Night Driving Glasses: Do They Work? Glare, Halos and What Actually Helps

The short answer: the yellow-tinted glasses sold for night driving do not improve how well you see the road, according to the research we have. What does help is a current prescription in clear lenses with an anti-reflective coating, clean glass in front of your eyes, and an eye exam to look for the things that make headlights glare in the first place, such as astigmatism, dry eye and cataracts.

Why headlights seem brighter than they used to

At night your pupils open wide to let in as much light as possible. That helps you see in the dark, but it also means light passes through the edges of the cornea and the lens inside your eye, where small flaws matter more. A bright point of light, such as a headlight, then spreads into a glow, a ring or a burst of rays.

Several everyday things make that spread worse:

• An out-of-date prescription. Even a small amount of blur turns every light into a soft blob.
• Astigmatism. An unevenly curved cornea stretches lights into streaks or starbursts, often in one direction.
• Night myopia. Some people become slightly more nearsighted in the dark, so distant signs look fuzzy at night but fine by day.
• Dry eye. A patchy tear film scatters light and makes vision fluctuate between blinks.
• Dirty or scratched surfaces. Smudges on your glasses and haze on the inside of the windshield both scatter light.
• Age. The natural lens inside the eye slowly yellows and becomes less clear, and older eyes need much more light to see as well as younger eyes.

Do yellow night driving glasses work?

Yellow or amber lenses are marketed to cut glare and sharpen contrast at night. Many people say the world looks brighter through them, which is why they stay popular. The testing tells a different story.

In a 2019 study published in JAMA Ophthalmology, researchers at the Schepens Eye Research Institute had drivers use a night driving simulator with and without simulated oncoming headlight glare. Each person drove with three brands of yellow-lens night driving glasses and with clear lenses. The yellow lenses did not help drivers spot pedestrians any sooner, and they did not reduce the effect of headlight glare. The American Academy of Ophthalmology has said these results do not support recommending yellow lenses for night driving.

There is also a basic problem with any tint at night: it removes light. Your eyes are already short on light after dark, so a tinted lens can make dim objects, such as a pedestrian in dark clothes, harder to see. Sunglasses and darker tints belong in the car for daytime only.

What actually helps with night glare

Clear lenses with an anti-reflective coating

Uncoated lenses reflect some light off their front and back surfaces. At night those reflections show up as faint ghost images and extra glare around headlights and dashboard lights. An anti-reflective coating lets more light pass straight through the lens, so lights look crisper and the lenses look nearly invisible to other people. For driving, this matters more than any tint. Our custom lens choices page covers the coatings we offer, and our article on why great frames need great lenses explains how lens quality affects what you see.

An up-to-date prescription, checked in the dark

If road signs are fuzzy at night but clear by day, mention it at your exam. We can check whether a small change in the distance prescription sharpens night vision. Some drivers do well with a dedicated pair for evening driving.

Full correction of astigmatism

Leaving a little astigmatism uncorrected may not bother you in daylight, but it shows up as streaked lights after dark. Glasses or toric soft contact lenses correct regular astigmatism. When the cornea is irregular, as with keratoconus, scleral lenses give a smooth new front surface and often reduce glare and ghosting. Our post on correcting astigmatism without surgery compares these options.

Treating dry eye

If headlights blur and then clear when you blink, dry eye may be part of the problem. Long drives make it worse, since we blink less when we concentrate and heater vents dry the eyes. Our dry eye page and our article on why eye drops stop working explain the treatments that go beyond drops.

Glasses that fit and sit right

The optical center of each lens should line up with your pupils. A frame that slides down your nose or sits crooked puts you behind the edge of the lens, where reflections and distortion are worse. If you are choosing a new frame, our face shape glasses guide can help you find a style that suits you and stays in place, and our opticians can adjust it so it sits correctly.

Habits behind the wheel that cut glare

• Clean the inside of the windshield. The film that builds up inside the glass is a major source of night glare. Clean both sides, and replace worn wiper blades.
• Clean your glasses before you leave. Use a microfiber cloth and lens cleaner, not a shirt tail.
• Look toward the right edge of your lane when a car approaches with bright lights, instead of straight into the headlights.
• Dim the dashboard and screens. Bright displays shrink your pupils and make the road look darker.
• Use the night setting on your rearview mirror to tame headlights from behind.
• Keep your own headlights clean and aimed correctly, and slow down so you have more time to react.

When night driving trouble is a sign of an eye condition

Glare and halos are not always a glasses problem. Trouble seeing at night is one of the first signs of a cataract, the clouding of the lens inside the eye. Cataracts often make headlights look like they have a halo or streaks, wash out colors and make glare linger. Our article on cataract symptoms explains the early signs and when surgery makes sense.

Other causes we look for include changes after LASIK or other eye surgery, keratoconus, glaucoma and conditions of the retina. Halos with eye pain, redness, headache or nausea can signal a sudden pressure rise in the eye and need same-day care.

At a full exam we measure your prescription, look closely at the cornea and lens, check the tear film and examine the retina. Our eye exam technology page shows the scans we use, and you can meet our eye doctors before you come in. If it has been a while, see how often you should get an eye exam.

Frequently asked questions

Do night driving glasses really work?

The yellow-tinted kind sold as night driving glasses has not been shown to help. In a 2019 driving simulator study published in JAMA Ophthalmology, drivers spotted pedestrians no faster with yellow lenses than with clear lenses, with or without oncoming headlight glare. Any tint also lets less light reach your eyes, which is the opposite of what you need in the dark.

What kind of glasses are best for driving at night?

Clear lenses with your current prescription and an anti-reflective coating. The coating cuts the reflections and ghost images that bounce off the lens surfaces, so headlights look cleaner. Keep the lenses clean and scratch-free, and make sure the frame sits so you look through the optical center of each lens.

Why do I see halos or starbursts around headlights?

Common causes include an outdated prescription, uncorrected astigmatism, dry eye, smudged or scratched lenses, cataracts and changes after LASIK or other eye surgery. Less often, halos are a sign of corneal swelling or a type of glaucoma. If halos are new, getting worse or come with eye pain, have your eyes checked.

Does astigmatism make night driving worse?

It can. In the dark your pupils open wider, so more light passes through the uneven parts of the cornea, and lights can look streaked or smeared. Correcting the astigmatism fully, with glasses, toric contact lenses or, for irregular corneas, scleral lenses, often makes headlights look much tidier.

When should I stop driving at night and see an eye doctor?

Book an exam if you have trouble reading road signs, notice that headlight glare takes longer to fade, see new halos, or feel unsafe on dark roads. Many causes of poor night vision, such as an old prescription, dry eye or cataracts, can be treated.

Night vision checks in Alpharetta

If headlights have started to bother you, tell us when you book. We will check your prescription, your eye health and the glasses you drive in, and talk through lens options that make night driving more comfortable. Book online or call 770-776-9000. Reimbold Eye Group is at 4180 Old Milton Pkwy 1-D, Alpharetta, GA 30005.

Driving in from Roswell? Our eye doctor in Roswell page has directions and what we offer.