Now that we are back on daylight savings time and many are commuting home in the dark, it is important to remind eyecare consumers about what they should and should not do to improve their vision while driving at night. Here are six tips to help do just that:
1. Never wear tinted lenses while driving at night – So called night driving lenses with any amount of tint or polarization only reduce the already limited amount of light available to your eyes making driving more hazardous.
2. Wear lenses with AR coating – AR coatings minimize distracting internal lens reflections which can be significantly more noticeable at night.
3. Have regular eye exams and ensure your eyewear prescription is up to date – Even slightly uncorrected refractive errors can make night time driving more difficult.
4. Make sure your corrective lenses are clean – Dirty lenses can limit your view and induce glare.
5. Make sure your windshield is clean – As with corrective lenses, dirty windshields will also limit your view and induce glare.
6. Make sure your head lights are clean and properly aligned – Dirty headlights can reduce efficacy by 75%.
Bonus Tip #1: Invest in a car with an infrared vision system – While not an option for everyone, cars with built-in infrared scanners can improve safety and certainly rate high on the coolness scale.
Bonus Tip #2: Invest in a car with auto dimming rear-view mirrors – A more accessible option starting to become a standard feature, auto-dimming mirrors can greatly improve comfort and safety while driving at night.