Are you guilty of ignoring vision problems while driving? Or have you never tested whether your eyesight is fit for driving or not? Your vision acuity is your field of vision in which you see vehicles, pedestrians, traffic signals, etc.
Vision problems reduce visual acuity, increasing the chance of any undesirable incidence. You can damage your vehicle or put yourself and your loved ones in danger.
This post provides information on how 7 common vision problems adversely affect your driving and how to improve eyesight through proven treatments and preventive measures.
7 Common Vision Problems That Hampers Your Driving
Here is the list of 7 vision problems that reduce your vision acuity:-
- Digital Eye Strain
Digital eye strain, also known as computer vision syndrome (CVS), is prevalent in up to 90% of people who actively use screens. You get blurry vision, headaches, shoulder pain, neck pain, and dry eyes when you suffer from this eye health issue.
Irritation in the eyes and blurry vision while driving are hazardous as they can easily cause misshape.
- Near-sightedness & Farsightedness
In near-sightedness, you face trouble seeing far-away objects. Other vehicles and traffic lights seem fuzzy and blurry in this condition. It is also known as myopia.
In farsightedness, you don’t see any nearby object clearly. So you face trouble reading your speedometer, navigation, and seeing warning lights. Both these conditions are equally dangerous while driving.
- Astigmatism
There’s a huge difference when it comes to astigmatism vs normal vision. Astigmatism is the imperfection of the shape of your cornea or lens. The lights enter differently in the eyes of someone with astigmatism.
The objects appear blurry, and you may need to squint your eyes often. Astigmatism lights worsen at night, making it riskier to drive at night.
- Color-blindness
You may think, what color has to do with driving? But how a person with color-blindness can understand the traffic lights! Many road signs are dependent on their color to indicate their meaning.
And this vision mainly attacks the color red and green, which are the primary colors of traffic lights and signs on the road.
- Glaucoma
Glaucoma is an eye condition that damages your optic nerve. It can lead to blindness if not treated timely. Half of the 3 million Americans who have glaucoma don’t know it.
This is because it givesonly one late symptom while progressing, which is blind spots. It becomes dangerous to drive with blind spots in front of your eyes.
- Cataracts
It causes clouding of your lens. You may see halos of light, glare, and blurry vision while driving. You can’t drive in bad weather, dark, or low light conditions with cataracts. This eye health issue is mainly seen in older people.
- Macular Degeneration
Macular degeneration is also an age-related eye problem. It majorly affectsolder people. Your central vision gets disrupted due to a damaged macula which is a part of your retina.
If you have this issue, you can face multiple vision problems while driving, such as colour loss and people, road signs, and markers seeming blurry.
Treatment Options to Improve Your Eyesight
There’s no need to get nervous if you identify with any of these eye health issues. Here are some proven ways to improve your eyesight and drive safely.
- Key Nutrients
You may be facing vision problems while driving due to the lack of crucial nutrients and vitamins that strengthen your eyesight. Take a lot of nutrients that are crucial for your eyes along with vitamin A, C, E, omega-3, zinc, lutein, and gamma-linoleic to improve your eye health.
- Regular Eye Check-ups
Regular eye check-ups ensure that any vision problems or underlying eye disease are diagnosed and treated promptly. Go for an eye exam at least twice a year.
- Glasses
Corrective glasses or contact lenses are the most conventional way to improve eyesight. Glasses help you see clearly and drive with confidence. Get your prescription for glasses or lenses checked annually.
- LASIK
Myopia, farsightedness, near-sightedness, and other vision issues cause blurry vision while driving. LASIK surgery is the cure for all of these and other eye issues. You can say bye to astigmatism lights at night with the help of this refractive surgery.
- Cataract Surgery
It’s a painless surgery that cures cataracts by replacing your clouding lens with an artificial lens.
- Limited Screen Time
Digital eye strain can be controlled by limiting your screen time. Reduce your screen’s glare, maintain distance from your screen, and put away devices before 1 hour of bedtime.
- Sunglasses
Sunglasses protect your eyes from harmful UV rays from the Sun. They also cut the glare on a sunny day to provide you with a better vision for driving.
Conclusion
You don’t need to continue driving with blurry vision or other vision problems. There are various treatments available to optimize your vision for driving.
Visit your eye doctor if you notice any of these common eye health issues. A detailed eye exam or check-up annually is recommended to keep these vision problems at bay.
Author Bio:
Aaron Barriga is the online marketing manager for Insight Vision Center. With a knack for understanding medical procedures and an interest in eye and vision health, Aaron loves to share what he knows and what he learns. He blogs to inform readers about the latest eye care technology and other topics related to eye care, especially LASIK. Aaron loves collecting coasters from the different bars and restaurants he visits during his travels.