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Original poster

Special glasses for night driving?

41 replies

FlamingoBluey · 10/12/2021 07:38

Does anyone use these and do they help?
I had laser eye surgery a few years ago and, while it's been amazing in so many ways, I get 'haloing' when I drive at night. It's worse if it's raining.
I'd love to find some special glasses that reduce the haloing and make night driving easier.
Thank you! 👓

OP posts:
mowglika · 10/12/2021 07:50

I have developed quite bad night vision as well, I saw my optician and asked him about it. He said in recent years a lot more people have complained about haloing and brights lights and this is actually due to the bright xenon type headlights on modern cars.

Anyway to your question about night driving glasses, these are the yellow tinted glasses. I looked into it briefly but the consensus from reading around seemed to be they were not very useful. Still If you can get them cheaply might be worth a try

Original poster
FlamingoBluey · 10/12/2021 07:59

Thanks! That's interesting re the lights.

OP posts:
steelseries · 10/12/2021 08:04

I had laser eye surgery in March and suffer from this. My surgeon suggested a very weak prescription and a correction of astigmatism, plus anti-glare lenses. This, in combination with pupil-constricting eye drops seems to have really helped.

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steelseries · 10/12/2021 08:07

I was told it would improve by next winter so it's a bit depressing to hear that you have it several years down the line OP!

Original poster
FlamingoBluey · 10/12/2021 08:11

Steelseries I had my surgery six years ago!! But I'm sure it differs person to person 🤞🏻

OP posts:
Original poster
FlamingoBluey · 10/12/2021 08:11

Did your surgeon recommend any particular anti-glare lenses?

OP posts:
nannybeach · 10/12/2021 08:19

In my experience they don't work. Save your money. I am mildly short sighted, started wearing glasses nearly 40 years ago,was going to have surgery,thank God I didn't. Only the last place bothered to inform me that as my script was so small they would inevitably overcorrect I would end up long sighted, therefore glasses for reading. I do more reading than anything else. When I was at work everyone over 30 was long sighted,(age related so reading glasses) glasses on/off they all got ME to do the bedside paper work. THEN I also found out about the halos. I am night blind (rod/cone deficit) I have to balance where and when I go,light levels.

nannybeach · 10/12/2021 08:21

Steel series,you have to do all that still,after forking out thousands of pounds, I am glad I never bothered. As I've got older, because you get longer sighted with age,my eyesight is much better

gogohm · 10/12/2021 08:22

@nannybeach

So I'm not the only one!!!

I cannot see in one eye in low light (other fortunately isn't affected) so I avoid driving without streetlights unless I really have to. The optician told me it was rod deficiency and never met anyone else with it

MissCreeAnt · 10/12/2021 08:27

I would love to find an answer to this! I struggle too. No laser surgery but I have a pronounced astigmatism and even with my glasses, headlights look like they have rays shooting out of them.

nannybeach · 10/12/2021 08:32

DH just asked me were you long or short sighted and exactly what sort of surgery? He's had glasses for long sight for about 40 years, now has mid distance glasses as well. Was contemplating surgery, his glasses kept falling off at work,(under motor vehicles) was told he'd "probably" need lense implementation,4 grand each eye!

InconvenientPeg · 10/12/2021 08:38

I have driving glasses. They don't have the reading part of the prescription, my normal glasses are varifocals. I think they have different prisms, correction for the astigmatism, and an anti glare coating. They work really well.

I don't wear them if I'm only doing a short might drive, but if I'm doing a few hours on the motorway (my family live 4 hours away), then they really help. My eyes are less tired and I notice I'm less tense. Without them, on long night drives, I'm constantly on edge because the lights halo so much, they're confusing on where they're coming from. I used to avoid driving at night, so they've really improved things for me.

Fifthtimelucky · 10/12/2021 08:38

I bought some last month and they are brilliant.

I had been finding it really hard to drive at night because of the glare from certain types of headlights. I wondered whether the fact that my normal glasses are varifocals was making it worse as I found that moving my head down so that I looked through a different bit of the glasses sometimes helped (though that was uncomfortable)!

My new glasses are normal glasses for short sight rather than varifocals. They also have a special anti glare coating on. They make a huge difference. Headlights now just look like dots of light rather than stars with rays shooting out from them in all directions.

Mine are from Boots but I imagine all opticians do something similar.

I've never had surgery (too much of a coward) so I don't know if that would make a difference.

Parky04 · 10/12/2021 08:48

@steelseries

I was told it would improve by next winter so it's a bit depressing to hear that you have it several years down the line OP!
I still have this 20 years down the line!
nannybeach · 10/12/2021 09:04

Gogohm, probably because I was nursing I want,the "medics" involved. They start purple, became "bleached" in sunlight,ours take a long time to return to purple,hence the night blindness,I also have a problem driving under tree canopies. The paler your eyes the less purple. Mine are really wishwashy blue,DH dark brown. All to do with the pigment

Original poster
FlamingoBluey · 10/12/2021 09:12

@InconvenientPeg

I have driving glasses. They don't have the reading part of the prescription, my normal glasses are varifocals. I think they have different prisms, correction for the astigmatism, and an anti glare coating. They work really well.

I don't wear them if I'm only doing a short might drive, but if I'm doing a few hours on the motorway (my family live 4 hours away), then they really help. My eyes are less tired and I notice I'm less tense. Without them, on long night drives, I'm constantly on edge because the lights halo so much, they're confusing on where they're coming from. I used to avoid driving at night, so they've really improved things for me.

Do you have a link to them, by any chance?
OP posts:
Original poster
FlamingoBluey · 10/12/2021 09:13

@Fifthtimelucky

I bought some last month and they are brilliant.

I had been finding it really hard to drive at night because of the glare from certain types of headlights. I wondered whether the fact that my normal glasses are varifocals was making it worse as I found that moving my head down so that I looked through a different bit of the glasses sometimes helped (though that was uncomfortable)!

My new glasses are normal glasses for short sight rather than varifocals. They also have a special anti glare coating on. They make a huge difference. Headlights now just look like dots of light rather than stars with rays shooting out from them in all directions.

Mine are from Boots but I imagine all opticians do something similar.

I've never had surgery (too much of a coward) so I don't know if that would make a difference.

Same question - do you have a link at all? Thanks!
OP posts:
Original poster
FlamingoBluey · 10/12/2021 09:14

@nannybeach

DH just asked me were you long or short sighted and exactly what sort of surgery? He's had glasses for long sight for about 40 years, now has mid distance glasses as well. Was contemplating surgery, his glasses kept falling off at work,(under motor vehicles) was told he'd "probably" need lense implementation,4 grand each eye!
Hi nannybeach, I was very short sighted - -6.75 and -6.5. I had LASIK at Moorfields and it's one of the best things I ever did! (Even with the haloing!)
OP posts:
AbsolutelyFuckinFabulousDarlin · 10/12/2021 09:25

Im interested too, I'd like to see what people recommend

DidgeDoolittle · 10/12/2021 09:30

I'm short sighted. Not particularly bad, but wear glasses all the time. I have varifocals and find driving at night really hard. I have the yellow glasses you can buy to wear over your prescription glasses. They look ridiculous but do help quite a lot with the awful glare from the very bright headlights. I know other people who've found them helpful. They're not expensive so are worth trying.

2020ihavenoname · 10/12/2021 09:35

Had laser eye surgery years ago and I use normal prescription driving glasses with an anti glare coating, really helps and you don’t get the halo dazzling effect from headlights.

Tomnooktoldmeto · 10/12/2021 10:13

Just to make you aware haloing is also a sign of other eye conditions and you should be checking it with an optician

Just before the start of the pandemic I had these symptoms and was diagnosed with a condition called Fuchs dystrophy which becomes evident to opticians in your late 40’s to early 50’s, halo’s around lights especially when driving at night is an early indicator

In my case it wasn’t caused by my astigmatism or those horrible new bulbs but by a progressive condition which will eventually render me blind and needing a double corneal transplant so please check with a person qualified to decide

underneaththeash · 10/12/2021 10:18

OP I'd start by having a regular eye exam, if you were that short-sighted, you probably have a small prescription left and low amounts of astigmatism and myopia can make glare worse. You'll then benefit from a pair of driving glasses.

MissCreeAnt · 10/12/2021 10:55

@Tomnooktoldmeto I'm sorry to hear about your eye condition. Thank you for the wise advice. This has given me an extra push not to procrastinate too much on my next eye test.

Original poster
FlamingoBluey · 10/12/2021 12:04

Thanks all! I'll get some of the driving glasses but will also book an eye check-up.

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