Título / Title

DIABETES VS. DRIVING: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Introdução / Purpose

Discuss the importance of Diabetic Retinopathy as a cause of low vision leading to traffic accidents and understand the importance of eye fundus examination in controlling traffic accidents’ risk factors.

Material e Método / Methods

We included in the present study papers that evaluated the relationship between Diabetes mellitus, Diabetic Retinopathy and the ability to drive vehicles.
We searched CENTRAL (which contains the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group Trials Register), MEDLINE, PubMed (using Mesh descriptors - "Automobile Driving" and "Diabetic Retinopathy" and other correlates), Bireme and SciELO (using Decs descriptors - "Automobile Driving", "Diabetic Retinopathy", "Diabetic Retinopathy", "Direction" and other correlates).

Resultados / Results

The initial search in the cited electronic databases revealed 29 papers. Excluding the duplicate publications and after reading the titles and abstracts, 12 papers that did not fit the eligibility criteria were excluded. Of the 17 papers selected, five studies demonstrated the efficacy of various treatments of Diabetic Retinopathy in the subject’s driving capacity, one study discussed the role of complementary exams in driving capacity and 11 studies described the relationships between Diabetic Retinopathy and the ability to drive.

Discussão e Conclusões / Conclusion

The available evidence demonstrates that there is great heterogeneity of ophthalmologic complications of DM, especially Diabetic Retinopathy, with implication in the visual function and consequent impact on the eligibility for the drivers. Therefore, the need for evaluation with the specialist in ophthalmology was shown to be effective both in the prevention of loss of function and consequent increase of risks when driving vehicles, as well as in the maintenance of the functional capacities of diabetic patients.

Palavras Chave

DIABETES; DIABETIC RETINOPATHY; DRIVING