One of the first signs that there is a vision change is night driving, headaches, and blurred vision. We see a lot of patients who come in due to their inability to see while driving at night. Today, we want to address this and what you can do to protect yourself and others on the road.
The best way to find if your night vision is compromised is to come in for an eye exam. The brain and vision are a beautiful thing, but they can often hide issues. So there are times your brain adjusts for your vision and you may not notice a decrease in vision.
Go in for an exam annually. We say it all the time, but it is so important to seek annual vision care. Many eye issues are treatable when found in the early stages, before the vision is compromised. For example, glaucoma. This is a disease in which the eye pressure is too high and can damage the vision. That “puff” of air, which can be uncomfortable, is the way we measure eye pressure. By doing this annually, we are able to identify high eye pressure before it creates permanent damage.
See immediate care if you feel you may have a sight-threatening eye disease.
As eyes age, they tend to change creating a more difficult time seeing at night. For example, pupils shrink. They also do not dilate as quickly. This reduces the amount of light that enters the eye. If you wonder what this may change, it is essentially using a teenage eye with sunglasses on at night time. Pretty difficult to see, right?
The aging of the cornea and lens become less clear. This can create light to skater through the eye which makes glare even more unbearable. In addition, this can create a sensitivity and inability to discern differences in lighting and seeing objects in the roads.
Age related eye disease is a common factor in decreasing vision during night driving. Conditions such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and cataracts.
As much as we would like, we can’t stop our eyes from aging. We can change our habits to make night driving safer.
