If you cringe at the thought of driving at night time, read on for some tips and tricks to improve your night vision.
Human eyes weren't designed to see all that well in the dark. Sure, we can, but it takes a while for our eyes to adjust. According to Harvard Medical School, we can start to have issues with night vision around the age of 40, and it's perfectly normal. Changes to the lens of your eye and your retina are just two of the reasons to blame.
With the sunlight hours getting shorter and shorter, more of us are commuting to work both ways in the dark. Here are some suggestions from AAA that you can try to improve your night vision and reduce eye strain while driving:
Acclimate
It takes about 20 minutes for you to have optimal night vision when transitioning out of a well-lit environment. Warm up your car and take your time when you head out to give yourself a chance to ease into the darkness around you. Also try closing your eyes for a full 30 seconds and then opening them just before you turn the key in the ignition.
Focus
Instead of looking into the headlights of oncoming cars, try instead to focus on the lines in the road and scan back and forth. Keeping your eyes moving will help considerably with eye strain as well.
Whatever you do, don't stare directly into bright lights coming at you; they will disorient you when you look away.
Clean
Use glass cleaning wipes to clean the interior side of your windshield and avoid touching the surface. Oils from your fingertips can cause smudges that are only visible in the reflection of lights at night.
If you wear glasses, make sure to clean those with lens wipes too. Keep some in your car, just in case.
Light up
Make sure your headlights are providing enough illumination to guide your way. Clean their surfaces as needed, and have their angle adjusted by your mechanic if you feel like they're tracking too low. Don't try to raise or lower them yourself!
**All of the photos in this article are courtesy of Unsplash.
When all else fails, this handy product will help reduce the glare of oncoming headlights. (You're welcome.)
Do you have other tips that help you when driving at night? Share them with us in the comments!
