Assessment of visual acuity of commercial long-distance drivers in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria

Objective To assess the visual acuity of commercial long-distance drivers in Benin City, Nigeria. Patients and methods A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used, and data were collected for 315 commercial long-distance drivers and their vehicles from January to October, 2013. Respondents were recruited using systematic random sampling technique. The study instruments included structured interviewer-administered questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SPSS, version 20. Results The results showed that 114 (36.2%) drivers were within the age group of 31-40 years. Most of the respondents [272 (86.3%)] were married; almost all the respondents [311 (98.7%)] were males, whereas four (1.3%) were surprisingly females. More than half of the respondents [172 (54.6%)] had a secondary level of education, whereas 12 (3.8%) had no formal education. Less than a tenth [30 (9.5%)] were visually impaired, with two (0.6%) having severe visual impairment, whereas majority of respondents had normal visual acuity [285 (90.5%)]. There were statistically significant associations between the respondents' level of education (P