Astigmatism & Lights: How Astigmatism Affects Night Vision

Have you noticed streaks or haloes around lights when you’re driving at night? If so, this might be a sign that you have uncorrected astigmatism.

But what’s the relationship between astigmatism and lights, and how can you drive at night safely? Let’s get into it!

Common Questions About Astigmatism and Night-Driving

Many people with astigmatism have questions about driving at night. Over on Reddit, one new driver asked for advice about this. The Redditor, Neat-Appearance6695, wrote:

“I just got my license and was wondering how yall deal with your astigmatism while driving at night. I live in a particularly busy city and my astigmatism is pretty much making it impossible to drive at night. I wear contacts already, but am curious about window tint or anti astigmatism coating for glasses? Pls help!”

Many users recommended toric contact lenses. Sadimal wrote:

“Toric contact lenses made a huge difference for me.

If you do have astigmatism your prescription should have a CYL (Cylinder) and Axis number that has been adjusted to account for astigmatism.

Don’t drive when tired. Make sure your windshield is clean.”

Another Redditor named Clutch913 emphasized the importance of reducing glare. They said it’s a good idea to get a carpet dash mat to eliminate glare:

“Glare. Glare is your enemy. Clean your glasses(n/a for contacts). Check them against a control like a strong led light in your house. Fatigue, drowsiness, and blood sugar levels, keep them in check.

Clean your windshield, inside and outside. Clean all of your windows inside and outside. Invest in quality wiper blades, for rain and to prevent streaks. Yellow tinted, non-polarized sunglasses at night, in well lit areas can provide significant relief. (Take them off when you’re on back roads as they do slightly block a small amount of light) I’ve found that a carpet dash mat eliminates the majority of glare both day time and at night too. It’s an option.”

Over in another thread, another Redditor named CrazyHa1f asked for help with their driving problems:

“Hi all – so I have an asigmatism in my right eye and am finding driving at night a little unpleasant with the prevelance of super bright headlights, brake lights, and generally the prevelance of desert-sun-intensity LEDs on British roads… Living in London with fleets of electric Ubers and Range Rovers ups the exposure…

My research online and on this sub seems to suggest that getting those slightly yellow tinted prescription glasses may be pretty useless, and that purchasing glasses with anti reflective and/or blue light filters may be better. Some sources also suggest that modern transitions lenses work, and others swear by polarised clear lenses.

There definitely seems to be conflicting views, and certainly a lot of snake oil on the market. It’d be really helpful to hear how my fellow astigmatists deal with glare and optical lens flare on the roads.

Thank you in advance!”

In response, one Redditor named K-756 said they’d been using polycarbonate lenses, but they switched back to CR39 lenses and found they offered much better clarity:

“I have astigmatism. Night driving drove me crazy due to the starburst effect from traffic lights and the headlamps of oncoming cars. I can’t remember if my astigmatism was ever discussed regarding this. I do know that once I got the Crizal Sapphire coating on my lenses, it helped a lot. Around the same time, I switched from polycarbonate back to CR39 plastic and discovered the CR39 offered much better clarity for me.”

Another Redditor simply emphasized the importance of a clean windshield:

“I’ve tried it all. Best thing for me is to keep the windshield as clean as possible. Sprayway Glass Cleaner and good wiper blades do wonders for me.“

As you can see from these threads, driving with astigmatism at night can be very tricky, and it leads to lots of questions. Let’s unpack this more and dive deeper into the relationship between astigmatism and lights!

What Is Astigmatism?

To understand why someone with astigmatism would see glare and streaks at night, it’s important to understand how astigmatism itself works.

Astigmatism is a common eye condition where the cornea is irregularly shaped. Instead of a rounded basketball shape, the cornea is more football-shaped. The imperfect curvature causes light to focus on multiple points in the retina instead of a single point. This results in blurry or distorted vision.

Astigmatism and Night Vision

At night, our pupils dilate to let more light in. This can make astigmatism worse. With the pupil dilated, more light passes through the cornea. This magnifies the astigmatic cornea’s refractive error. 

Unlike nearsightedness (myopia) and farsightedness (hyperopia), astigmatism often affects both near and distance vision. And so, it’s difficult to escape the blurs and haloes. 

What Do Lights Look Like to People With Astigmatism?

Astigmatism can distort light in a few different ways. Some of the effects you may notice include:

• Haloed lights 
• Starburst patterns surrounding lights
• Streaky streetlights and headlights
• Bright glare around lights
• Blurry lights

Here’s an example of what someone with astigmatism might see:

Treating Your Astigmatism: Top Options

So, what can you do to see better at night with astigmatism?

Naturally, your best course of action is to treat your astigmatism. There are many ways to do just that. Here are some of your options:

Eyeglasses

After you’ve gone to an eye doctor and gotten a prescription, you can begin shopping for glasses that will help correct your astigmatism. Make sure you have all your information ready if you’re shopping for glasses online.

It’s also a good idea to add an anti-reflective coating to your prescription glasses. This could help reduce the blurry and streaky effect around lights at night. We offer a few different options for anti-reflective coating at EZContacts.

You’ll also want to frequently clean your glasses. Cleaning eyeglasses regularly is a good practice for any glasses wearer, but it’s particularly important for those with astigmatism. 

Astigmatism already causes blurry or distorted vision, and dirty or smudged lenses can exacerbate this condition even more. Whenever you’re heading out for a drive, make sure to have a microfiber cloth and some lens spray on hand.

Contact Lenses

There are also lots of great options for contact lenses for astigmatism. Toric contact lenses are designed specifically for astigmatic eyes. These contacts are shaped like the side of a donut, rather than the beach ball shape of spherical contacts.

One study showed that driving with toric lenses can be very helpful for those with astigmatism. This study included 11 young adults with astigmatism. They were placed into a virtual driving simulator, and they drove without any correction, with spherical lenses, and with toric lenses. The participants’ tactical and operational driving skills all improved with toric lenses.

You have plenty of good options for toric contacts. At EZContacts, we have over 30 options available, including daily, biweekly, and monthly contacts.

Unsure which ones to go for? Here are some of the top options. These contacts are the most popular and highest-rated on EZContacts.

	ACUVUE OASYS for Astigmatism	Bausch & Lomb ULTRA for Astigmatism	Precision1 for Astigmatism 90 Pack	Biofinity Toric	Air Optix Hydraglyde for Astigmatism
Key Features	BLINK Stabilized design for clear vision HYDRACLEAR Plus for Comfort	MoistureSeal technology for 16 hours of moisture retention OpticAlign design to reduce halos and glare	SMARTSURFACE Technology for smooth & moist surface PRECISION BALANCE 8|4® design to prevent rotation	Aquaform® Technology for all-day comfort and moisture retention Optimized Toric Lens Geometry™ for a stable fit with minimal rotation	HydraGlyde Moisture Matrix for lasting moisture SmartShield Technology to protect against deposits
Replacement Schedule	Biweekly	Monthly	Daily	Monthly	Monthly
Rating on EZContacts	4.6/5	4.6/5	4.7/5	4.7/5	4.8/5

Surgery or Other Ongoing Treatments

You can also surgically treat your astigmatism with LASIK surgery, which is a common refractive eye surgery that reshapes the cornea with a laser. You could also try orthokeratology, which is when you wear contact lenses overnight that gradually reshape your cornea. 

Keep in mind, though, that these methods can be expensive. Some people with astigmatism also report still experiencing haloes and glares even after getting refractive surgery.

Driving at Night With Astigmatism: Tips To Try

In addition to treating your astigmatism, you can also try making a few adjustments to your driving routine to make it easier to drive at night. This includes:

Dim Your Interior Lights

It’s tough enough dealing with bright lights outside your car; you don’t want blaring lights in your car, too! See if you can dim the lights on your dashboard or radio. Take a look at your car’s manual and see if it provides instructions on how to do this.

Regularly Clean Your Windshield and Mirrors

It’s extra important for people with astigmatism to regularly clear their windshields and mirrors. If they become smudged or dirty, it can be even trickier to see at night. Make sure to regularly clean them.

Try Not To Look Directly at Oncoming Headlights

To protect your eyes as you drive, try to look past the headlights of oncoming traffic, rather than directly at them. This might be tricky at first; It might take a bit of training. But if you keep working at it, muscle memory should start kicking in, and you’ll naturally look past them.

Keep Eye Drops Nearby

If your eyes often get dry while you’re driving, it’s a good idea to keep some eye drops on hand. If you’re wearing contacts, make sure to get rewetting drops. Otherwise, artificial tears can work well. 

Try To Avoid Driving Tired

Try to avoid driving fatigued when possible. Driving while tired can lead to blurry vision and eye strain for any driver. Your reaction time is also delayed when you’re tired. When you add astigmatism into the mix, it can be even harder to drive while tired.

When to Talk to Your Eye Doctor

Driving at night with astigmatism can be difficult. If you’ve started noticing glares or streaks around lights at night, talk to your eye doctor. Your eye doctor will be able to let you know if you have astigmatism and help you decide on a treatment plan.

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TL;DR

• Astigmatism is a common eye condition where the cornea is football-shaped rather than spherical. This leads to light focusing on multiple points in the retina instead of a single point.
• Many people have questions about driving at night with astigmatism. Over on Reddit, many users asked for advice about this.
• Our eyes naturally dilate at night to let more light in, which can make astigmatism worse. It magnifies the astigmatic cornea’s refractive error.
• Astigmatism causes lights at night to look streaky, blurry, or like they have haloes or starbursts around them. This can particularly be a problem when you’re driving.
• To treat astigmatism, you could opt for prescription glasses; consider adding an anti-reflective coating.
• You could also opt for toric contact lenses to treat your astigmatism.
• You could also try surgery or other LASIK treatments, but note that some people with astigmatism still report experiencing haloes or glares after surgery.
• It’s also a good idea to make some adjustments in your car to make it easier to drive at night. Try dimming your interior lights and regularly cleaning the mirrors and windshield. Also, keep eye drops nearby, try not to drive when tired, and avoid looking into incoming headlights.