Overnight Glasses addresses nighttime driving difficulties with tips for improving night vision

Image credit: AdobeStock/ambrozinio

In light of recent increases in fatal car accidents at night, Overnight Glasses has weighed in on how people can stay safe while driving at night by taking care of their eye health. Among their tips include keeping your prescription up to date, correcting astigmatism, and addressing concerns of cataracts or glaucoma, according to a news release.¹

Although fatal accidents have recently decreased nationally over the past 2 years² and are projected to remain decreased through 2024 in relation to 2023 by the National High Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),³ the National Safety Council found in 2022 that both fatal and nonfatal accidents tend to peak in the evening hours on both weekdays and weekends, specifically from around 4 pm.⁴ In 2007, almost half (49%) of passenger vehicle occupant fatalities occurred at nighttime, or between 6 pm and 5:59 am.⁵

Identifying nighttime visibility difficulty

Although factors including higher alcohol involvement, more speeding-related crashes, and fatigue play a role in these numbers, “nighttime driving is inherently challenging due to decreased visibility,” according to the NHTSA.⁶ Additionally, a 2005 study found that standard measures of visual acuity do not adequately predict drivers’ recognition performance under day or night conditions, particularly in older drivers.⁷ The study identified that while recognition performance was better predicted by contrast sensitivity than visual acuity, contrast sensitivity was still highly correlated with visual acuity measured under low-luminance conditions. Overall, photopic visual acuity and photopic contrast sensitivity, or photopic and mesopic visual acuity, were found to best predict recognition performance in drivers.⁷

Another study from 2017 found that intermittent glare significantly reduced overall driving performance scores (P = 0.002), with a 38% decrease in pedestrian detection, in older drivers (71.8 ± 6.3 years) with minimal or no eye disease, but who reported vision-related nighttime driving difficulties.⁸ “These results highlight the potential importance of nonstandard vision tests for assessing older drivers’ visual capacity to drive at night,” Kimlin et al stated in the study.

Ultimately, low light levels at night are believed to be a major cause of collisions with pedestrians and cyclists for drivers due to visual function being reduced under mesopic lighting conditions. “Light and glare from road lighting and headlights have significant impacts on vision and night driving and these effects are likely to change with evolving technologies, such as LED streetlighting and headlights,” first author Joanne M Wood said in a 2020 study.⁹

Improving vision while nighttime driving

According to Overnight Glasses, glare from headlights, blurry distant objects, streaky or blurred lights, nyctalopia, and other nighttime driving issues can often be resolved or improved with corrective lenses or further treatment from an eye care provider. Glare can be reduced by an anti-glare or anti-reflective coating, while keeping up-to-date with your prescription can ensure that road signs and distant objects can remain in focus. Obtaining corrective lenses designed for astigmatism and obtaining AR-costed lenses or tinted lenses to reduce light sensitivity can help with pupil dilation in low light settings. Night vision glasses or lenses may be needed for those with color vision deficiency to help distinguish between lights and signs at night. Taking regular breaks while nighttime driving to reduce eye strain can also improve nighttime visibility.¹

Additionally, conditions like cataracts, glaucoma, and keratoconus can severely impact night vision, making regular eye examinations and necessary treatments vital to safe nighttime driving.¹

References:

1. Reduce headlight glare: expert tip for safer night driving. News release. Overnight Glasses. Accessed September 5, 2024.

2. NHTSA launches Put the Phone Away or Pay campaign; releases 2023 fatality early estimates. News release. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. April 1, 2024. Accessed September 5, 2024. https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/2022-traffic-deaths-2023-early-estimates

3. Early estimate of motor vehicle traffic fatalities for the first half (January-June) of 2024. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. September 2024. Accessed September 5, 2024. https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813633

4. Crashes by time of day and day of week. National Safety Council. Accessed September 5, 2024. https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/overview/crashes-by-time-of-day-and-day-of-week/

5. Varghese C, Shankar U. Passenger vehicle occupant fatalities by day and night – a contrast. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. May 2007. Accessed September 5, 2024.

6. Nighttime Visibility GENERAL INFORMATION. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Updated August 25, 2023. Accessed September 5, 2024. https://highways.dot.gov/safety/other/visibility/nighttime-visibility-general-information

7. Wood JM, Owens DA. Standard measures of visual acuity do no predict drivers’ recognition performance under day or night conditions. Optom Vis Sci. 2005;82(8):698-705. doi:10.1097/01.opx.0000175562.27101.51

8. Kimlin JA, Black AA, Wood JM. Nighttime driving in older adults: effects of glare and association with mesopic visual function. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2017;58(5):2796-2803. doi:10.1167/iovs.16-21219

9. Wood JM. Nighttime driving: visual, lighting, and visibility challenges. Opthalmic Physiol Opt. 2020;40(2):187-201. doi:10.1111/opo.12659