Background: Alcohol and cannabis are the most widely consumed psychoactive substances worldwide. This study compared the effects of alcohol and cannabis on visual function and driving performance, as well as self-perceived effects. Also, the relationship between visual effects under the influence and driving performance was studied.

Methods: Sixty-four young drivers, with a history of alcohol and/or cannabis use were included. Of these, 33 were allocated to the alcohol group and 31 to the cannabis group. All participants were evaluated in a baseline session. The alcohol group underwent two sessions: after drinking 300 ml and 450 ml of red wine (A1 and A2). The cannabis group attended one session after smoking cannabis (C). Visual function was evaluated at the contrast sensitivity, stereoacuity, and intraocular straylight level. Participants drove a driving simulator. A general score (overall visual score, OVS; overall driving performance score, ODPS) was obtained for both visual functioning and driving performance.

Results: The evaluation of visual function demonstrated a significant impairment in OVS for all conditions studied (A1, p = 0.005; A2, p < 0.001; C, p < 0.001) with respect to the baseline session. General driving performance (ODPS) demonstrated a significant worsening for the A2 condition (p = 0.003). Finally, a significant relationship between driving performance and visual function was found (rho=0.163, p = 0.039 and χ = 4.801, p = 0.028).

Conclusions: Cannabis and alcohol use negatively impact visual function. However, driving performance was only significantly affected by the higher alcohol dose. This impairment in visual function was significantly associated with worse driving performance.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109538DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

visual function
16
driving performance
16
alcohol cannabis
12
cannabis visual
12
effects alcohol
8
visual
8
function driving
8
alcohol group
8
cannabis group
8
cannabis
7

Similar Publications

Can fundus features tell us something about 3D eye shape?

Ophthalmic Physiol Opt

January 2025

Robert O Curle Ophthalmology Suite, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.

Purpose: To determine whether imaging features derived from fundus photographs contain 3D eye shape information beyond that available from spherical equivalent refraction (SER).

Methods: We analysed 99 eyes of 68 normal adults in the UK Biobank. An ellipsoid was fitted to the entire volume of each posterior eye (vitreous chamber without the lens)-segmented from magnetic resonance imaging of the brain.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Wearable electronic low vision enhancement systems (wEVES) improve visual function but are not widely adopted by people with vision impairment. Here, qualitative research methods were used to investigate the usefulness of wEVES for people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) after an extended home trial.

Methods: Following a 12-week non-masked randomised crossover trial, semi-structured interviews were completed with 34 participants with AMD, 64.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO) ocular abnormalities can persist even after treatment, negatively impacting patients' psychological and social health. The Indonesian Graves' Ophthalmopathy Quality of Life (GO-QoL) Questionnaire has not been validated, hence it cannot measure patient quality of life, which is crucial to GO treatment. We aimed to provide a reliable Indonesian GO-QoL Questionnaire and identify an association between patient quality of life and clinical activity and the severity of GO.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Optimizing autonomous artificial intelligence diagnostics for neuro-ocular health in space missions.

Life Sci Space Res (Amst)

February 2025

Human-Machine Perception Laboratory, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, United States.

Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS) presents a critical risk in long-duration missions, with microgravity-induced changes that threaten astronaut vision and mission outcomes. Current SANS monitoring, limited to pre- and post-flight exams, lacks in-flight diagnostics, highlighting an urgent need for autonomous tools capable of real-time assessment. Grok, an AI platform by xAI, offers promising potential as an advanced diagnostic tool for space-based health monitoring.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The hypercapnic environment on the International Space Station (ISS): A potential contributing factor to ocular surface symptoms in astronauts.

Life Sci Space Res (Amst)

February 2025

Center for Space Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States; Department of Ophthalmology, Blanton Eye Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States; Departments of Ophthalmology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, United States; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States; University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States; Texas A&M College of Medicine, Texas, United States; Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa, United States; The Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States.

With increasing advancements and efforts towards space exploration, there is a pressing need to understand the impacts of spaceflight on astronauts' health. Astronauts have reported signs and symptoms of dry eye disease upon traveling to the International Space Station (ISS), thus necessitating an evaluation of the factors that contribute to the onset of spaceflight associated dry eye disease. Prior literature describes the hypercapnic environment of the ISS; however, the link between the high CO levels and astronauts' symptoms of dry eye disease remains unexplored.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!