It’s not uncommon for vision to weaken with age, especially at night, but this is a dangerous trend. If your own diminishing vision makes it difficult to drive at night, it’s important to see your eye doctor for the right treatment.
Why Is Driving At Night More Challenging?
Night time driving isn’t easy. Sudden glares of light from cars, street lamps, and traffic signals force the eyes to constantly adjust to new levels of light with only split seconds in-between. This places strain on the eyes and makes even common routes feel unfamiliar. Many people find that their daytime vision remains strong while their nighttime vision weakens.
Th eyes actually work by sensing light with two different types of cells called rods and cones. While cones thrive in strong sunlight, rods prefer low light. This means that as the rods weaken with age or due to another health condition, your night vision will suffer. In addition, since the eyes contain fewer rod cells than cone cells, and since the light receptors within rods can’t regenerate as rapidly, night vision – especially while driving – can become challenging.
Age Threatens the Eyes, Too
Aging eyes become weaker and also make driving at night difficult. The pupils shrink and struggle to dilate as wide as needed in the dark. This consistently limits the amount of light that can enter the eye. If you sometimes feel like you are driving at night with sunglasses on, that’s why!
Improve Night Vision With the Help of Your Eye Doctor
Poor night vision can sneak up on you since it develops so gradually. The following signs indicate that you need to see your eye doctor for help:
- You see orbs around headlights
- You feel like you have sunglasses on at night
- You struggle to distinguish between objects ahead of you
- There is a noticeable amount of glare
Don’t wait until an accident occurs to improve your night vision. Call (813) 779-3338 today to make an appointment at the The Eye Clinic of Florida. Doctor Ahad Mahootchi, MD will help get to the root of your night vision problems and prescribe the best solution, like correcting astigmatism with Trulign or performing LASIK surgery.