I always thought that I just had night blindness when driving at night. But now I'm rethinking it.

When I was first driving and into my 20s, I lived in cities or suburbs. There were always streetlights on 90% of the roads I drove on. I don't remember having to use brights/high beams.

Then I moved to CT 10 years ago, and suddenly had trouble driving at night. The oncoming headlights seemed way too bright and would blind me so it was difficult to see the road in front of me. I figured I'd developed night blindness in my "old age."

Then I was driving at night recently and it hit me that 1) CT doesn't have very many streetlights, 2) a lot of the roads are just 2 lanes (one each way), and 3) maybe it's a SPD thing, not night blindness!

Anyone else having trouble driving at night?

I dunno about driving because I've never driven, but I have terrible night vision period. I can't see my hand in front of my face at night, let alone anything else. lol

I would say I have this difficulty myself. It's mostly the visual overload of the bright lights in an otherwise very dark environment. That, and being awake all day has generally depleted the emotional/neurological reserves that help keep us centered. We've been going hard at it all day, so by the time night comes, we're worn out to begin with.

I have started tilting my rearview mirror to utilize the 'night driving' position, which does tame the lights behind me, though oncoming traffic remains an issue. Some people wear sunglasses, even at night, but sunglasses are really harsh on my tactile system, so they're a no-go for me, hehe.

I have decent night vision, but switching from dark to light, for me, is very difficult. Because the lights overload me right at first, so adjusting is so hard to do. I usually stare at the edge of the road when a car is oncoming, if there's a white line there, even better. And I always have to "flip" the rear view mirror to make the lights behind me dimmer. It makes sense to me that it's a bit harder for people with SPD, because of the overload factor. It gives you that split second of "deer in the headlights" (almost literally!) when the overload hits first.

On the other side of things, though, since I have the dyspraxia element going on, where I have serious issues being able to walk safely without being able to see at night. So even though I can see in relatively dim areas, I still like to have a night light of some sort on to keep me going. Works well with the two year old that brings night lights with him wherever he goes.

I have excellent night vision, but other peoples car's headlights will mess it up fast. I will get "stunned" by their headlights and will only be able to see white light for several seconds.

I no longer drive.

(03-02-2011, 10:12 AM)Dan Wrote: I would say I have this difficulty myself. It's mostly the visual overload of the bright lights in an otherwise very dark environment. That, and being awake all day has generally depleted the emotional/neurological reserves that help keep us centered. We've been going hard at it all day, so by the time night comes, we're worn out to begin with.

I have started tilting my rearview mirror to utilize the 'night driving' position, which does tame the lights behind me, though oncoming traffic remains an issue. Some people wear sunglasses, even at night, but sunglasses are really harsh on my tactile system, so they're a no-go for me, hehe.

I have similar issues driving at night. My night vision itself is fine, but all the lights on the road just kill me. I've been nearly run off the road several times because of bright lights blinding me. And some idiots insist on having these blue light that are brighter and sharper on dim than mine are on high. Those lights really hurt, should be illegal. I also make use of the glare block feature of the rearview, but like you said, useless for oncoming lights.

I don't have trouble seeing at night in and of itself, but like others, my eyes are exhausted by the time nighttime roles around. Really bright lighting is hard for me to work with too. I feel like I can't see what's right in front of me. Sunglasses are no help cause there's still too much brightness coming from above and from the sides. I prefer lighting that is balanced--not too bright, not too dark.

I never understood how people could drive with the headlights coming at them.

tactilesigner

Yes, that's more what it is. I guess night blindness is not an accurate description. I see fine at night, but if there're any headlights coming at me while I'm driving, then I can't see the road in front of me at all. Or if someone behind me has really bright headlights. I can adjust the rear view mirror but the side mirrors will still reflect the bright lights and I have to cover it with my hand or adjust those mirrors so it's not in my eyes.

Woah, I thought this was just me. I mostly have oral defensiveness but I also show a couple symptoms of the other types of SPD. I try not to drive at night if possible because I just don't feel safe doing it.

Hi,

I am a currently a year 12 student in Australia, who is working on a school project on Retinitis Pigmentosa.
I need genuine primary sources for this and it would be amazing if anyone with Retinitis Pigmentosa could share their experiences in detailed descriptions.
I would really appreciate if you could tell me your age, when you were diagnosed, the progression and the consequences of it with daily life.

Thank you!!!