Are You Blind at Night?

Imagine this scenario: You are taking your own sweet time, cruising on the street heading back home. Suddenly, a car zooms by and the glare from its headlamp leaves you blinded for the next few seconds. Sounds familiar? This is actually a rather common happening and this effect of sudden blindness is call night blindness, which is very dangerous as it might bring you straight to death’s door step.

Such misery takes place when the light falls slightly onto your eyes which had already adjusted itself to suit to the low light condition, and ‘blindness’ occurs when the pupils are unable to re-dilate quick enough to be adjusted to the bring light, as a results of this, you tend to turn blind for just a few seconds. Though it will just last for a few seconds, but such events might lead to a fatal crash. But fear not, as there are ways to hinder such event from happening.

1. Usage of thin side frame spectacles

If you are wearing spectacles, opt for a thin side frame, because spectacles that have wider pieces will obstruct your peripheral vision. But bear in mind to get an eye examination before making any purchases.

2. Driving in the range of the headlights

You should practise driving within the range of your headlight and not beyond that. Usually, during the night, headlights tend to darken our vision range to about 60 to 90 metres ahead, and with a reasonable speed of 60kmph, the range will be 90m in just four seconds. Hence by moving slowing at night will allow you to have more time to spot any incoming danger and enable you to respond to the crisis immediately.

3. Usage of slow lanes

Another common tactic is to drive in the slow lane so that the oncoming cars will not blind your eye sight. This is because, being in the fast lane, you are more prone to the lights from the opposite direction thus causing you to have night blindness. Hence moving on to the slow lane can get rid of such problems.

4. Clean your windscreen

Yes cleaning of windscreen can safe you from being ‘blinded’. This is because it is not only the dirt that will restrict your eye sight, even the streaks and fingerprints on the inside can scatter lights thus reducing the level of visibility. Thus, clean your windscreen inside and out can prevent night blindness from happening.