Poor night vision, regardless of the cause, can have a significant impact on your life and ability to complete everyday tasks, including driving. If you have noticed increased blurry vision, double vision, glare, halos around lights or other visual symptoms that are interfering with your ability to drive at night, Dr. Linda Vu encourages you to read the following driving tips.
Tips to Improve Vision for Night Driving
Keep your eyes moving. Focusing on or staring at one area when driving for an extended period of time can fatigue the eyes. To avoid this, move your eyes regularly, scanning your field of vision. Also, if you plan on driving a long distance, try to pull over every 90 minutes or so to give you and your eyes a break.
Adjust your dashboard lighting. Your pupils dilate and contract when looking at bright lights, making it more difficult to see in the dark. Lower or dim the lighting of your dashboard and instrument panel to make it easier for your eyes to adjust to the dark roads at night.
Drive defensively. If you have poor night vision, consider leaving two car lengths between you and the car in front of you. Leave even more space when driving fast or in bad weather.
Keep your car in good shape. Make sure your headlights, windshield wipers and turn signal lights are functioning at all times.
Consider upgrading your car. Newer car models come with an array of built-in features designed to make driving safer and more comfortable, including power brakes, larger exterior mirrors, rear-view cameras and sensors.
Manage your dry eyes. When the eyes are dry, the surface is not smooth, causing glare and blurred vision which is worse at night. Use warm compresses and artificial tears regularly. Read more about dry eyes.
Consult an Eye Doctor
If you struggle with poor night vision, schedule a consultation with Dr. Linda Vu. A board-certified eye doctor like Dr. Vu can provide you with a comprehensive eye exam to determine the cause of your vision problems and recommend an appropriate treatment plan. If she determines you are nearsighted, she may prescribe prescription eyeglasses with anti-reflective lenses, or recommend that you undergo LASIK surgery. Or, if you are diagnosed with cataracts, glaucoma or some other serious eye condition, Dr. Vu can treat the problem before more serious vision loss occurs.
To schedule an eye exam, contact Linda Vision by calling (626) 382-2020 or emailing our office today.