Twenty four patients who had undergone temporal lobe surgery for epilepsy were assessed to determine (a) whether or not they had developed a visual field defect and (b) if a field defect was present, were the visual field criteria, as required by the DVLA, fulfilled using the monocular Goldmann perimeter test and the automated binocular Esterman method performed on a Humphrey perimeter. A field deficit was found in 13 of 24 (54%) using the Goldmann perimeter and 11 of 24 (46%) by the Esterman method. The second was a more lenient assessment with six of 24 (25%) failing the driving criteria compared with 10 of 24 (42%) by the monocular Goldmann method. Three patients were seizure free but failed the driving criteria. This complication of surgery for temporal lobe epilepsy needs to be discussed with patients before surgery. (A)
Abstract