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Effects of Smoking Cannabis on Visual Function and Driving Performance. A Driving-Simulator Based Study

Cannabis is the most widely used illegal drug in the world. Limited information about the effects of cannabis on visual function is available, and more detail about the possible impact of visual effects on car driving is required. This study investigated the effects of smoking cannabis on vision and...

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Autores principales: Ortiz-Peregrina, Sonia, Ortiz, Carolina, Castro-Torres, José J., Jiménez, José R., Anera, Rosario G.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7731084/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33287427
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17239033
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author Ortiz-Peregrina, Sonia
Ortiz, Carolina
Castro-Torres, José J.
Jiménez, José R.
Anera, Rosario G.
author_facet Ortiz-Peregrina, Sonia
Ortiz, Carolina
Castro-Torres, José J.
Jiménez, José R.
Anera, Rosario G.
author_sort Ortiz-Peregrina, Sonia
collection PubMed
description Cannabis is the most widely used illegal drug in the world. Limited information about the effects of cannabis on visual function is available, and more detail about the possible impact of visual effects on car driving is required. This study investigated the effects of smoking cannabis on vision and driving performance, and whether these effects are correlated. Twenty drivers and occasional users were included (mean (SE) age, 23.3 (1.0) years; five women). Vision and simulated driving performance were evaluated in a baseline session and after smoking cannabis. Under the influence of cannabis, certain visual functions such as visual acuity (p < 0.001), contrast sensitivity (p = 0.004) and stereoacuity (far, p < 0.001; near, p = 0.013) worsened. In addition, there was an overall deterioration of driving performance, with the task of keeping the vehicle in the lane proving more difficult (p < 0.05). A correlation analysis showed significant associations between driving performance and visual function. Thus, the strongest correlations were found between the distance driven onto the shoulder and stereoacuity, for near (ρ = 0.504; p = 0.001) and far distances (ρ = 0.408; p = 0.011). This study provides the first evidence to show that the visual effects of cannabis could impact driving performance, compromising driving safety. The results indicate that information and awareness campaigns are essential for reducing the incidence of driving under the influence of cannabis.
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spelling pubmed-77310842020-12-12 Effects of Smoking Cannabis on Visual Function and Driving Performance. A Driving-Simulator Based Study Ortiz-Peregrina, Sonia Ortiz, Carolina Castro-Torres, José J. Jiménez, José R. Anera, Rosario G. Int J Environ Res Public Health Article Cannabis is the most widely used illegal drug in the world. Limited information about the effects of cannabis on visual function is available, and more detail about the possible impact of visual effects on car driving is required. This study investigated the effects of smoking cannabis on vision and driving performance, and whether these effects are correlated. Twenty drivers and occasional users were included (mean (SE) age, 23.3 (1.0) years; five women). Vision and simulated driving performance were evaluated in a baseline session and after smoking cannabis. Under the influence of cannabis, certain visual functions such as visual acuity (p < 0.001), contrast sensitivity (p = 0.004) and stereoacuity (far, p < 0.001; near, p = 0.013) worsened. In addition, there was an overall deterioration of driving performance, with the task of keeping the vehicle in the lane proving more difficult (p < 0.05). A correlation analysis showed significant associations between driving performance and visual function. Thus, the strongest correlations were found between the distance driven onto the shoulder and stereoacuity, for near (ρ = 0.504; p = 0.001) and far distances (ρ = 0.408; p = 0.011). This study provides the first evidence to show that the visual effects of cannabis could impact driving performance, compromising driving safety. The results indicate that information and awareness campaigns are essential for reducing the incidence of driving under the influence of cannabis. MDPI 2020-12-03 2020-12 /pmc/articles/PMC7731084/ /pubmed/33287427 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17239033 Text en © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Ortiz-Peregrina, Sonia
Ortiz, Carolina
Castro-Torres, José J.
Jiménez, José R.
Anera, Rosario G.
Effects of Smoking Cannabis on Visual Function and Driving Performance. A Driving-Simulator Based Study
title Effects of Smoking Cannabis on Visual Function and Driving Performance. A Driving-Simulator Based Study
title_full Effects of Smoking Cannabis on Visual Function and Driving Performance. A Driving-Simulator Based Study
title_fullStr Effects of Smoking Cannabis on Visual Function and Driving Performance. A Driving-Simulator Based Study
title_full_unstemmed Effects of Smoking Cannabis on Visual Function and Driving Performance. A Driving-Simulator Based Study
title_short Effects of Smoking Cannabis on Visual Function and Driving Performance. A Driving-Simulator Based Study
title_sort effects of smoking cannabis on visual function and driving performance. a driving-simulator based study
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7731084/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33287427
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17239033
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