Effects of Alcohol on Visual Accommodation and Eye Movement Latency

It is generally agreed that the ingestion of ethyl alcohol dulls the physiological and mental responses of the human body, that is, alcohol affects the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system of the body (2). This diminution of responses is caused by alcohol’s capacity to impair the impulse conduction and trans­ mission in excitable cells of the nervous system (13). Based on the above evidence, two components of the visual system, accommodation and horizontal saccadic eye move­ ment, were examined, using several subjects with various blood alcohol concentrations. In order for vision to be clear, a sharp image must fall upon the retina. This is accomplished by a feedback control system in the accommodation process. In driving, as in reading, the predominant eye movement is the horizontal saccade (10). If the response time of both the eye movement and accommodation is affected by alcohol then it may be postulated that serious consequences can result while driving under the influence of alcohol. The intention of this study was to examine the effects of alcohol on these visual tasks and to discuss what influence this alcohol-impaired vision has in the driving situation.