Some people are born excellent vision. Other people are not so lucky. However, even great vision at birth can decline over time. Glasses, contacts, and corrective surgeries are popular to correct failing vision. If your vision is not good, you will be at a higher risk of getting into an accident. This is a serious issue with seniors and elderly drivers. Learn how to manage driving with poor eyesight.
How-to Manage Driving with Poor Eyesight: Driver Safety
Seniors
Research from the United States Department of Transportation found that drivers ages 85 and up are the most at risk for fatal car crashes. Senior drivers often get into more accidents due to their decreased night vision, delayed reaction times, and poor eyesight. Many times, elderly drivers do not know that they have impaired driving skills until it is too late. In addition to having difficulties seeing and driving at night, they risk having cataracts and glaucoma.
Since driving with poor eyesight will increase their chances of being in a serious accident, seniors need to make sure that they are going in for annual eye exams. At these appointments, eye doctors can make sure that all glasses or contact prescriptions are accurate and up-to-date. If a patient has a cataract, an eye doctor can preform surgery in order to remove the cataract. They can also treat glaucoma. Unfortunately, sometimes the patient’s vision will be too poor for them to safely be on the road. The eye doctor will be able to diagnose this, and make the recommendation that the patient should no longer be driving. This could save not only the older adult’s life, but also the lives of others on the road.
All Other Drivers
It is not Just as elderly drivers that can have difficulty seeing while on the road. Some teens and adults have poor vision as well. Even if someone thinks they have great vision, it is a good idea to go see an eye doctor every year. The patient may not actually realize that their vision has slowly gotten worse over time. Eye doctors can prescribe glasses or contacts. They can also preform LASIK and other corrective surgeries to improve vision. Keep in mind that if a doctor prescribes glasses or contacts for driving, the patient must wear these corrective lenses while on the road. Drivers are far more likely to be in an accident if they are not wearing their glasses or contacts. There may be be major consequences if a driver causes an accident and is not wearing his or her prescribed corrective lenses.