedestrians 8(13.8%). Four persons (6.9%) complained of poor visibility at night. The age group 20-29 years and >50 years had the highest proportion of drivers involved in RTA as 33.3% (3/9) and 29.2% (19/58) of drivers in this age group reported involvement in RTA respectively. Three (5.2%) drivers with history of involvement in RTA had a VA of <6/12. Conclusion: Young and elderly drivers are more at risk of involvement in RTAs. Visual impairment was an important risk factor especially among the elderly drivers. Periodic ocular examination will contribute significantly to the reduction of RTAs.Key Words Driving, road traffic accidents, visual functio

Prevalence of Presbyopia, Refractive Errors and Usage of Spectacles among Commercial Intercity Vehicle Drivers in Jos, Nigeria

Aim: To determine the prevalence of presbyopia, refractive errors and usage of spectacles among Commercial Intercity Vehicle Drivers in Jos-Nigeria.Method: A descriptive cross-sectional survey of commercial intercity vehicle drivers at the Bauchi Road Motor Park, Jos, was undertaken in November 2006. The study instrument was a semi-structured questionnaire. Information obtained included demographic data, operational route, history of involvement in road traffic accident (RTA), cause of RTA and ocular history, type and usage of corrective spectacles if any.  Each participant had a detailed ocular examination.Result: Up to 221 of 268 drivers were recruited (coverage: 82.5%). Their age ranged from 20-90 years (mean: 44.2 years, SD 9.2). 78 (35.3%) persons complained of difficulty in reading small prints while 17(7.7%) persons complained of poor distant vision. Ten (4.5%) drivers had a visual acuity of <6/12 and thus did not qualify to possess a driving licence. Presbyopia was the most common ocular diagnosis observed in 94(42.5%) persons. Most presbyopes 63 (67.0%) needed +1.50 to +2.00 DS correction. Only 10(10.6%) presbyopes had spectacles with presbyopic correction. Six (2.7%) persons had myopia while one person (0.5%) had unilateral aphakia.Conclusion: The prevalence of Presbyopia is high. Myopia is the most common refractive error. Usage of corrective spectacles is very low. There is an urgent need for enforcement of minimal visual standards for the purpose of certification and re-certification for drivers licence in Plateau State and Nigeria at large

Sturge-Weber Syndrome in a 56 year old woman: A case report

No Abstract. Nigerian Journal of Medicine Vol. 14(3) 2005: 319-32