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Joined: Tue May 06, 2014 4:38 pm Posts: 535
Location: South Benfleet, Essex
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Night-Blindness or Nyctalopia: An Insidious Driving Hazard
About 11½ years ago, being concerned about the hidden dangers of drivers having defective or marginal vision, I wrote the following item for the Volkswagen Type 2 Owners’ Club bi-monthly magazine Transporter Talk, of which I was then the “technical editor” (i.e. unpaid staff technical writer), which reads as follows:
Nigel A. Skeet, "Night-Blindness or Nyctalopia: An Insidious Driving Hazard", Letters to the Editor, Transporter Talk, Issue 112, April 2011, Pages 6~7.
At the tender age of 55, I recently went for a routine eye test, having not been retested for several years. As part of it, I underwent a detailed examination of my peripheral vision, which assessed each eye’s sensitivity to low-intensity light or lack thereof, over the full hemispherical range of one’s vision. This resulted in a printed paper chart, which illustrated the zones of high, medium, low & zero sensitivity to light, which would highlight any progressive deterioration in vision (i.e. glaucoma), if such had occurred.
The ophthalmologist confirmed, that my eyes appeared to be in good health, but expressed surprise that my extreme-peripheral vision, had retained high sensitivity, to low-intensity light, that he would normally associate with a much younger person. Perhaps this is why, I can still see well enough, to move about my home at night, using just the dimmed street lighting or full moonlight, filtering through the curtains.
This casual conversation, prompted me to think further, about age-related deterioration of night vision and the more extreme condition of night blindness (known formally as nyctalopia), which can profoundly affect one’s ability, to drive safely at night; recalling a brief letter, just over 15 years ago, in one of my VW magazines (i.e. Prof. P. D. Cook MBE, “Night Blind?”, Readers’ Letters, VW Motoring, February 1996, Page 20), highlighting this often unrecognised night-driving hazard.
« Now that dark evenings are here, I would bring to the notice of your readers the urgency of the problem of night blindness in motorists. Over the past few years, I have helped in numerous cases, where motorists have been charged with driving offences through their condition of night myopia, a problem of which they were unaware. My consultation and report, in some cases, has been able to save them from a custodial sentence, and for this they have been truly grateful. However, in view of the time involved in court appearances, I am no longer able to carry out this service. »
« In future therefore, the best way forward, is to test the motorist for night blindness before the accident occurs, is obviously a much more intelligent course of action and could save lives. The Night Vision Clinic, is open to all who make an appointment. The first step is to send a 9” x 6½” (i.e. about 230 mm x 165 mm), stamped addressed envelope, for an information pack, to: Prof. P. D. Cook, 78 Bollo Bridge Road, Acton, London, W3 8AU, England. »
Given that 26½ years has elapsed since Professor Cook’s letter was published, it’s debatable whether he still offers this service, or indeed whether he is still alive, but the Night Vision Clinic might still exist, which is probably somewhere in the London area; possibly at Moorfields’ Eye Hospital.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyctalopia
https://www.specsavers.co.uk/eye-health ... nyctalopia
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/s ... nyctalopia
https://www.news-medical.net/health/Wha ... lopia.aspx
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/me ... nyctalopia
_________________ Regards.
Nigel A. Skeet
Independent tutor of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering, for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.
https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=308177758
Upgraded 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 (Toledo / Dolomite HL / Sprint hybrid)
Onetime member + magazine editor & technical editor of Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club
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