Editorial: Broad range of issues in the field of Eye Care
The broad range of issues in the field of publications for the entire eye care sector is enormous today. This applies equally to national and international journals. In this context, a very interesting study entitled “Vision impairment and traffic safety outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis” was recently published in the August 2021 issue of The Lancet Global Health Journal.1 According to this study, road traffic injuries are considered to be the leading cause of death worldwide in the age group from 5 to 29 years. If no action is taken, they could become the seventh leading cause of death worldwide for all age groups by 2030.
With the 2,719 road deaths mentioned by the Federal Statistical Office in 2020, which is the lowest figure for 60 years in Germany, the number of road accidents with fatalities is in some cases due to insufficient visual acuity and other visual impairments. The reason for this is certainly often the inadequate visual aid of the road users concerned. The German Association of Ophthalmologists Association of Ophthalmologists (BVA) estimates that poor vision is responsible for approximately 300,000 road accidents each year.
Eye care professionals know that in addition to the necessary minimum visual acuity, twilight vision, the increasing sensitivity to glare with age and reduced contrast vision play a major role in road safety. However, members of the eye care professions are also aware that many road users are no longer able to drive due to an inadequately corrected visual defect or, for example, a cataract surgery that was performed too late.
Adequate vision is the central prerequisite for safe driving. Ensuring this is one of the most urgent tasks of ophthalmic opticians, optometrists and ophthalmologists. Optometry and Contact Lenses (OCL) aims to inform its readers about new scientific and clinical aspects of the eye and vision. This certainly includes scientific and clinical discourse on many eye and vision related issues.
The DOZ publishing house and the entire editorial board hope to have met this demand with the past issues of OCL. In this spirit, we wish all readers a peaceful Christmas and all the best for 2022.
Your Wolfgang Cagnolati
[1] Piyasena, P., Olvera-Herrera, V. O.,Chan, V. F., Clarke, M., Wright, D. M., MacKenzie, G., Virgili, G., Congdon, N. (2021). Vision impairment and traffic safety outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Glob. Health, e1411-e1422.