Fitness to drive under traffic ophthalmological aspects in elderly drivers

The Federal Roads Office (FEDRO), Switzerlands federal authority carries responsibility for the action program "Via Sicura" in order to reduce drastically the number of road traffic fatalities and serious injuries on Swiss roads. The revision of the VZV (Verkehrszulassungsverordnung) included in this program will come in to force on 1. July 2016. On that account the legal medical requirements for driver will be renewed. In particular, the requirements for vision (visual acuity, visual field) will be adjusted to international standards. Due to demographic changes the number of elderly drivers with old age (85 -90+) with eye associated diseases increases. Therefore, questions concerning traffic ophthalmological problems have to be increasingly considered within traffic medical assessments. The driver's vision in traffic's safety must enable him to perceive relevant information, process information quickly and perform an adequate reaction in time, even if visibility is limited (e.g. due to rain, night, darkness) or in the presence of physical or psychical constraints.