key: cord-0823207-ty4arcwm
authors: O’Neill, Desmond; Chen, Sean; Kearns, Fiona; Roche, Lily; Ryan, Margaret
title: COVID-19, vision, and fitness to drive
date: 2020-06-15
journal: QJM
DOI: 10.1093/qjmed/hcaa198
sha: e06c229b74a5a70c420708131a04eb5cda1e4dd7
doc_id: 823207
cord_uid: ty4arcwm

nan

Recent media reports have raised the issue of whether COVID-19 can affect eyesight to an extent that it may interfere with vision for driving. The morbidity of COVID-19 is not particularly associated with the eye, at most causing a conjunctivitis, (1) a condition that in itself rarely interferes with vision to an extent sufficient to impair fitness to drive: even with anecdotal reports of late ocular complications, there are currently no reports of sightthreatening manifestations of COVID-19. (2) The more important issue raised is clarifying the advice that should be given to the general public and patients who have a concern about any emergent condition, including one affecting vision, which causes them to feel concerned about their medical fitness to drive. This is an issue which needs to be addressed as we have recently shown that the general public and health care professionals have a variable insight into the shared responsibility for maintaining medical fitness to drive. (3) This responsibility is shared between the driver, health care professionals and driver licensing agencies. For drivers this means maintaining their own health, following medical advice related to relevant conditions, and seeking medical advice for any condition which they consider or suspect might impact on their ability to drive safely: this aspect has been Healthcare professionals and driver licensing agencies need to promote strategies alerting the general public, patients, and licensed drivers that any driver concerned that a medical condition, including concerns for vision after infection with COVID-19, might impact on driving ability should cease driving immediately. They should not resume driving until they have been assessed by an appropriate healthcare professional, received treatment if required, and are cleared medically for a return to driving.

https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/qjm

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Ophthalmic manifestations of coronavirus (COVID-19)

Perceptions and attitudes toward risk and personal responsibility in the context of medical fitness to drive