Visual Function and Safe Driving Among Drivers in Kakamega, Kenya

Vision and driving were first related in early 1967. Many countries did not adopt vision tests as a requirement for driving since road traffic accidents were said to be due to poor infrastructure and intoxication. Improvement to the latter brought forth little change. Vision tests were then adopted as a requirement for driving, and visual acuity was the ubiquitous visual test. Visual acuity alone is not a good measure of how well or safely a person can drive; hence, there is a need for a more compressive test. Only 28 countries worldwide have adopted a more compressive visual function test for drivers. This study evaluated the effects of visual function on safe driving among the driving population of Kakamega. The study determined the relationship between vision loss and road accidents among drivers, the prevalence of road traffic accidents, and the effects of visual function impairment on the affected drivers in Kakamega. Article visualizations: