[Automobile driving capacity in dementia].

Dementia influences at an early stage the driving aptitude of motor vehicle steering persons. Every year in Switzerland, around 16'000 driving permit holders suffer newly from dementia; therefore the driving aptitude is questioned, especially because of possibly limited executive functions. Individuals with early-stage dementia often may show a dangerous driving stile.

Saccadic eye movement performance as an indicator of driving ability in elderly drivers.

Objective: Regular checking of the fitness to drive of elderly car-license holders is required in some countries, and this will become increasingly important as more countries face aging populations. The present study investigated whether the analysis of saccadic eye movements could be used as a screening method for the assessment of driving ability.

Methods: Three different paradigms (prosaccades, antisaccades, and visuovisual interactive (VVI) saccades) were used to test saccadic eye movements in 144 participants split into four groups: elderly drivers who came to the attention of road authorities for suspected lack of fitness to drive, a group of elderly drivers who served as a comparison group, a group of neurology patients with established brain lesion diagnoses, and a young comparison group.

[Driving ability and fitness to drive in people with diabetes mellitus].

Chronic sequelae of diabetes that could potentially affect driving include the following: visual retinopathy with associated impaired visual acuity, loss of peripheral vision and poor dark adaptation; neuropathy that may affect lower limb functions needed for safe driving; and acute events, including transient cognitive dysfunction and loss of consciousness related to hypo- or hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia does not suddenly incapacitate drivers, however its occurrence often leads to tiredness, blurred vision, decreased visual acuity and adjustment of treatment which may precipitate hypoglycaemia. The side effects of acute hypoglycemia are of particular concern, as they include slowing of both cognitive and motor functions.

[Traffic medicine in basic medical practice].

Many consequences of an illness or an accident that are treated in the form of basic medical practice consequences concerned can either be directly caused by the illness or accident, or result from the ensuing treatment. A physician providing basic medical care is therefore often confronted with traffic medicine issues. Moreover, most Swiss cantons have charged general practitioners with carrying out the legally prescribed regular check-ups for motorists aged over 70.