ABSTRACT

Background: The gift of sight is an important aspect of driving little wonder there is an established link between driving-related injuries and vision problems. Moreover, an impairment of the visual function of an individual can negatively affect their ability to safely maneuver an automobile on today’s roads.

Aim and objectives: This study was set out to assess the prevalence, pattern and determinants of visual disorders among mass transit drivers in Abuja. The specific objectives are to assess the knowledge of visual disorders among mass transit drivers in Abuja, to determine the attitude of mass transit drivers in Abuja towards visual disorders, to ascertain the prevalence and pattern of visual disorders among Mass transit drivers in Abuja and to identify the factors associated with visual disorders among mass transit drivers in Abuja.

Material and methods: The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional study utilizing the multistage sampling technique to obtain a sample of 415 drivers. Data collection was done using a pre-tested structured questionnaire and a clinical examination sheet. Informed consent was sought from all the study participants. Confidentiality and privacy were maintained throughout the study. Simple frequency distribution was calculated for the socio-demographic and driving characteristics of the study participants, knowledge of visual disorders and pattern of ocular morbidity among study participants. To test for associations, chi-square test was used to compare proportions of respondents in respective categories of independent variables with regard to outcome variables. Data entry and analysis was done using IBM SPSS version 20.0.

Results: A total of 415 drivers participated in the study. The mean age of drivers was 41.2 (±6.9) years. Majority 316 (76.1%) of the drivers had good knowledge of visual disorders while 99 (23.9%) had poor knowledge of visual disorders. In addition, 380 (91.6%) of the drivers had positive attitude towards visual impairment whereas 35 (8.4%) had negative attitude. The prevalence of visual impairment was 6.7%, 12.8%, 3.9% and 3.4% for visual acuity, colour vision, contrast sensitivity, and visual field respectively. The distribution of ocular morbidity revealed that uncorrected refractive errors were the most common cause of visual impairment among the mass transit drivers. The significant predictors of visual disorders among mass transit drivers were marital status (OR = 0.430, p = 0.034), previous eye examination before license renewal (OR = 4.845, p = 0.002), and driving duration as a mass transit driver (OR = 9.192, p = 0.023)

Conclusion:There was a significant statistical association between driving duration as a mass transit driver, previous eye exam before license renewal and visual eligibility to drive among mass transit drivers in Abuja. Routine eye examination should be carried out by a skilled professional on all mass transit drivers before the issuance and renewal of their driver’s license while also ensuring that a timely referral of all severe visual impairment cases is sent to an Ophthalmologist.

Keywords: Abuja, Determinants,Mass transit drivers, Pattern, Prevalence, Nigeria, Visual disorders.