OOMC News

Driving after dark or early in the morning can be both difficult and dangerous, especially if you have poor night vision. However, you can keep yourself safe on the roads by taking care of your eyes and following a few helpful tips.

To ensure your safety when you’re behind the wheel, here’s how you can improve your night driving.

Clean Your Windshield and Headlights

Your windshield is your window to the world when you’re driving. You want to make sure it’s clean so that you can see everything ahead. If your windshield is foggy or dirty, take a bit of time to wipe it down before you start driving to enhance visibility.

Keeping your headlights clean can also make night driving safer and easier. Like your windshield, clean headlights can make it easier to see your surroundings in the dark. If they’re too dirty or hazy, they may not be able to illuminate the roads as well as you need them to, thus increasing your risk of getting into an accident.

Wear Anti-Reflective Eyeglasses

Your vision plays a prominent role when driving at night, but the bright lights from passing headlights and streetlamps can make it difficult for your eyes to adjust back to the dark when you’re driving. Fortunately, eyeglasses with anti-reflective coating can help.

Wearing anti-reflective glasses is one of the easiest ways to improve night driving. When passing another car, the coating can block harsh glares so your eyes can adjust to changes in lighting while driving. They can also help reduce eye strain to keep your eyes more comfortable.

Check Your Eyes for Night Blindness

To preserve your eyesight and improve your night driving, it’s best to schedule routine eye doctor appointments to check for any issues, like night blindness.

Night blindness refers to your eyes’ inability to adequately adjust and see in low light. Difficulty seeing in the dark is the most common symptom, but it can also lead to increased light sensitivity and seeing halos around bright lights.

If detected early, your doctor can better effectively treat this issue to help restore your vision and make driving at night easier and safer.

Schedule Cataract Surgery

Vitamin A deficiency, health issues, and diet can affect how well you see at night. However, cataracts are one of the most common causes of night blindness and vision problems in low light. When a cataract develops, it clouds the natural lens in the eye. It also causes blurry vision and can severely impair night vision without proper treatment.

If cataracts are affecting your ability to see clearly during your night drives, the most effective solution is cataract surgery. This advanced procedure involves dissolving the cataract and implanting an intraocular lens into the eye. An intraocular lens not only restores overall vision, but it can also correct eyesight so that you can see clearly at night without contacts or glasses.

When you’re driving at night, your eyes can be the key to keeping you safe. If you’re having trouble seeing at night or if you’d like to learn more about how clear vision can improve night driving, schedule a consultation at Phillips Eye Specialists today.