SD5 - Low Vision Study

  • Published: 1994
  • Author: Department of Motor Vehicles
  • Enabling Authority: Senate Joint Resolution 3 (Regular Session, 1992)

Executive Summary:
During the course of the study, DMV personnel worked closely with the Medical Advisory Board to develop strategies to increase participation in the study. All suggestions received from the Medical Advisory Board were pursued. The following summarizes each solicitation effort, and its results.

Effort #1

During September and October of 1992, one hundred and thirty letters were mailed to ophthalmologists and optometrists in the Richmond area, asking them to review their files and encourage patients to participate in the study.

Also, Richmond area Vision Specialists with the Department for the Visually Handicapped encouraged their assigned optometrist's patients to participate in the study.

The net results of this effort were receipt of two applications from individuals ineligible for the study, as they were already licensed to operate a motor vehicle in Virginia. Two letters were also mailed to individuals identified from DMV files, but neither person responded.

Effort #2

In December of 1992, DMV branch offices reported all vision screening failures for the month. Forty-one failures were reported, of which thirty-eight were licensed at a later date. The remaining three individuals were denied a license, but were not eligible to participate in the study due to their particular visual problems. This second effort produced no candidates for the study.

Effort #3

In January of 1993, the Department for the Visually Handicapped allowed DMV personnel to review three hundred active case files which resulted in identification of sixty-seven potential candidates. Of these, thirty-two were already licensed to operate a motor vehicle in Virginia. No driver's record could be found for twenty-five of these individuals. Two of the candidates had voluntarily surrendered their Virginia license previously, and three of them had driver records, but had never held a license in Virginia. This left a total of five potential candidates. DMV mailed letters to these five candidates, but none of them responded.

Effort #4

In March of 1993, DMV expanded the strategy that was originally employed by mailing two hundred and seventy letters to ophthalmologists and optometrists statewide asking them to review their files and encourage patients to participate in the study.

Statewide, Vision Specialists with the Department for the Visually Handicapped encouraged their assigned optometrist's patients to participate in the study.

This effort resulted in no volunteers to participate in the study.

Effort #5

In April of 1993, DMV received assistance from the Retina Vitreous Center in Virginia Beach. The Center volunteered to review their files and encourage patients to participate in the study. One hundred patients who met the study criteria were identified. Of these, one patient was willing to participate in the study. As a DMV examiner would have had to undergo special training in order to test this one individual, and then travel to Virginia Beach in order to conduct the test, it was determined that this would not be cost effective for the Commonwealth. A letter of appreciation was sent to the individual, thanking him for his willingness to participate.

Conclusion

After taking the steps described above, it was decided that efforts to conduct this study should be curtailed, as all attempts to obtain enough volunteers had not been successful. DMV's staff physician and the members of the Medical Advisory Board concur with this decision. This concludes the final report on SJR 3 - Low Vision Study.