2 Ways Glaucoma Impacts Your Vision While You Are Driving At Night
Posted on: 23 November 2020
If you have recently been diagnosed with glaucoma, you may have many concerns about what is going to happen to your vision. As part of these concerns, you may be wondering whether or not the eye condition will affect your ability to drive, especially at night. If so, there are a couple of ways that glaucoma can impact your vision while you are driving at night of which you should be aware.
1. Headlights and Streetlights Seem to Have Halos Around Them
One way glaucoma affects your vision while you are driving at night is that headlights and streetlights seem to have multicolored halos around them. In the early stages of the condition, these halos may only appear as a thin line around the lights. However, as the disease progresses, the halos will become wider, increasing the impairment of your vision.
Because of the increased pressure within your eyeballs, the light does not reach the retina the same way as it would without it. Since the light bends as it passes through the lens and cornea, by the time it reaches the retina, it makes it appear as though the lights have rings around them.
The problem this can cause while driving at night is that the increased perception of light can impair your ability to see what lies behind the halos. Fortunately, sometimes amber-colored glasses can help reduce these halos and can be prescribed by your eye doctor.
2. Loss of Peripheral Vision from Glaucoma Is Intensified at Night
Another issue that driving at night when you have glaucoma can cause is an intensified loss of peripheral vision. As the condition progresses and the pressure within your eyes increases, you may have some loss of the ability to see what is to each side when you are trying to look straight ahead.
Because of the darkness at night and the halos created by the condition, your peripheral vision will decrease even more during the night. If you are having trouble with seeing what is around you, speak with your doctor to see if there are any treatments that may help with the issue.
While driving at night when you have glaucoma can be difficult, there may be some things that you can do to help your vision, such as specially tinted glasses or eye drops. Make an appointment with an eye care center that offers glaucoma treatment services to have an optometrist examine your eyes and discuss with you any available options.
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