driving at night any ideas

If you feel you need cataract op but NHS are refusing, check out the RNIB website which has a useful toolkit on the criteria etc

Often scary!

The brain’s ability to process what our eyes see slows down as we get older. That is my main problem with nighttime driving. I know that it takes me a little bit longer to work out what all the lights, shadows and road markings are. My brain is just slower so when I drive at night I am on high alert. So tiring! And often scar! I only drive at night when I have to.

I've had cataracts repaired and while I can see much better now, the lighting issue means I don't drive at night and try to minimise it anyway.

There is so much information on the road now, and so much light, that even minimal scatter causes problems. Rain makes it worse.

I have just asked my optician about special night driving lenses. She has lent me a pair which clip over clear frames. I will try them and take them back at the next appointment but she didn't mention a price.
They are Norville vista mesh.
vista-mesh.co.uk/

I don't wear glasses apart from for reading, but hate the dazzle of oncoming lights. Cataract?

I'm just the same. I've also stopped driving in the dark. Luckily my husband drives at night but I feel like a prisoner once it's dark. My optician said that night glasses don't work. I'm fedup!

I have the same problem Suey.
I purchased a pair of night glasses but it didn`t make any difference.

Thank you all. I know I have cataracts and an waiting for an operation. I have some sort of anti-glare finic=sh on my glasses....must check with optician...but that doesn't help if so. I will try some yellow glasses from Amazon' One again, thank you.

I have yellow tinted anti glare glasses too but I really hate driving at night and would far rather spend a night in Travel Inn than drive overnight. My dh does not mind night driving but can't itdrive now as he has a vbrain tumour and waiting removal of it.

I am perfectly OK during the day, but night time is not for me. The lights of other cars travelling towards me, make it unsafe, as the road ahead, disappears. On very well lit roads, I am just about OK, but unlit roads are a no-no. According to the optician, I suffer from night blindness and there is nothing I can do except order a taxi! It is a real pain, I can tell you. I now use my mobility scooter for night time travel, it has a 45 mile range, but no fun when it is raining!
At least I can get about, but have to do it solo. My partner can't see very well during the day, let alone at night. We use buses or taxis after dusk.

I picked up a pair of night driving glasses that go over your prescription glasses from I think, Aldi. Look for them being on sale again.

Thank you grandtanteJE for positive comments about cataracts.I was beginning to feel rather pessimistic and anxious about having mine done, after reading some of the comments .

A cataract op. may make all the world of difference, it certainly has to me.

However I do think we need to be sensible about the disadvantages of becoming older. I have stopped riding a two wheeled bike as I didn't feel save on it any longer.

If you really are scared driving at night then you are right to stop.

My husband has tried those anti glare glasses to no avail.
Our son and family live 4/5 hours away down the unlit A1 . We have to go early morning when weekend visiting and return Sunday lunch time during winter months.
Independent optician says its an age thing and fancy glasses don't help. We just adjust our live to suit

My husband recently got some of the yellow ones that sit on top of his regular glasses. He's only used them a couple of times so far as he avoids night driving. However he tells me they are a great improvement. Cost under ten pounds inc p&p online. He does say - ensure you give both sets of glasses a proper clean with lense wipes. He agrees its the modern headlights. He has eye tests regularly & voluntarily had an assessment with an advanced driving instructor (got top marks but also learnt some useful tips).

I have just bought some expensive Zeiss lenses which the Optician recommended. They are brilliant at night, cutting out glare, making everything beautifully clear. I have had one cataract done but the other is not sufficiently advanced to be done on the NHS. But if you can manage without driving in the dark & feel happier not to, trust your instincts.

Please get a proper eye test from (preferably) an independent optometrist (optician)! I take a dim view (pardon the pun) of Boots etc. selling people expensive products. You need an honest opinion, as Lizbeth's experience illustrates! I also have early cataracts and suffer a second 'ghost' image from headlights and streetlights. My optometrist referred me to Ophthalmology for investigations because, although he could see the cataracts, there are several other more serious conditions which might also present in this way. These were eliminated by various tests, which was reassuring. I know that ultimately, I will need surgery on the cataracts, but at least I know I'm not losing my sight to something more sinister.

I wear multi-zone (combined near and long distance) contact lenses and they do really weird things to lights at night. Took me ages to adapt to night driving (crawling along at 20 mph the first time I drove at night). I was very cross that the optician didn't warn me about this when I first got them. It wasn't until my first follow up appointment a couple of weeks later when I raised this, that he casually dismissed it by saying they always do that. I've got used to it now, but was terrified at first.

I have anti-glare glazing on my prescription lenses which work great in sunlight but car lights at night seem extra bright and I find it most noticeable if I am on a narrow winding road with lots of traffic coming the other way. It's ok if someone is in front as you can just follow their tail lights or I slow up.
I did read that our eyes don't see so well in the dark as we get older so I wonder if that is a factor as well.

My husband has spent a fortune on anti glare lenses for night driving. They made no difference but he has just been told that he is just starting with cataracts and that will be the cause of his problem with night driving. They are in the very early stages and no where near bad enough to even think about removing so he will have to struggle on for ages yet.

There was a discussion about this on Jeremy Vine’s radio show the other week. Apparently more and more people are struggling driving at night because of the newer led lights in new car headlights. I’m 47 and thought it was because I’m getting older but I really struggle when night driving these days, perhaps it down to that. I don’t drive a night much but will get some night driving glasses to see if it helps.

Anti glare glasses make no difference if the problem is a cataract. I have a cataract...hopefully next eye test will get me a referral. I have trouble with driving at night because of the bicycle wheel type glare I get from lights. I do avoid it as much as do can.h

I had cataracts removed but I am still dazzled so I never drive at night. I got the yellow tint glasses and wear them if I’m a passenger. However I have read that they make the dark places more difficult to see in so are dangerous. Look this up .

I recently had an eye test at Boots and I was offered a new anti-glare 'Drive Safe' product from Zeiss. It is said to be more effective than the previous anti-glare products but, of course, it is more expensive. I declined because I don't drive very often at night but it could be worth exploring. This is a link to Boots. Other spectacle providers are available (but I don't know if they all offer this product).

www.boots.com/opticians/zeiss-drivesafe-lenses-

I wear yellow glasses over my specs, the same ones I wear when driving into the sun. Most older people will have difficulty at night in unlit roads. Adaptation reduces with age eg we cannot see so quickly when coming in from bright sun . It is a natural aging process. So drive in a lower gear, so that you feel that you have more control, use main beam if in the front and no vehicle is coming. Stay aware of where the side of the road is and remain focused on the centre line if car headlights are coming towards you

I have decided to only travel short familiar routes at night, there are always those inconsiderates on the road coming towards us who drive too fast and who don`t bother dipping main beam. 25 minutes last night in damp mucky conditions was enough for me. The whole road is 40/30 mph and too narrow for overtaking, which helps

I wear spectacles, have done for 52 years and see an optician regularly. We need to be aware of driving limitations and safety