One thing to look into if you’re having problems driving at night is the condition of your windshield. Windshields accumulate tiny scratches and pock marks from years of exposure to the elements and every one of them causes the light passing through the windshield to get scattered just a little bit. If you have insurance that will cover the cost of a new windshield, it might be worth parking near the little league field this spring.
Or “having a stone fall off the dump truck in front of you.”
I am a 32 year old woman with contacts, and I have always had problems driving at night, especially in the rain. There are apparently two types of problems - glare and…something else I can’t think of right now.
I have glare problems. When a car is coming toward me in a dark area, I literally can no longer see the road. I have to focus directly on the road lines to make sure I’m still straight. If I’m turning and a car is turning from the opposite direction, I get sweaty palms from nervousness.
And it the shiny rain, forget about it. On some of those nights, your headlights actually seem to be swallowed up by the darkness. The other day, I had to repeatedly remind my husband to turn on his lights - but they already were on…
I’m afraid that by the time I’m 50, I won’t be able to drive at night at all 
An older person who is now finding it hard to drive at night should see an ophthalmologist to be evaluated for cataracts. That could be one possible reason for having “night blindness”, and if that turns out to be the problem it is easy to fix.
There are a few other reasons it could happen, but that’s the most important one for otherwise healthy people who are just getting older. It goes without saying that if you are diabetic and have noticed declining vision, you definitely need to see a doctor.
Very good point lavender. My 80 yo Father just had cataract surgery. It was not a big deal. In fact, he was very proud that this had been the first time he had seen any doctor since the Korean war. :rolleyes:
I’m 49 and I’ve never liked driving in storms but since it usually rains all winter here I’m used to it. I’ve noticed in the last year or so that driving in traffic in the rain at night has become very hard. Between the street and highway lights reflecting off the wet pavement and the lights of oncoming cars I can’t see a damn thing. If I’m driving up here in the mountains where you rarely pass another car on the road at night and there are no streetlights it’s no problem for me.
I see an ophthalmologist yearly.
I had never heard of Rain-X. I am going to WalMart today. Thank you!
My only quibble with RainX is: Once you start using it, you will always have to use it. Once it wears off, it leaves streaks that make it more difficult to see, not less. So you must then reapply. I don’t have a problem with that, but you should be aware. Having said that, I love my RainX. Day or night, it is a boon in a storm.
What makes Rain-X streaky?
For those that have mentioned anti-reflective coating, can that be added “after market,” so to speak? My glasses are only two years old and I really like them, so I don’t want buy new ones just yet.
I couldn’t say. As it wears off it gets streaky. Applying another coat takes care of it. But as I said, once you start using it, you will need to continue. This is only my experience, others may not agree.
Yea, cataracts were my first thought -I’m 54 and had the surgery several years ago. Inow have bionic eyes (prosthetic lens that correct my vision pretty well)
I’m in my mid-forties.
Yes.
All my life, I’ve had mild near-sightedness (20-30 in one eye, 20-40 in the other). Didn’t wear glasses, had no problems driving at night.
Within the past six motnhs, I’ve noticed that it’s a little scarier driving at night. And when my driver’s license expired, and I renewed, my vision test indicated that corrective lenses are needed.
Plus I find myself moving small print away from eyes now, too. So I now have “progressive lenses.” Old man glasses.
I flunked the night vision exam when I got my first DL, when I was 16. I had a restriction on my license! This didn’t stop me, because I figured I could see as well as anyone.
I moved to another state, and they didn’t have a separate test, and therefore my only restriction was to have corrective lenses. Again, I couldn’t see all that well at night, but I figured nobody else could, either.
Then, about 15 years ago, I got a new prescription–first one since I was 12–and, amazingly, suddenly when driving at night it looked like lights had been turned on where no lights existed before. It was very exciting. It also made me realize how truly deficient my night vision had been.
Unfortunately, now, what with developing cataracts, I’m back to the old style of night vision. Only now I know what I’m missing.
Nights in rain are just the worst.