The effect of concentric constriction of the visual field to 10 and 15 degrees on simulated motor vehicle accidents

金沢大学附属病院眼科Purpose: Traffic accidents are associated with the visual function of drivers, as well as many other factors. Driving simulator systems have the advantage of controlling for traffic- and automobile-related conditions, and using pinhole glasses can control the degree of concentric concentration of the visual field. We evaluated the effect of concentric constriction of the visual field on automobile driving, using driving simulator tests. Methods: Subjects meeting criteria for normal eyesight were included in the study. Pinhole glasses with variable aperture sizes were adjusted to mimic the conditions of concentric visual field constrictions of 10° and 15°, using a CLOCK CHART®. The test contained 8 scenarios (2 oncoming right-turning cars and 6 jump-out events from the side). Results: Eighty-eight subjects were included in the study; 37(mean age = 52.9±15.8 years) subjects were assigned to the 15° group, and 51 (mean = 48.6±15.5 years) were assigned to the 10° group. For all 8 scenarios, the number of accidents was significantly higher among pinhole wearing subjects. The average number of all types of accidents per person was significantly higher in the pinhole 10° group (4.59±1.81) than the pinhole 15° group (3.68±1.49) (P = 0.032). The number of accidents associated with jump-out scenarios, in which a vehicle approaches from the side on a straight road with a good view, was significantly higher in the pinhole 10° group than in the pinhole 15° group. Conclusions: Concentric constriction of the visual field was associated with increased number of traffic accidents. The simulation findings indicated that a visual field of 10° to 15° may be important for avoiding collisions in places where there is a straight road with a good view. © 2018 Udagawa et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

The effect of concentric constriction of the visual field to 10 and 15 degrees on simulated motor vehicle accidents

Traffic accidents are associated with the visual function of drivers, as well as many other factors. Driving simulator systems have the advantage of controlling for traffic- and automobile-related conditions, and using pinhole glasses can control the degree of concentric concentration of the visual field. We evaluated the effect of concentric constriction of the visual field on automobile driving, using driving simulator tests.Subjects meeting criteria for normal eyesight were included in the study. Pinhole glasses with variable aperture sizes were adjusted to mimic the conditions of concentric visual field constrictions of 10° and 15°, using a CLOCK CHART®. The test contained 8 scenarios (2 oncoming right-turning cars and 6 jump-out events from the side).Eighty-eight subjects were included in the study; 37 (mean age = 52.9±15.8 years) subjects were assigned to the 15° group, and 51 (mean = 48.6±15.5 years) were assigned to the 10° group. For all 8 scenarios, the number of accidents was significantly higher among pinhole wearing subjects. The average number of all types of accidents per person was significantly higher in the pinhole 10° group (4.59±1.81) than the pinhole 15° group (3.68±1.49) (P = 0.032). The number of accidents associated with jump-out scenarios, in which a vehicle approaches from the side on a straight road with a good view, was significantly higher in the pinhole 10° group than in the pinhole 15° group.Concentric constriction of the visual field was associated with increased number of traffic accidents. The simulation findings indicated that a visual field of 10° to 15° may be important for avoiding collisions in places where there is a straight road with a good view

Visual field constriction by pinhole glasses.

<p>Subjects with normal eyesight wore pinhole (PH) glasses with a 2 mm aperture that caused VF constriction. Of note, PH glasses with the same aperture can lead to a different level of VF constriction between individuals.</p

Screenshots of simulated scenarios.

<p>The main test contained 8 scenarios depicting situations such as oncoming right-turning cars (A, B) and suddenly appearing hazards from the side in front of the car (C-H) Screenshots of the 8 scenarios: A. Oncoming right-turning blue car 1. B. Oncoming right-turning blue car 2. C. White car appearing from left. D. Red car appearing from right. E. Mobility scooter appearing from left. F. Blue car appearing from left. G. Mobility scooter appearing from right. H. Blue car appearing from right.</p

PH glasses with variable apertures.

<p>We developed PH glasses with variable apertures to create restricted visual fields.</p

Comparison of collisions between PH10 and PH- in 51 subjects and between PH15 and PH- in 37 subjects.

<p>Comparison of collisions between PH10 and PH- in 51 subjects and between PH15 and PH- in 37 subjects.</p

CLOCK CHART^®.

<p>The VF constrictions of 10° and 15° were created using a pinhole with variable apertures and a CLOCK CHART^® displaying a ladybug and a caterpillar on the central 10°and 15°eccentricity, respectively.</p

Comparison of collisions in each scenario for both the PH10 and PH15 groups.

<p>Comparison of collisions in each scenario for both the PH10 and PH15 groups.</p

Subject characteristics.

<p>Subject characteristics.</p