DRUG-INDUCED DISTURBANCES OF VISION THAT MAY AFFECT DRIVING
A REVIEW WAS MADE OF TOXIC SUBSTANCES AND THEIR EFFECTS ON VISION. SINCE VISION MAY BE AFFECTED BY DISTURBANCES OF THE CORNEA, THE PUPIL, THE LENS, THE RETINA, THE OPTIC NERVE, THE BRAIN, AND THE EXTERNAL EYE MUSCLES, THE EFFECTS WERE DISCUSSED ALONG THESE ANATOMIC LINES. IN REVIEW OF THE TOXIC SUBSTANCES TO WHICH AUTOMOBILE CRASHES HAD BEEN ATTRIBUTED, SUCH AS ALCOHOL, BARBITURATES AND OTHER SEDATIVES, AMPHETAMINES AND OTHER CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM STIMULANTS, AND CARBON MONOXIDE, WHAT HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT EFFECTS ON THE VISION AND WHAT IS KNOWN OF EFFECTS ON BEHAVIOR, ALERTNESS, AND OTHER MENTAL PROCESSES, IT SEEMS THAT VISUAL DISTURBANCES ARE RELATIVELY TRIVIAL AND MUST CONSTITUTE ONLY A SMALL PART OF THE PROBLEM. THE SMALL DISTURBANCES OF FUNCTION OF EXTERNAL EYE MUSCLES ATTRIBUTABLE TO ALCOHOL, BARBITURATES AND CARBON MONOXIDE, AND THE OCCASIONAL DILATION OF THE PUPILS BY AMPHETAMINE-LIKE DRUGS SEEM ALMOST NEGLIGIBLE IN COMPARISON WITH THE EFFECTS OF THESE SUBSTANCES ON MENTAL FUNCTIONS. THE MOST TREACHEROUSLY DANGEROUS TOXIC DISTURBANCE OF VISION WOULD CONSIST OF BLIND AREAS ECCENTRICALLY LOCATED IN THE HORIZONTAL FIELD OF VISION. THIS TYPE OF DISTURBANCE IS BEST KNOWN TO BE PRODUCED BY CHLOROQUINE AND RELATED DRUGS. THE PATIENT IS USUALLY NOT AWARE OF THIS DEFECT IN PARACENTRAL PORTION OF THE HORIZONTAL FIELD OF VISION.
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Supplemental Notes:
- pp 192-200, 22 REF
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Authors:
- Grant, W M
- Publication Date: 1970
Media Info
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Alcohols; Crash causes; Driver performance; Drivers; Drugs; Personnel performance; Reviews; Traffic crashes; Vision
- Old TRIS Terms: Driver vision
- Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00220906
- Record Type: Publication
- Report/Paper Numbers: pp 104-108
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Jun 22 1970 12:00AM