Does the niqab (veil) wearer satisfy the minimal visual field for driving? E. Ian Pearce, Glyn Walsh and Gordon N. Dutton Department of Vision Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcaddens Rd, Glasgow G4 0BA, UK Abstract Visual field testing of subjects wearing a niqab was carried out using the approved (Esterman) test on a Humphrey perimeter to determine if visually normal subjects met the European driving standard. Measurement of aperture dimensions of the niqab when worn was recorded. When wearing the niqab, all subjects achieved a visual field adequate to satisfy UK/European driving standards. A measurement of the limiting aperture size was obtained and a self-test method for niqab wearers was determined. Keywords: burqa, driving, hijab, niqab, safety, veil, vision, visual field Introduction The niqab head covering worn by some Muslim women has become a potent and often controversial religious symbol, particularly when worn in a Western liberal society. The niqab covers the entire head, with only a narrow horizontal band of the face, including the eyes, visible (Figure 1). Recently, the niqab has generated much comment both in the print and broadcast media, although the garment is commonly described as the ÔMuslim veilÕ rather than a niqab. The debate in the media has centred on how women who wear the niqab are perceived by others. Our interest was to reverse this perspective. Rather than considering how others see a niqab wearer, we were interested to assess how the niqab wearer sees the world. This study pre-dates the recent heated debate and came about as a result of a Ônear missÕ involving a niqab-wearing driver observed by one of the authors. Does the niqab give the wearer a visual field adequate to meet the accepted UK and European driving standard? There is literature on both spectacles and other headwear (Hayward and Marsh, 1988; McKnight and McKnight, 1995; Steel et al., 1996; Cheung et al., 2002), showing that some items can indeed reduce the visual field to below that considered acceptable for driving. It was therefore rather surprising to find that there are no refereed published reports relating to either the niqab or its many variants such as the burqa, jilbab, chadar and hijab in any context other than theological and sociological. To be considered safe, the UK and European driving standard (Anon, 1991) nominally require a binocular visual field of at least 120° in the horizontal and no significant defect in that binocular field encroaching within 20° of fixation above or below the horizontal meridian. The UK authorities require this to be assessed using a binocular Esterman field test (Esterman, 1968, 1982). This study investigated whether the niqab wearer would meet these standards. Method Visual fields were measured without, and when wearing, a commercially available niqab acquired in Dubai, UAE (Figure 2). The Esterman visual field test was performed on observers using a Humphrey 720i Visual Field Analyser (Carl Zeiss Ophthalmic Systems Inc., Dublin, CA, USA). The aperture dimensions of the eye slit were recorded for each trial (Figure 1). Following approval from the local institutional ethics committee, three male subjects (the investigators) were tested (mean age 47; range 41–53 years). A further 12 female volunteers were Received: 28 September 2007 Revised form: 3 March 2008 Accepted: 8 March 2008 Correspondence and reprint requests to: E. Ian Pearce. Tel: 0141 331 8201 Fax: 0141 331 3387. E-mail address: eipe@gcal.ac.uk Ophthal. Physiol. Opt. 2008 28: 310–312 ª 2008 The Authors. Journal compilation ª 2008 The College of Optometrists doi: 10.1111/j.1475-1313.2008.00570.x