Objectives: To identify fitness to drive in homonymous hemianopia (HH), the most common form of Homonymous Visual Field Defects. HH refers to a loss of perception for half the visual field, affecting both eyes, due to acquired postchiasmatic brain injury.
Methods: Twenty-six experienced drivers with HH performed an on-road driving test, during which driving performance was evaluated by driving experts using a standardized scoring form. Mean (SD) age was 52 (12) years and time since onset of the visual field defect ranged from 6 to 41 months (M=14.8, SD=7.5).
Results: Fourteen patients were evaluated as fit to drive. It was found that visual scanning appeared to be the most important reason for being judged unfit to drive, but also specific tactical and operational aspects were negatively affected by the presence of hemianopia. Nine of the twelve patients that failed the first driving test performed a second test after finishing a Compensatory Scanning Training. The effect of training will be discussed at a case-by-case level.
Conclusions: The results show that HH does not necessarily lead to unsufficient practical fitness to drive. Some patients appear to be able to compensate for their visual field defect by adapting their visual scanning and other driving behavior.