How Do You Know if You Need Glasses for Driving and is There a Difference?

There are many reasons why someone might need glasses but most importantly – driving. Night driving can affect many aspects of vision including color recognition, peripheral vision, and depth perception. You may have asked yourself, “How do you know if you need glasses for driving and is there a difference in the glasses?” Well, here are a few tips on the differences in driving glasses and how you might know if you need them.

Glare and Reflections

One of the biggest issues that some people face when driving is glare or reflections. This is especially prevalent at night and can cause the driver to not be able to see well. Glare from street lights or oncoming cars make it difficult to see clearly and the driver’s vision is blurry and impaired.

Sunshine and Daylight Driving

In the daytime, another type of glare causes problems for those who need driving glasses. Sunshine causes glare and can also cause accidents by impairing the driver’s vision.

If you have experienced glare from any type of lighting while driving, it is a pretty good indication that you may need glasses.

The Types of Driving Glasses

There are a couple of categories of driving glasses. They include prescription eyewear and sunglasses with polarized lenses. Both work to make it easier to see during driving conditions – both day and night.

Prescription Eyeglasses

Prescription eyeglasses correct things like near or farsightedness and these glasses come with something else to help with driving – an anti-reflective coating. This anti-reflective coating helps cut down on the glare and light reflecting off of the surface of your lenses in the front and the back, allowing more light to enter the eyes. This makes your vision better and makes it easier to see when driving, especially at night when the glare and reflections are more in abundance.

Polarized Sunglasses

Polarized sunglasses have a special coating that reduces glare. This type of sunglasses ensures that it is easier to see when driving during the bright glare from sunlight and they are tinted. This tinting works to increase contrast and provide sharper vision for the driver.

In some states, not wearing driving glasses when you need them can get you a ticket or in some cases, make you lose your driver’s license. This is because that while you may not be impaired by drugs or alcohol, your vision is still impaired which makes you less safe on the road and more likely to have an accident. That is why it is important to find out if you need glasses for driving or polarized sunglasses.

An eye doctor will tell you if you need glasses for driving but there are a few hints that allow you to have a pretty good idea that you may need them.

  • Your vision seems blurry when driving at night
  • Glare from streetlights or other cards make everything seem blurry
  • Harsh sunlight makes you unable to see clearly

These are not always an indication of simply needing glasses which is why it is important to see a doctor so he can rule out any indication of cataracts or other medical conditions first. Once that is done, you can then find out what prescription you need and then pick out the glasses you like best. It is important to note that it is not safe to wear polarized sunglasses at dusk or at night. Save those for when you are driving in the daytime only.

If you would like more information on eyeglasses and prescription changes, contact us today.

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