Propickup Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/93583
Night vision diminishes as eyes age; new technology helps older drivers see better after dark, reducing the risk of accidents By Peter D. DuPre windows to the world. Virtually everything we do – from work to play – is dependent upon our having good vision. I Good vision is especially important to those involved with heavy construction who work outdoors while spending a lot of time behind the wheel of their pickups getting to and from jobsites. The problem is our night vision degrades with age without us even realizing what's happening; you may have 20/20 vision during daylight hours, but after dark the eyes just don't see like they used to when you were NIGHT DRIVING TIPS Dr. Troy Bedinghaus, O.D., off ers the following tips to help improve nighttime visibility: Keep windows and headlights/taillights clean Slow down to allow more reaction time to dangers Use the night setting on the rearview mirror to reduce glare Turn off interior lighting and keep instrument panel lights at low levels Make sure eyes are examined regularly Always wear an up-to-date prescription Lenses worn should be clear with an anti-refl ective (AR) coating 40 PROPICKUP February 2012 t is said the eyes are the windows to the soul. While that may or may not be true, one thing for sure is our eyes are our younger. That's when impaired night vision becomes a real safety issue. According to the National Safety Council, traffi c deaths at night are three times greater than during daylight hours. So what makes driving at night so danger- ous? Ninety-percent of a driver's reaction to a given situation depends on peripheral vision, depth perception and color recognition – all elements that are greatly reduced at night, slowing down reaction time. A driver's reaction time can be the diff er- ence between an avoiding an accident and being in one. "Nighttime driving is particularly hazard- ous to all drivers because the human eye is designed to work best during daylight" says Dr. J.P. Wong, a Seattle area ophthalmologist we contacted about night vision and how it aff ects middle-age drivers. During daylight, the eye's iris closes down – like a camera lens in bright sunlight – mak- ing a very small opening to let in the bright light and providing a good depth of focus. At night, the iris opens wide to let in more light, which has the eff ect of focusing the light over a larger area of the retina, making it more dif- fi cult to focus on objects. "The problem of seeing clearly after dark is A smeary windshield can mean blurry vision and unusual light streaks refl ecting off the glass. Keep windows clean on both the inside and out. Subdued interior lighting, as seen here, allows for improved night vision and a clearer view of the road due to reduced glare. magnifi ed with older drivers," Dr. Wong con- tinued, "because as the eyes age they are less reactive to light rays, so a 50-year-old driver's eyes may need twice as much light to see as well as a 30-year old does in the dark. " That, in a nutshell, is why older drivers are of- ten taken unawares by driving at night; during the daylight hours they see just fi ne, but after dark driving becomes more of a challenge with objects not being in sharp focus, or glare and halos forming around pinpoints of lights.