Do night driving glasses work? A science-backed guide to this winter

Handling modern headlights at night is starting to feel like staring straight into a supernova. Between the blinding LED lights on newer SUVs and the blue-white glare that leaves “ghost spots” on your vision, night driving can really be dangerous. In response, many drivers are turning to “night driving.” glasses“, those yellow-tinted lenses that claim to neutralize piercing glare and sharpen your focus in low-light settings.

Night driving glasses themselves are not intended to correct medical vision problems. Have regular checkups with an ophthalmologist Who can evaluate your vision is integral to anticipating and treating any eye health problems that may occur. And remember that as we age, or if we already have vision problems, these regular checks will often need to become more frequent.

What are night driving glasses?

Night driving glasses are generally yellow or amber in color and reduce the glare of bright lights, which not only reduces eye strain, but may also increase the contrast of objects, making it easier to distinguish what you see at night. These glasses often have a reflective coating to help reduce glare. The overall purpose of these glasses is to make driving in low light conditions more comfortable and less dangerous. Night driving glasses are not a substitute for prescription glasses or Regular checkups with your eye doctor.

There are several ways night driving glasses serve their purpose. Firstly, the yellow or amber color on them is meant to filter out some elements Blue light glowAs seen in many modern headlights. Filtering out this blue light is intended to improve the contrast of the driver’s vision, making it easier to see what they are doing in semi-dark settings. Anti-reflective coating, or AR coating, often applied to the lens of these glasses, may help reduce glare from bright lights and thus help relieve eye strain. Finally, some night glasses are polarized, which may help reduce glare from reflective surfaces in low-light settings. In short, this type of glasses is designed to reduce eye strain, improve visual contrast, and reduce glare while driving at night.

Do night driving glasses work?

The effectiveness of night driving glasses is a matter of debate. research From 2019 indicates that yellow-tinted glasses reduce a driver’s ability to see pedestrians. Likewise, while yellow glasses can reduce exposure to blue light – which can happen Health benefits – This may result in the driver’s eyes receiving less light overall, as noted in a 2018 article by American Academy of Ophthalmology. Furthermore, in 1997, the F.T.C File a lawsuit against the marketer of night driving glasses due to the company’s claims that using its product improves safety when driving at night.

However, while some research suggests that these glasses may not work as intended, many drivers and organizations still see an advantage in them. For example, drivesafeonline.organ organization state-licensed to administer driving safety courses, acknowledges the mixed results of research while promoting night driving glasses to those who feel they benefit from them.

There seems to be little doubt that night driving glasses may reduce glare and help prevent eye strain, but the research points to some concerns that this benefit may be at the expense of better night vision rather than alongside it. Drivers should carefully evaluate the effect of night driving glasses on themselves and discuss the use of these lenses with the physician who evaluated them Eye health Before you decide.

Best glasses for night driving

Before deciding on glasses, night driving, etc., it is essential to speak with an eye doctor who can appropriately evaluate your vision health and needs. Except for special circumstances, including health conditions, the best night driving glasses may be those that combine several synergistic mechanisms in their design. For example, you may want to focus on high-definition, yellow-tinted polarized lenses with anti-reflective coatings.

If you intend to use Prescription lenses With night driving glasses, you may want to make sure they have an anti-reflective coating. Prescription lenses are often thicker than others and can be more susceptible to reflections on the surface of the lenses. Using an anti-reflective coating may help reduce this problem, thus enhancing visual clarity and reducing eye strain.

While many night driving glasses use anti-reflective coating, they are not the same. Night driving glasses are mostly indicated by their yellow or amber color, with polarization and anti-reflective coatings being additional features they can have. Likewise, eyeglasses and sunglasses may also have anti-reflective coatings. Night driving glasses work on their own, without anti-reflective coatings or polarizations, primarily by reducing the amount of high-intensity blue light that reaches your eyes. Some believe this, in turn, helps reduce glare, eye strain, and contrast.

Health conditions that may make it difficult to see at night

There are many ways health problems can impair night vision, from eye diseases to vitamin deficiencies. The health conditions listed below may not be exhaustive, but each can negatively affect your night vision:

Nyctalopia Also known as “night blindness” it is characterized by difficulty seeing in low light settings but not in standard light settings. This condition It makes the eyes take longer to adapt From higher levels of environmental light to lower levels.

Cataracts These are cloudy areas that can develop over the lens of the eye and are relatively common as we age. Cataracts can hinder night vision By reducing the clarity of vision and making some of your field of vision blurry or blurry.

Vitamin A deficiency It can lead to eye complications, in extreme conditions It can potentially lead to complete loss of vision. This vitamin is used by the eyes to create some of the pigments needed for our eyes to properly receive light in dark places.

Excessive exposure to sunlight can contribute to the development Many eye health conditionsincluding cataracts, pterygium, macular degeneration, photokeratitis, climatic keratopathy, conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma and photoretinitis. Each of these conditions can negatively affect vision in different ways.

Retinitis pigmentosa It is a genetic condition that causes Slow destruction of cells within the retinawhich ultimately leads to blindness. Early symptoms often begin at an early age and include loss of night and peripheral vision.

Diabetic retinopathy Results from Damage to blood vessels Which leads to your retina. This condition can occur as a result of high blood sugar in diabetics. Over time, the blood vessels in the eye become increasingly damaged, leading to blurry vision and small hemorrhages inside the eye that can cause visual obstructions.

How to see better at night

Night driving glasses are one way to enhance your vision in the dark, but there are others. There are several Recommendations worth considering If you want better night vision:

See your eye doctor for tests: The first line of Defense against sick vision It is to see your eye doctor regularly. These experts are trained to detect, diagnose and treat a wide range of eye health problems that can significantly affect your night vision.

Keep up with any related medical conditions: Staying on top of your treatment plan for any health condition that can affect your vision is essential to maintaining or improving your night vision. This may include medications, eyeglasses, both, or neither. For example, simply treating vitamin A deficiency may improve a person’s night vision.

Do not look directly at bright lights: Staring at bright lights causes your pupil to constrict, reducing the amount of light it can receive. This is useful when surrounded by bright light but is counterproductive in the dark, as a larger pupil allows for better night vision.

Take time to adjust to low-light settings: Our eyes take time to adapt to different lighting settings, especially as we age. When entering a dark space from a bright location, try giving your eyes a few minutes to adjust before relying on them for night driving.

Stay hydrated to prevent dry eyes: Dry eyes are another difficulty that becomes more common with age and can contribute to poor night vision. Staying hydrated can help our eyes produce the tears they need to maintain moisture and prevent dry eyes.

How to stay safe while driving at night

When it comes to night driving, there are several steps drivers can take Stay safe while driving at night. Many of the following recommendations include some amount of proactive maintenance, both on ourselves and our vehicles:

Keep your windshield clean: A clear windshield helps reduce vision obstructions and prevent visual distractions that can redirect our depth perception.

Keep your headlights clean: Headlight housings can become dirty and worn over time, reducing brightness and affecting how well your headlights illuminate objects in front of you.

Use appropriate headlights: When driving in the dark, high beams, also known as flashing lights, can be helpful. These lights emit more light and cover a wider area, expanding our vision. Avoid pointing these lights at other drivers, and do not use them in rain or fog, as they may impair visibility in those conditions.

Don’t stare into the headlights: Staring directly into headlights can reduce your night vision and cause temporary blurriness and afterimages (an image of something that you seem to see even after you’ve finished looking at it).

Check headlight alignment regularly: Car headlights can get out of alignment due to normal wear and tear, causing them to point away from where you want them to. A mechanic can check and correct the alignment of your headlights to improve how well they work.

Reduce interior lighting: Bright interior lights while driving at night can cause glare inside the windshield and make it difficult for your eyes to maintain night vision.

Wear appropriate and clean glasses: If you need corrective lenses, it is important when driving at night to make sure you are wearing your glasses, your prescription is current, and your lenses are clean.

Maintain vigilance: Drowsiness may be one of the major risks of driving at night. Falling asleep while driving can be very dangerous, so staying awake and alert is vital.