Night vision

[harllee]

I am having trouble with night vision--bright headlights create a blinding glare. I am 72, have mild cataracts but was told by the eye doctor they are not bad enough for surgery. Except for this night glare problem my vision is great--20/20. About 20 years ago I had lasik in my right eye only and I do monovison--I use my right eye for distance and my left eye for reading (I am having to use reading glasses now for some close reading).

I have experimented to see which eye is subject to the night glare problem and it seems that both eyes are equally affected.

I can see much better at night with my polarized sunglasses but I know that is not a good solution.

I have seen glasses advertised that are supposed to be worn at night to block the glare but the reviews are mixed.

Any suggestions?

 

[Donno]

I have had both lasik and cataract surgery and I use a pair of the light amber tinted shooting glasses which help a lot with glare. I just bought a pair from Amazon for about $20, but I'm sure there are better ones available. My first choice is to just not drive at night.

 

[Aerides]

I'm 54 and don't have cataracts but I know my tolerance for night driving is diminished. So I just don't. When DH and I go out we usually go on the early side so at most we have a short drive home in the dark in winter. If it's much more than that, Uber, etc.

Other than that, if avoiding night driving is a non-starter, I would ask your Ophthalmologist for their best suggestsions for lenses.

 

[freedomatlast]

The glare comes partly from just being older but mainly from the new high intensity LED headlights on the extremely popular SUV's and trucks that are mounted high up on the vehicles. Again, the manufacturers have a great solution for brighter lights at night with no regard for compromised safety of those traveling in the opposite direction.

 

[OldShooter]

I'm 54 and don't have cataracts but I know my tolerance for night driving is diminished. ...

The basic situation for us oldsters is similar to the reason we need reading glasses: The eyes' pupils do not dilate as far as they used to, so our eyes are getting less light. Another thing that happened to me is that my PCP pointed out that my eyelids were droopy. Looking in a mirror in low light I could see that the eyelids were actually blocking the top of the pupils. So ... even less light. The PCP referred me to a droopy eyelids specialist surgeon and he fixed the problem. I'm not sure either of these things apply in the OP's case, but I am not a doctor.

 

[statsman]

My DW had cataracts surgery performed on both eyes. She had worn contacts since high school, and her last correction before the surgery was -12.00 and -10.50. After the surgery, she needed no additional correction (glasses). Pretty amazing.

The only issue is at night she experiences a "starlight" effect on headlights, street lights, signal lights, etc. Apparently, this is a common occurrence with the lens they installed, but for DW, it has been worth the tradeoff. She *can* drive at night, but she prefers not to out of caution.

 

[statsman]

Another thing that happened to me is that my PCP pointed out that my eyelids were droopy. Looking in a mirror in low light I could see that the eyelids were actually blocking the top of the pupils. So ... even less light.

Was the drooping consistent, meaning they dropped to a certain level and stayed there, or was the drooping fluctuating up and down? If it were the latter, it seems like that might cause all sorts of issues.

 

[OldShooter]

Was the drooping consistent, meaning they dropped to a certain level and stayed there, or was the drooping fluctuating up and down? If it were the latter, it seems like that might cause all sorts of issues.

I think it was consistent but never really paid much attention. Opening and closing the eyelids felt normal to me, but their natural position was drooped. With an effort I could open them farther but that was hardly a fix.

 

[FloridaJim57]

I have had poor night vision ever since I was a kid. So my problem is not due to age. I did have cataracts blasted out of both eyes and it helped to some degree in that I no longer see halos around street lights at night. But I still will not highway drive at night and try not to drive after sunset. Just did not get the best eyes ever manufactured.

 

[Koolau]

Cataract surgery helped my night vision a lot. But, after 25 years, I find night driving more and more challenging. Not sure if it's all vision. I find I'm simply less confident in my driving - especially at night. YMMV

 

[Murf2]

+2 on the amber shooting glasses. I think you should try them. They really helped my wife.

Murf

 

[CRLLS]

After having cataract surgery with laser corrected astigmatism in my right eye and Toric lens in the other eye, I recently noticed a slight staring effect in my right eye and nothing in my left. Coincidence? I don't know. I just noticed it a couple weeks ago.

I really hate modern headlights, especially on cars behind me. While they don't present a brightness due to the sharp cutoff, I hate when they go over bumps. It feels like they are flashing their lights. I don't notice it as much with oncoming traffic.

As for glare, I wonder if anybody makes polarized interocular lenses or even if they would work. If not, I claim patent on the application

 

[Sunset]

....
I really hate modern headlights, especially on cars behind me. While they don't present a brightness due to the sharp cutoff, I hate when they go over bumps. It feels like they are flashing their lights. I don't notice it as much with oncoming traffic.

......

I find that issue with my "new" vehicle. Instead of the lever on the mirror to flip , it is automatic with a sensor.

Frankly I don't think it works that well , and I notice the cars behind flashing their lights as they go over a bump.

I was thinking of putting a darkening screen over my rear view mirror, especially for freeway driving.

Are you sure it's not your mirror not working well ?

 

[pacergal]

I also try not to drive at night due to glare. I, too, have mild cataracts, not ready for surgery per ophthalmologist.
I never asked with my last pair of glasses if they could do anything about that. I am due for a new pair of prescription sun glasses, I will ask then.
I could try the amber night vision glasses over my regular ones, wouldn't matter how goofy I looked since it would be night time! If they work, that's all that matters.

 

[Winemaker]

I am not a doctor but spent 35 years working in a coal mine, and around bright lights that was on equipment. Some well minded group of politicians thought it was a good idea to put lights all over mining equipment and the glare was unbearable. Some miners would cover them up but we would get a violation if an inspector saw it. Our company safety department did not like the use of amber safety glasses, as they showed no value according to various studies. Blue tinted glasses were okay to use by miners around shiny hydraulic jacks as they would absorb the reflected blue lights. Anti-reflective or AR coatings were the suggested answer to the new LED and florescent lights.

 

[GaryInCO]

The glare comes partly from just being older but mainly from the new high intensity LED headlights on the extremely popular SUV's and trucks that are mounted high up on the vehicles. Again, the manufacturers have a great solution for brighter lights at night with no regard for compromised safety of those traveling in the opposite direction.

I understand it's caused by old headlight standards that haven't been updated for current technology.

Old headlights were incandescents -- old-style bulbs with a white-hot wire producing the light. That light source has a lot of energy in the red/yellow part of the spectrum, which your eyes aren't terribly sensitive to. They defined a standard for "how much light" a headlight was allowed to produce, using those red/yellow bulbs.

LEDs in headlights have a different spectrum. Very little energy in the red/yellow range, lots more in the blue. Which your eyes are MORE sensitive to. So they measure the headlight output using the old standard, which means you have way too much light energy in the sensitive blue range, even though the headlights meet the old standard.

It'll continue to be a problem until they re-define the standard, and even then there will be millions of blindingly-bright cars on the road.

 

[misanman]

At 77 I haven't noticed any problems yet with night driving but we have friends that avoid it when possible.

 

[target2019]

As we age there are changes in the eye itself. These cannot be reversed. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/24309-night-vision

 

[aja8888]

My last eye exam said no cataracts. I still drive at night with no problem. At 80, I am a lucky guy in this regard.

 

[Koolau]

At 77 I haven't noticed any problems yet with night driving but we have friends that avoid it when possible.

One of my issues is that our car (used) came with very dark tinting. I think that makes it more difficult for me to drive at night. I guess I should bite the bullet and have the tinting changed (but it does w*rk very well in the bright Hawaiian sun.)

 

[aja8888]

One of my issues is that our car (used) came with very dark tinting. I think that makes it more difficult for me to drive at night. I guess I should bite the bullet and have the tinting changed (but it does w*rk very well in the bright Hawaiian sun.)

Is your windshield tinted? If so, get it removed and just go without and use sunglasses during the day.

 

[Koolau]

Is your windshield tinted? If so, get it removed and just go without and use sunglasses during the day.

The front glass (windshield and side windows) are all reasonably tinted. As in most states, there is a limit on how much these windows can be tinted and we are well within the limits, so they are fine for night driving. BUT the rear sides and rear window are so dark as to seem nearly opaque at night. Great for AC but not so great for backing up or seeing who/what is coming up behind, etc.

 

[LateToFIRE]

It's not just a function of age, modern headlights on cars and trucks has just gotten over the top crazy bright. My solution is to fight fire with fire - at night I drive our newer car with advanced auto-dimming, LED headlights. Not looking to contribute to the problem, but it kinda is what it is. While having advanced headlights does not reduce glare from other vehicles, it sure makes seeing the road a lot easier. Compared to our older Xenon headlight car, the difference is literally night and day.

 

[misanman]

modern headlights on cars and trucks has just gotten over the top crazy bright

I personally haven't noticed this. Is there objective data to document it?

 

[LateToFIRE]

I personally haven't noticed this. Is there objective data to document it?

Yes, there is but I'm too lazy to dig it up. I can tell you that I have been buying same model of luxury car for past 15 years - I have a new one with LED technology, and I have exact same car several years older with Xenon technology. Both cars have been garaged and dealer maintained, both cars feature the latest greatest technology for their vintage.

I put them side by side and the difference is glaring (pun intended). I drive them both at night and there is no comparison. Now, the older car, sure with age maybe there is some dimming, but I can recall what the headlights looked like when the car was new. The LED headlights literally throw off twice the intensity and wide angle.