Training compensatory viewing strategies:feasiblity and effect on practical fitness to drive in subjects with visual field defects

Fifty-one subjects with visual field defects were trained to use compensatory viewing strategies.The subjects were referred to the training program by an official driving examiner of the Dutch Central Bureau of Driving Licenses. Three training programs were compared: laboratory training, mobility training, and motor traffic training. Viewing behavior, visual attention, and practical fitness to drive were assessed before and after training. Practical fitness to drive was assessed on the road as well as in a driving simulator. It was observed that compensatory viewing behavior and practical fitness to drive could be improved by training. Subjects in the motor traffic training showed a small advantage with regard to practical fitness to drive, suggesting that training is task-specific and that generalization is limited. The effect of visual field defect on viewing behavior and practical fitness to drive was analyzed separately for subjects with central or peripheral visual field defects. It was observed that none of the outcome measures differed between the central and peripheral visual field defect groups