What causes Hazy Vision at Night? 

20 Oct What causes Hazy Vision at Night? 

If you need to drive in early mornings, late evenings, or at night in Billings, Montana, and dread getting behind the wheel when it’s dark outside, you are not alone. Many people experience serious trouble with night vision, complaining of excessive glare, halos around lights, and a general hazy or blurry view of the road. This isn’t just a normal part of aging; it’s often a sign that a common eye condition is worsening. At Total Eye Care, we understand that night vision issues can impact your safety and quality of life. This article explains the two most common culprits—cataracts and astigmatism—and why a specific, comprehensive eye exam is essential to diagnose the problem and get you back to driving comfortably.

Why Night Vision Is So Challenging

Your eyes already struggle at night due to the low light, but when you add bright, concentrated light sources—such as oncoming headlights, street lamps, or stoplights—the problems become much worse. These bright lights can turn into distracting visual disturbances:

1. Halos: Seeing rings of light around a light source.
2. Glare: Light that feels uncomfortably intense, making you squint or look away.
3. Starbursts: Fine, spike-like patterns of light extending from a bright spot.

These problems happen because light entering your eye is not focused cleanly; instead, it is scattered. This light scattering is often caused by physical changes inside the eye, which is why professional diagnosis is so important.

Culprit 1: The Clouding Lens (Cataracts)

The most common reason people experience severe glare and hazy vision at night is the development of a cataract. Think of the lens inside your eye like a clear window. When you are young, light passes straight through this lens and focuses perfectly on the retina.

A cataract is simply the natural clouding of that lens, which happens slowly over time.

1. How Cataracts Scatter Light: As the lens becomes cloudier, light cannot pass through uniformly. Instead, the light hits the cloudy spots and scatters in various directions before it reaches the retina.
2. The Glare Problem: This scattering effect is what creates the severe halos and glare, especially from bright lights at night. A simple headlight can feel overwhelming and intense, making it nearly impossible to judge traffic or lane markers.
3. Other Symptoms: Patients often notice that colors look dull or faded, and their vision becomes progressively more cloudy or blurry.

If you are experiencing trouble with glare while driving at night, it is a key early sign that you may need a cataract evaluation with an optometrist.

Culprit 2: The Football-Shaped Eye (Astigmatism)

Astigmatism is another common cause of night vision issues, often resulting in starbursts and blurriness. Astigmatism is a type of refractive error, meaning your eye is not perfectly round.

1. The Shape Problem: Instead of having a perfectly round cornea (the front clear surface of your eye) like a basketball, someone with astigmatism has a cornea shaped more like a football.
2. Uneven Focus: This irregular shape causes the light entering your eye to bend unevenly. Instead of focusing sharply on one spot on the retina, the light focuses on multiple places. This uneven focus causes objects to appear blurry or wavy at any distance, but the effect is particularly pronounced at night.
3. Starburst Effect: This scattering and uneven bending of light often creates the “starbursts,” where every bright light source appears to have dazzling spikes or streaks emanating from it.

Astigmatism is often correctable with the right pair of prescription eyeglasses or specialty contact lenses; however, a precise refraction test is necessary to determine your exact prescription.

When to Seek a Specialist: Don’t Just Guess

It is important never to guess what is causing a change in your vision. While astigmatism and cataracts are common causes, night vision problems can also be linked to other issues, including dry eye, the side effects of certain medications, or previous eye surgery.

If you frequently experience halos and glare, you should have at least a yearly comprehensive eye exam. If halos and haze appear suddenly, accompanied by eye pain or a headache, seek urgent care, as it may be a sign of a rare, emergency form of glaucoma.

The Total Eye Care Solution in Billings

At Total Eye Care, we offer the essential tools to pinpoint the cause of your hazy night vision:

1. Comprehensive Exam: We perform a complete refraction test to check for astigmatism and ensure you have the correct prescription lenses.
2. Cataract Evaluation: We offer comfortable, advanced cataract evaluations to diagnose the stage of clouding in your lens. We can then discuss your options for treatment and clear vision.
3. Lens Solutions: We can prescribe the right lenses or coatings—like specialized anti-reflective treatments—to reduce glare and improve clarity for night-time driving, regardless of the underlying condition.

Don’t let blurry, hazy, or distracting night vision affect your safety or independence on the roads of Billings, Montana. Schedule your comprehensive eye exam with Total Eye Care today to get a precise diagnosis and clear up the night.