Driving at night can be difficult. When the sun goes down, it becomes much harder to see what’s in front of you, and the darkness can affect how quickly you’re able to react due to higher eye stress. The National Safety Council noted that 90 percent of your reaction while driving depends on your vision. However, vision is restricted at night because of a reduced ability to recognize colors, see peripherally and judge depth.
As you age, night driving becomes even more challenging. In fact, 40 percent of people over the age of 40 feel uncomfortable driving at night. As you get older, the corneas and lenses of your eyes become less clear, which can cause increased glare and make it harder to read road signs. Your pupils also shrink and don’t dilate in the dark as much as they did when you were younger. The risk of eye-related issues like cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration gets higher with age, increasing the struggle to focus on the road at night.
Looking at all the bright lights and straining to see clearly in the dark puts a lot of stress on your eyes. If you experience sore eyes, problems focusing, dry or watery eyes, sensitivity to light, headaches, blurred or double vision, and neck, shoulder or back pain, you could be dealing with eye stress. This can increase the difficulty of driving at night. But don’t worry, there’s plenty you can do to combat eye stress and improve your night driving.
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Ways to Reduce Eye Stress and Drive Better at Night
Keep up with Eye Care: Not only should you visit your eye doctor regularly to ensure that your glasses or contacts prescription is up to date, but there are things you can do at home as well to reduce eye stress. When your eyes feel tired, you can apply a warm, wet washcloth over closed eyes. Take 5-10 minutes to let your eye and face muscles relax.
Drive Smartly and Safely: During the day, it’s a good idea to always wear sunglasses, either regular or prescription. Consider getting a pair with no glare or polarized lenses to let more light into your eyes and prevent squinting. At night, make sure you’re always wearing clean glasses or contacts when driving. If you have to drive long distances, take several breaks to give your eyes a moment to rest. If you notice you’re squinting more frequently to see what’s in front of you or to read road signs, schedule an appointment with your eye doctor as soon as possible.
Reduce Eye Stress with Zeaxanthin: Zeaxanthin is the primary pigment in the macula in the back of the eye. Having a thicker, denser macular pigment is akin to having internal sunglasses that protect your vision and reduce glare from oncoming traffic at night. It’s the main dietary ingredient, along with lutein, in EyePromise Vizual EDGE, available in soft gels and citrus-flavored chewable. It helps decrease eye stress from bright lights, improve overall eye health and improve visual contrast to help you better notice all movements on the road. What’s more, it helps fight against age-related macular degeneration, which is the most common cause of blindness in adults age 55 and older.
Now is the time to feel more comfortable behind the wheel and make your eye health a priority. Join Night Driving Nancy, improve your overall eye health and regain confidence driving at night.
1 thought on “How to Reduce Eye Stress To Improve Night Driving”
I also found a handy pair of yellow tinted sunglasses that brighten my view at dawn and dusk. It’s worth a try!