Eye Health Resources

Astigmatism: The impact of lights and driving at night

What's driving at night with uncorrected astigmatism look like?

Picture this: You drive up to a stoplight at night and there’s a car on the other side with its bright headlights on. To a person with normal vision, the lights might be annoying. To you, the lights seem streaky and smudged, obscuring your vision and making it hard to see if there are any hazards around you. When the light turns green, you have to wait until the other car passes you to be able to see well enough to drive away. This example highlights the challenges—and dangers—that lights could present to people with severe, uncorrected astigmatism at night. Bright lights can be a distraction at best, and at worst, dangerous.

A dark photo with only headlights visible, which have streaks of light coming from them
An over-the-shoulder view of a man driving his car around sunrise
Is It Safe?

Your safety depends on your astigmatism

When it comes to your ability to see clearly enough to safely dive, it all comes down to how severe your astigmatism is and whether or not your vision is corrected. For example, driving with severe, uncorrected astigmatism can be dangerous due to vision blur and distortion. But driving with glasses or contacts that correct astigmatism may be no different than driving with 20/20 vision. Ultimately, only you and your eye doctor can determine how safe it is for you to drive at night.

A close up of a s smiling older man's brow eye

Understanding the basics of astigmatism

To understand how astigmatism affects the way you see lights, especially while driving, it helps to understand the fundamentals of astigmatism. Astigmatism is when the front surface of the eye (cornea) or lens inside the eye isn’t perfectly round like a basketball. Instead, it’s shaped more like an American football. This shape, when uncorrected, makes it difficult for light to focus correctly in the eye, causing images to appear blurry or distorted.

A woman sits in her wheelchair observing a brightly lit city at night
Astigmatism's Effect on Night Vision

More light, more challenges

Your pupils are the gatekeepers for how much light gets into your eyes. When it’s bright, they shrink so that you aren’t blinded by light. When it’s dark, the pupils get bigger to let more light in and help you see better. For a person with uncorrected (or under-corrected) astigmatism, bright lights like headlights, combined with a dark environment, can be particularly challenging since the eyes already struggle to focus light properly.

Astigmatism Symptoms at Night

What do lights look like for a person with uncorrected astigmatism?

When a person with uncorrected astigmatism sees lights at night, they may experience any of these difficulties:

  • Blurry vision
  • Distorted or squashed images
  • Streaky or haloed lights
  • Light beams emanating from light sources
  • Starburst effects
A POV view of driving a car down a dark road while it's raining

Tips for driving at night

What to do when you have uncorrected astigmatism

When you consider the science of how astigmatism works and how bright lights can impact people with uncorrected (or even undercorrected) astigmatism, it’s easy to understand why driving at night can be challenging—if not dangerous. Streetlights, headlights, emergency lights and more can all impact the ability to see, increasing the chances of an accident. Here are two tips that can help.

Get your vision prescription checked

If you have astigmatism, the number one thing you can do to make it easier to drive at night is to visit your eye doctor and get an up-to-date prescription for glasses or contact lenses. This can help reduce or eliminate things like blurry vision, distortions and starbursts that make driving challenging. Even if you already have a prescription, your vision may have changed or the prescription may not correct your astigmatism completely, so it’s still worth checking in with your eye doctor.

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Until that time, control what you can as you drive

The little things add up, so take steps to make yourself more safe, comfortable and confident while behind the wheel at night.

  • Leave early so you have time to go slowly
  • Limit the distractions inside your car
  • Don’t use cabin lights
  • Try not to look directly at headlights or streetlights
  • Use the night setting on your rear-view mirror
  • Stick to familiar areas
  • Keep all reflective surfaces clean and smudge-free. That includes any eyeglasses you might wear.

Why choose ACUVUE for astigmatism?

Clear vision

Contacts provide unobstructed sight and correct astigmatism as well as nearsightedness or farsightedness.

BLINK STABILIZED® design

For astigmatism, it’s extremely important that your lenses stay in place for clear vision. Ours realign with every blink.

Great for active lifestyles

Your vision stays clear and stable as you run, jump and twist. And unlike glasses, there's no risk of breaking contacts.

Apply and remove hassle-free

Due to the contact lens' design, it can't be put on upside down like most other lenses for astigmatism.

UV protection#

ACUVUE offers UV blocking# across its entire line of contact lenses, including those for astigmatism.

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Related content

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Toric contact lenses for astigmatism: What are they?

Discover how toric contact lenses work to correct astigmatism.

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Astigmatism treatments: Can it be fixed or cured permanently?

Dive deeper into the different treatment options available for astigmatism, including contact lenses and laser surgery.

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Footnotes

Consult your eye care professional for more information. Johnson & Johnson does not provide medical advice; this information is for educational purposes only.

#Helps protect against transmission of harmful UV radiation to the cornea and into the eye.


WARNING: UV-absorbing contact lenses are NOT substitutes for protective UV-absorbing eyewear such as UV-absorbing goggles or sunglasses because they do not completely cover the eye and surrounding area. You should continue to use UV-absorbing eyewear as directed. NOTE: Long-term exposure to UV radiation is one of the risk factors associated with cataracts. Exposure is based on a number of factors such as environmental conditions (altitude, geography, cloud cover) and personal factors (extent and nature of outdoor activities). UV-blocking contact lenses help provide protection against harmful UV radiation. However, clinical studies have not been done to demonstrate that wearing UV-blocking contact lenses reduces the risk of developing cataracts or other eye disorders. Consult your eye care practitioner for more information.

*Free trial contact lenses available only from participating eye care professionals. Exam and fitting fees not included.

~Reward amount dependent on ACUVUE product and quantity purchased and if you are a new wearer. Must get an eye exam and purchase from participating provider. Original receipt
required. Valid thru 06/30/24. Rewards paid in the form of an ACUVUE brand Prepaid Mastercard® . Use your card everywhere Mastercard is accepted in the U.S. issued by The Bancorp Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to license by Mastercard International Incorporated. Mastercard is a registered trademark, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated. Your use of the prepaid card is governed by the Cardholder Agreement, and some fees may apply. This is not a gift card. Please note that prepaid cards are subject to expiration, so pay close attention to the expiration date of the card.

Important Information For Contact Lens Wearers: ACUVUE Contact Lenses are available by prescription only for vision correction. An eye care professional will determine whether contact lenses are right for you. Although rare, serious eye problems can develop while wearing contact lenses. To help avoid these problems, follow the wear and replacement schedule and the lens care instructions provided by your eye doctor. Do not wear contact lenses if you have an eye infection, or experience eye discomfort, excessive tearing, vision changes, redness or other eye problems. If one of these conditions occurs, remove the lens and contact your eye doctor immediately. For more information on proper wear, care and safety, talk to your eye care professional, call 1-800-843-2020, or download the Patient Instruction Guides.

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