Experts Reveal How To Improve Night Vision and Drive Safely With Simple Tips
Just looking toward the right can help you avoid oncoming headlight glare
Driving always presents risks, but after dark it’s harder to see potential hazards. Plus, the glow of headlights and brake lights can take your focus off what’s most important: the road. And night driving becomes even more challenging with age since our eyes change over time. Here’s how to improve your night vision naturally and stay safe on the road.
Why night vision worsens with age
Poor night vision as we age is common, according to James Kelly, MD, an ophthalmologist and refractive surgeon specialist in New York City. Dr. Kelly says that like the rest of the body, our eyes experience various age-related changes such as:
- Reduced pupil size. Specifically, the muscles that control the pupils weaken, making them less responsive to changes in light.
- Poor lens clarity. The clear lenses of the eye become cloudy with age, resulting in cataracts. This scatters the light entering the eye, hampering night vision.
- Slower adaptation. Transitioning from bright light to darkness and vice versa becomes harder.
- Retinal changes. The retina is the part of the eye that senses light and sends electrical signals to the brain, which are then converted into images. The number of rod cells in the eye (which assist with night vision) declines significantly after age 35, making it harder to see in the dark.
Likewise, certain medical conditions, like diabetes and high blood pressure, can damage the structures in our eyes and impact their functioning. “All of these factors contribute to poor night vision,” Dr. Kelly explains, “but regular eye exams can help identify and manage these changes effectively.”
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How to improve night vision
Here, how to improve your night vision with easy tips so that you can drive with confidence.
Clean your windshield, lights and mirrors
“A clean windshield can significantly improve visibility,” Dr. Kelly says. “Ensure both the inside and outside are free from dirt, smudges and streaks that can cause glare and blur your vision.”
Michelle Andreoli, MD, an ophthalmologist and clinical spokesperson for The American Academy of Ophthalmology, adds that you should check your windshield wipers to ensure they work properly. If they’re worn down, “change them as needed,” she says.
You should also clean your headlights. “Dirty or foggy headlights can significantly reduce the amount of light they emit, decreasing your visibility,” Dr. Kelly explains. “Cleaning them ensures maximum light output, improving your ability to see the road.”
Finally, don’t forget your rear and side view mirrors. Keeping them clean lets you see what’s happening around and behind you so you can focus on the road ahead.
Adjust your dashboard lighting
Vision experts say that dashboard lights and LED screens in newer cars make it harder for your eyes to adjust to the dark outside the windshield.
“The brightness of the dashboard serves as another bothersome source of glare when driving at night,” explains Bradley Dougherty, OD, PhD, associate professor of optometry at The Ohio State University College of Optometry. “This lighting can be adjusted downward in many cars, and that may help with night driving comfort.” Dr. Kelly adds that dimming the lights helps your eyes adjust to outside darkness.
Keep eye drops in the glove compartment
“Dry eye and other ocular surface or corneal diseases can make night driving worse,” explains Luis Rojas, OD, co-founder of DeNovo Eye. “There are so many layers that light must travel through to get to the retina. If any of these layers are compromised or disrupted, it’s harder to see clearly. For example, our tears provide an important refractive layer. Without tears, incoming light simply scatters, creating significant glare like a foggy windshield on a car.”
In fact, French scientists found that people dealing with dry eyes were less likely to see things such as crosswalks and roundabouts while driving at night. Artificial tears help maintain the refractive layer that tears normally form on the surface of the eye, reducing vision glare. Keep a bottle of drops handy in your purse to get the benefit.
Take a break
You know that the light produced by street lamps and headlights can cause glare and halos. What you might not know is that excessive exposure to these lights also increases your risk of eye fatigue, according to a study in the Journal of Korean Medical Science
Other studies have linked staring at digital screens, like those found in most modern car dashboards, to eye strain and eye fatigue. So it’s no wonder that many people with poor night vision report similar symptoms.
Driving short distances probably won’t cause problems, but “long hours of driving at night can strain your eyes,” Dr. Kelly says. “Taking regular breaks to rest your eyes can help maintain your night vision and overall alertness.”
Look to the right
Bothered by headlight glare from oncoming traffic? Dr. Kelly recommends focusing on the right-hand lane markings.
“This technique reduces the intense glare from oncoming headlights, which can temporarily impair your vision and cause discomfort,” he says. “By shifting your focus, you still keep track of your lane positioning while avoiding the blinding effect of direct light.” Focusing your attention on the right-hand lane markings also helps you avoid the temporary “after-image” effect that occurs after staring directly at oncoming headlights.
Turn the radio on
Listening to music and singing along while you’re driving stimulates the brain, which improves eye function, suggests Boston University research. Investigators found that brain stimulus increases our ability to see contrast, sharpening overall vision at night.
Eat eye-friendly foods
“Eating a well-balanced diet full of various nutrients can assist with healthy vision,” says Yelena Wheeler, RDN, MPH, a registered dietitian nutritionist for the National Coalition on Health Care (NCHC). “Foods that are high in vitamin A are extremely vital.”
Sweet potatoes, pumpkins, mangos and carrots are rich in vitamin A, a nutrient that research in the Journal of Optometry found helps prevent night blindness. Vitamin A is vital in how the eye converts light into electrical signals for the brain. And researchers at UC Davis found that women with night blindness who ate vitamin A-rich foods daily were better able to adapt their vision in darkness.
Wheeler recommends incorporating several other nutrients into your diet as well, such as:
- Vitamin C: found in citrus fruit, kiwi, strawberries, broccoli, bell peppers, tomatoes and papaya
- Vitamin E: found in sunflower seeds, spinach, avocados, almonds and hazelnuts
- Omega-3 fatty acids: found in salmon, sardines, walnuts, flax, Brussel sprouts and oysters
“Vitamin C has antioxidant properties which reduce oxidative stress (cellular damage) and may delay cataract formation. Vitamin E has antioxidant properties that can slow down macular degeneration,” Wheeler explains. “Omega-3 fatty acids, on the other hand, contain docosahexaenoic acid (or DHA), which is used by the retina to protect photoreceptor cells” (the cells responsible for helping you see at night).
Consider a vision supplement
Antioxidant-rich plant pigments known as carotenoids are found in many of the foods mentioned above. Two in particular, lutein and zeaxanthin, protect the eyes from damage. But according to registered dietitian nutritionist Sara Chatfield, MPH, RDN, “most Americans consume only about 1 to 2 mg of lutein and zeaxanthin per day, and experts recommend consuming at least 6 mg daily to preserve eye health.”
Chatfield recommends talking with your doctor about supplementation.. One small study of older adults in the journal Nutrients concluded that participants who were given 7 mg of lutein and 14 mg of zeaxanthin daily for six months experienced improved night vision and better visual processing. Get your daily dose of both—plus vision-supporting omega-3s—with a supplement such as Bausch + Lomb Ocuvite.
Wear anti-reflective lenses
Another easy way to improve night vision is with anti-reflective glasses or contact lenses. These have a yellow or blue anti-reflective coating that helps reduce glare and halo effects around lights, making it easier to see at night, Dr. Kelly says. “There are a variety of glasses easily and inexpensively available for this purpose.”
Dr. Rojas adds, “We’re now able to incorporate blue-violet light filtering properties into the contact lens material. The biggest difference is that we’re able to use a much higher concentration of this unique filter (60 percent) compared to 20-40 percent in glasses.”
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