Visual impairment among commercial motorcyclists

Background : Normal vision is a universal requirement for safe riding of motorcycles. This study aims to determine the prevalence of visual impairment among commercial motorcyclists in Benin City, Nigeria. Method : This is a prospective cross sectional study carried out in Oredo Local Government Area (LGA) of Benin City. Each motorcycle park was taken as a cluster, and all motorcyclists in that park had structured questionnaires administered to them. One hundred and forty three commercial male motorcyclists in eleven motorcycle parks in Oredo LGA were subsequently examined with Snellen’s chart or illiterate E chart as applicable. The main outcome measures eligibility for driver’s licence on account of vision test as required by the Federal Road Safety Corps of Nigeria. Results : Ninety eight point six percent (98.6%) of those examined had acceptable driving vision requirement according to Federal Road Safety Corps. One point four percent (1.4%) had subnormal visual acuity, while 5.3% had refractive errors. Ocular pathologies were found in 11.5% of the eyes examined. Conclusion : Most commercial motorcyclists may pass the Federal Road Safety Corps. However Colour vision and visual field testing may give a more reliable result.