Objective: To conduct a survey of the visual acuity of a group of Brisbane Drivers.
Setting: The outpatient department of the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane.
Participants: Five hundred and three subjects drawn from patients, visitors and staff attending the outpatient department on 10 working days from December 5 to December 16, 1988.
Main outcome measures: Subjects' age, driver's licence details and driving history were gathered by questionnaire. Visual acuity was assessed with the aid of a Snellen chart.
Results: Nearly 6% of the survey group had visual acuity worse than 6/12; 15% had never had their eyes tested other than for licensing purposes; 21% stated that their last ophthalmic or optometric examination was more than five years previously; and 8% failed to meet the Queensland visual acuity requirements for their class of licence.
Conclusions: The monocular driver is not detected by current licence testing procedures in Queensland. Many licence holders do not meet the present visual acuity criteria of the Queensland Department of Transport.