Prevalence of refraction errors and color blindness in heavy vehicle drivers

AIM: To investigate the frequency of eye disorders in heavy vehicle drivers. METHODS: A cross-sectional type study was conducted between November 2004 and September 2006 in 200 drivers and 200 non-driver persons. A complete ophthalmologic examination was performed, including visual acuity and dilated examination of the posterior segment. We used the auto refractometer for determining refractive errors. RESULTS: According to eye examination results, the prevalence of the refractive errors was 21.5% and 31.3% in study and control groups respectively (P < 0.05). The most common type of refraction errors in the study group was myopic astigmatism (8.3%) while in the control group simple myopia (12.8%). Prevalence of dyschromatopsia in the drivers, control group and total group was 2.2%, 2.8% and 2.6% respectively. CONCLUSION: A considerably high number of drivers are in lack of optimal visual acuity. Refraction errors in drivers may impair the traffic security.