Night Blindness Can Effect Your Ability To Drive Safely

Since daylight savings time has ended, many of us drive mostly in the dark, driving to and from work. But even drivers with good daytime vision, may suffer from some night blindness and find it difficult to drive in the dark.

Night blindness, known as nyctalopia, occurs because of various diseases that cause degeneration of the rods of the retina (the sensory cells responsible for vision in dim light). Night blindness caused by nearsightedness, cataracts, or vitamin A deficiency is treatable. Corrective lenses, such as eyeglasses or contacts, can improve nearsighted vision both during the day and at night.

But many drivers complain of poor night vision, even with glasses on. Others may have been told that they do not need glasses, but they feel they have poor vision at night and/or when it is raining. Several causes of night driving vision problems include:

1. Cataract formation: A normal part of the aging process that result in a gradual clouding of one of the lenses in the eye. This clouding reduces the amount of light that can enter the eye.
2. Dry eyes: If you have dry eyes, then you will have a poor-quality tear film. This will cause reduced quality of vision, especially at night.
3. Scratched or pitted eyeglass lenses: Fine scratches and pits in the lenses will affect the optical quality of the lens. This, in turn, blurs the vision, and causes glare issues, especially from oncoming headlights.
4. Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP): A rare disease destroys the part of the eye that senses vision at night, resulting in serious night blindness.

You can help your eyes, when driving at night, by making sure that your windshield is clean and scratch-free. Check that your headlights are correctly aligned, and that the lens are clean, to provide good road illumination. Clean your glasses. Any scratches or smudges on your glasses will increase glare, so keep them clean!

The most important thing to remember, is be a prudent driver. If you are uncomfortable driving at night, don’t drive. Have someone else drive you.

If you been involved in an automobile accident with someone with vision problems, see experienced Denver auto accident attorneys at Bell and Pollock for a legal game plan to protect your rights.