Do you have trouble with night vision? Now that we have fewer daylight hours in a day, it is important to make sure that you are seeing well at night. Being able to see in low light conditions is something that most of us rely on being able to do. Yet, there are so many people who have trouble with their night vision. Because of this, we’ve dedicated our blog article this week to the topic of seeing well at night. So, if you have trouble with night vision, this week’s blog article is for you!
Being able to see well in low conditions is important. Especially in Calgary, where in the winter we have so few hours of daylight. Commuting home in the dark while having problems seeing is never safe. Therefore, being able to see comfortably at night, is just as important as seeing well during the day.
How Are Problems With Night Vision Diagnosed?
There are many reasons why a person might have trouble with night vision. Often the root of the problem is easily diagnosed by having a routine eye exam. If you have problems at night or in low light conditions, a visit to your optometrists should be the first place you go. An optometrist will evaluate not only your vision but your eye health as well. Once the cause of the problem is diagnosed a treatment plan can then be made to help resolve the problem.
What Causes Problems With Night Vision?
There are a few different reasons why a person might have problems with their vision at night.
Refractive Errors
For many people, trouble with night vision is due to common refractive issues, such as astigmatism and myopia. Many people can function fine under normal light conditions with uncorrected refractive errors. However, in low light conditions, they may have problems seeing.
Treatment for people who have trouble with night vision caused by refractive errors is easily corrected. Prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses are usually prescribed. For many people, corrective eyewear is only needed to be worn in low light conditions.
Cataracts
A man with a cataract in his eye.
As we age, the crystalline lens within our eyes (lens behind our pupils) starts to yellow and change opacity. The clouding of the crystalline lens is referred to as cataracts. Cataracts cause problems with contrast and clarity. Of course, this is amplified in low light conditions because the amount of light reaching the back of the eyes is reduced. Cataracts can also cause light to scatter which results in glare.
People who have cataracts can often opt to have cataract surgery. Cataract surgery replaces a person’s natural lens within their eye with an artificial one. This type of surgery is incredibly common and is very successful. If a person needs corrective devices, such as glasses for seeing at a distance, often cataract surgery can correct this as well.
LASIK Eye Surgery
Unfortunately, a common side effect of LASIK eye surgery is problems in low light conditions. Symptoms such as glare, halos, and starbursts around lights are a common side-effect from the procedure. Sometimes a LASIK enhancement procedure is all that is needed to resolve this issue.