Days of driving in the dark are over

[SuperAlly]

I’ve never been great at driving in the dark. But it was doable when I needed to.

Given lockdown, working from home etc it has been a while since I have had to do any driving in the dark. In fact between March and August I barely did any driving at all.

Tonight I drove to a different supermarket (changed because we are no longer able to leave local authority area). It was 5.30pm. Unlit dual carriageway. I was so frightened and disorientated I drove there at 50mph (thankfully the road wasn’t busy and it’s not far).

Its hard to explain. I can’t see where the white lines are to se my turn-off, and I get disorientated with the headlights and can’t tell how far away cars are and whether I can overtake etc.

I’m 35 years old. I feel really down in the dumps about it.

Do you think you should get your eyes tested? You're very young to stop driving at night.

Have you had your eyes tested recently? I have astigmatism is both eyes and find driving at night hard work! It’s okay with my glasses on.

I do need my eyes tested. I wear lenses as I am short sighted so I have them tested quite regularly. I’ve mentioned the issue before (when it wasn’t so bad) but they didn’t appear overly interested. I can’t believe how much it had deteriorated.

I feel exactly the same around this time of year. I had my eyes tested and they're fine, I think it just takes me a while to get back used to it again each year. Unlit roads are the worst. Try not to give up, you're still so young, keep doing short distances in the dark to get used to it again.

My mum started to have this problem and got some night driving glasses which have non prescription yellowy lenses, they have really helped her

DSS and I both really struggle with driving at night and we both have an astigmatism. Luckily I don't have to do it very often and if I do they are roads I know well.

I really struggle. I got some tinted glasses from the opticians but they’re crap. I’ve heard good things about the yellow ones though.

I think it depends a bit on your car. If you have a smaller, older car ( with low, traditional lights) I find the constant glare from SUVs with halogen lights coming the other way really challenging. Some cars have lights which seem dangerously bright to other drivers. I find driving at night far harder now than I used too and I’m only mid 40s

I don’t find it anything like as difficult in DHs car ( higher driving position).

There are hardly any streetlights where I live. I've found that my night vision is worse when I wear my contact lenses than when I wear my glasses.
I find it daunting when I have to drive in the dark after not doing it for a while. I drive for a living, so it's not like I don't get practice

You might need different lenses, I had one type and my night vision became poor.
I changed to biofinity and have had no problems since.

Do you have an astigmatism in one/both eyes by any chance? I have one and find driving in the dark quite disorientating because of the flare I get from streetlights and car headlights... I tend to keep night journeys confined to local trips - supermarket, picking up kids etc. I find it hard to concentrate on longer journeys.

I'm totally with you OP, I do go into the office at least twice a week and hate driving home. An A-road but unlit and I get totally dazzled by the lights, especially the xenon ones. I had a 4x4 behind me the other night who actually has their lights on full, ignoring all the flashes at him (I assume!)

Interesting to hear about having an astigmatism, as I have one so maybe that's why I struggle so much. Hey ho just 20 more years and then I can retire

Go and get your eyes tested! I really struggle too - the newer style headlights are brighter I think, and with my vision my pupils are wide open to compensate (according to the optician) so it's very painful. I do very little night driving but am going to mention it at next appointment and see if the yellow lenses might help.

I find it difficult to drive at night too and I have astigmatism! I was tired coming home from work the other evening and I felt very stressed. I drive on narrow country roads some of which have no lines and I really dread it.

If you have astigmatism you see the lines coming from all the lights and it is disorienting, every light looks spiky and glares.

I hate it and deliberately choose to limit my night time driving because of it.

I have astigmatism that makes driving in the dark harder for me and it’s really not fun, particularly if it’s also wet and lights are reflecting. Might be worth seeing if this could be the cause of your trouble OP

I have the same problem. I don't have binocular vision and I think that's the reason. My depth perception is poor and at night the world looks very flat.

Here you go, with pictures of the difference in what some people see

www.insightvisioncenter.com/viral-tweet-suggests-vision-with-astigmatism-versus-clear-vision/

best thing for night driving is an Anti reflection coating and keep your specs clean. And the windscreen too!

Glare comes from the light as it scatters about, the anti reflection coating won't do anything for the actual brightness but it absolutely stops the halos and dazzling flares from light sources, which are so troublesome.

As far as contact lenses go, lots of lens wearers who only have small amounts of astigmatism do not need have that corrected in their contacts so that will certainly exacerbate the glare and dazzle.

I'm exactly the same OP and have astigmatism. Feel like I can't see the white lines properly, distracted by glare. Wish I had a solution but I too avoid driving, especially alone, in the dark!

I hate driving in the dark as well. Ok on my country road where there are no/ few other cars but on the dual carriageway with oncoming lights all the time it's a real struggle. I'm 41 so not ancient.

I have astigmatism in one eye and find glare hard and worse with modern lighting. Driving in the dark and rain is hard going.

I've been going to the supermarket at night. There's a junction that's unlit with worn away road markings. Add in lockdown making the pub on the corner extra dark and there's even less definition to see where the road actually is. Being a staggered junction, it's wide but there's nothing to judge your exact place on the road.
It's bloody awful.

My sister struggles to drive in the dark and has no vision issues. Night driving lenses without px seem to help.

I had a full on meltdown in the dark the other day, don't be so hard on yourself. Could you go with someone else a few times til you get used to it again? No idea why I'm so scared of it but I used to be the same in the day too so hoping it'll wear off the same as that did.

Once you've got your eyes tested and updated contact prescriptions, also get yourself a pair of orange/yellow tinted non prescription glasses. Make sure to get the really unfashionable/ugly ones that cover the sides of your eyes as well as the front. They MASSIVELY cut down the glare from streetlights and headlights and made the world of difference to night driving for me. They look ugly as sin, but only.my husband ever sees me in them!