Daylight Savings And Your Night Driving

As the days get shorter, many of us find we’re spending more time driving at night. And for some, night driving presents some vision problems, impacting overall safety. So, let’s review the most common night-vision problems that may be limiting your night driving.

Night Vision Problem #1: Night Blindness

Night blindness, or nyctalopia, is a relatively common vision problem caused by an issue with the retina, the part of your eye that allows you to see in low light. If you’re experiencing vision problems while driving at night, you may have nyctalopia and may simply need glasses when you’re driving after the sun goes down. 

How do you know if you have nyctalopia? 

As we reviewed in this blog on driving at night with glasses, there are three sure-fire signs your night vision problems are a result of nyctalopia.

  1. You have blurry vision
  2. You experience tired eyes
  3. You notice passengers verbally correcting your driving 

If you think you may be experiencing night blindness, you can use your VSP Individual Vision Plan vision benefits to schedule an appointment with your VSP network eye doctor to get an eye exam and save on any corrective lenses.

Night Vision Problem #2: Glare

Having dry eyes can create a glare that makes night driving difficult. Some people may find relief in eye drops. But if the problem persists for longer than one month, or gets worse, talk to your eye doctor to make sure more permanent eye damage or vision loss doesn’t occur. You can also discuss additional treatment options for your dry eyes or antireflective coatings for your eyeglasses that will keep you behind the wheel, even on the darkest roads. 

Night Vision Problem #3: Halo

Seeing a halo around lights while driving at night could be the first sign of cataracts. It is also often a sign of a dirty windshield. So, before you make a late-night call to your eye doctor, try cleaning your windshield thoroughly and see if that alleviates the problem. If not, it’s worth using your vision benefits to get an eye exam and determine the exact cause of the halo effect.

Conclusion

Vision problems while driving at night are common. And while the cause can be as simple as a dry eye or dirty windshield, night-vision problems can be a sign of bigger eye-health issues. So, it is recommended that with prolonged night-vision problems, you visit your eye doctor and get an eye exam. And with VSP Individual Vision Plans, you can save on the eye exam and any corrective lenses that your doctor prescribes.

 

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