UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

This question is aimed at anyone and everyone !

I have, for many years, experiences major problems with night driving . Since being diagnosed with KC I understand that this is a common phenomenon for KC sufferers. However, my optometrist tells me that once a KC patient is fitted with corrective lenses they usually find night driving much easier . Since I received my right contact lens (still waiting for the left!) I have found that actually the flare and glaring is exaggerated even more .

So my question is: is this really true about night vision becoming easier when fully fitted with contacts?

Having never had experienced both eyes corrected I am interested to know if it's alright on the night - so to speak (no pun intended) !!!!

Look forward to hearing your answers. Maybe this is worth a poll - what do you think ?

Sally

Hi Sally, I wear a lens and don't drive but I have always found my night vision to be poor. I can need help finding my seat in a dark theatre or cinema and I have to feel the edge of steps because I can't see them. I always thought us KC's found light and dark difficult.

Sally

I have not had severe issues whilst driving at night; however I did have the glare and the starburts from oncoming traffic. Its multiplied by 1000 when driving on the motorway or areas where oncoming vehicles have there full lights on!

There are things that can be done to the lenses which can alleviate this to an extent which are all available at time of despatch (and sometimes after)

J

Sally,

As per your suggestion, I've turned this topic into a poll.

well during the day, it depends on the sun, I drive alot and mostly I'm great at daytime driving. Nighttime is another matter entirely, the strong headlights of cars kind of overpower me if I'm out with one lens in (just to make clear I've legal eyesight in both eyes to drive with my rgp lenses and I can drive one eye when the other is giving me problems) - mainly the odd time going to get sugar or milk etc at night driving is near impossible when a car comes along, I have to slow down look down at the side of the road and still the light hitting my unaided eye overpowers my sight and I need to stop occassionally if its a long tail of cars passing me. With both rgp lenses in I can and often do drive at night, I've for 6mths now thou been driving with a good fitting sclera lens in my left eye (the hassles of that lens aside) driving at night with it in can be a bit odd, but not impossible to drive with - all I get is a reflected light into the 'cup' of the lens which can be a bit distracting at first. I think in general for me, the light hitting the reflective surface of our lenses is the problem, halos, glimmers, flashes and sparkles - so I tend to tighten my eyelids more and that helps cut it out alot.
I have a very well lit room, four uplights and one hanging light, but its still not sharp hurt ur eyes light and all my windows are covered with bamboo blinds that diffuse the light - very calming too... but its a constant light level, good bright but not harsh thru the day (I work from home) and find I can work extra time bc I got the light suited to me.
Generally thou, my vision unaided in my left is impossible, my right stays ok for about 3hrs then goes. With my rgp lenses in, most times of the days dont bother me, its just the extremes of light which for me is worse when I wear my sclera lens - so I do have many issues and problems during night or day ... but overall its strong artificial lighting, strong sunlight or sudden flashes of light that bother me. Althou on a slightly different issue, I do find and this is becoming more apparent, that my depth perception at night time or low level light is getting to be off, bumping into things and miss-grabbing things offered to me, either not at all or pulling their arm with it but that is down to me just using one eye for most of the day... I hadn't wore a left lens in about 8mths bc I had some other issues then I was given the sclera lens, first day in, at the clinic, I almost fell over - I could see perfectly right down to the last line of letters, but walking felt like I was on a ship, my brain-eye wasn't used to it anymore! It got better fast within a day or so, but without it in, I miss or bump stuff all the time.

Oh on a side note, I have to cover my VCR DVD,TV, Speakers and Computer leds, with my lenses out the light from them can get so annoying bc the 'light spreads' after a while when my eyes relax, the weird 'disc' shaped jaggy halo of light from them pulsates and I can't see anything else in the room.

Everyone is so different according to night and day. My twin sister prefers to be in the dark while i need lots of light! This is kinda different as most with KC hate bright lights. On driving though it is completely opposite. My sister doesn't drive but after having a lesson by night hated every minute of it as she couldn't see. I am ok driving in the day and if it is completely black, although at dusk things get so dam complicated. There just isn't enough light to see and yet car lights are no help at all until it is black!

When i drove back from Cornwall to London last summer i had to pull over for a few hours and wait for darkness to fall before i carried on. The only problem i have with driving by night is i need to drive slower past road signs so that i can read them (i think this is to do with how they reflect at night as i can still read a number plate ok), and that as i get tired i do get some halos around lights. Other than that i prefer driving by night. Although anytime when i can get in a car and turn my music up real loud is more than ok with me!!!!!

Sweet X x X

As on a preveous post,

I have found lightly tinted film on my windscreen helps which is specifically designed to reduce glare.

This is better than sunglasses from the high street which for me just makes things less bright but the glare and starburst is still there. The sunglasses I use during the day when driving have an anti-glare couating as well as the sunglasses tint so I am pretty much problem free.

My extra dark safety glasses also have an anti glare coating which makes things a lot easier than the dark glasses from the RNIB which can be worn over normal specs.

With these in place and making sure I have high quality screen wash to prevent smears on the window which adds to the starburst and glare I find very little difference. I also clean the inside of the car windows weekly and you will be surprised at how much fine muck builds on the inside of a windscreen even when cabin filters are fitted!

Gareth

I am prefectly prepared to acknowledge that my experience may not be typical (I checked the second option). As things stand I am not really able to wear any sort of lenses any more, but laterally my night time wear had become ain increasing problem for me.

It is always interesting to see the experiences of other folk

Andrew

Sorry i guess i need to add as well that it isn't just at night, my vision is always better with lenses! If i don't wear one i don't see anything! But i still voted for it being better as i do like night driving

Sweet X x X

Many thanks for all your comments , how very varied they all are !
It would appear that this is a very individual thing - even Sweet and her twin differ . Well I suppose I will have to wait until I have a pair of lenses in to decided if I am one side of the fence or the other ! At the moment I am mono-lensed and definitely find driving at night a real pain . You have given me some new ideas - although my car won't know what hit it if I start cleaning the inside of the windscreen !
Many thanks John for sorting out the poll .

Keep the comments coming please .

Sally