Driving with KC

[Jugger]

Hi everyone

I’m looking for some advice on driving with KC. I live and work in London, so generally have no need to drive. However, we had our first son this year and I’m having to do more driving than I did before, with that likely to increase going forwards.

I get good vision (most of the time) with kerasoft lenses, but I tend to have more difficulties with my vision when its dark, which gets exacerbated in winter when it get darks much earlier. In addition, I suffer a lot from dry eyes and need to use eye drops every 1-1.5 hrs throughout the day, whether or not I’m driving.

I tried driving one day last week at night with the interior lights on in the car, which seemed to be less strenuous on my eyes, but not sure how safe this is, with the possibility of seeing my own reflection in the windscreen?

The glare at night is particularly problematic.

Any tips/ suggestions on what I can do with my driving?

Cheers

Jugger

[Anne Klepacz]

Hi Jugger and congratulations!
Quite a few people with KC who drive have difficulty driving after dark because of all the halos round lights and the glare from headlights and other light sources. I've given up driving altogether now (like you I live in London with excellent transport links) but while I was still driving I never found a way of coping with driving after dark so just didn't do it. I just didn't feel safe (and of course it wasn't just a question of my safety but that of all the other road users and pedestrians). And now that I'm not paying hundreds of pounds in insurance and road tax, the occasional taxi doesn't seem like an extravagance.
A bit of googling suggests that while driving with the interior light on isn't actually illegal, it is considered dangerous for the reason you mention and also because it can be a distraction for other drivers.
There have been quite a few conversations about night driving on this forum in past years. If you put 'night driving' into the search you should find some relevant threads.

[Anne Klepacz]

Having just done the search reminded me that some people found anti reflective coated glasses helped them with night driving. You might find other tips too.

[Dlmc89]

Hi Jugger,

I live in the absolute middle of nowhere so driving isn't really optional for me. It's a half hour drive to the train station and the buses don't come anywhere near my house.

Driving with KC is a challenge. I have RGP lenses, and a pair of sclerals as well, and the difficulty with glare, halos and starbursts is frustrating.

I'm not sure I'd recommend driving with the interior light on, it could end up causing more problems than it solves. What I'd recommend is that you get a pair of anti-glare glasses and use them. They don't solve the problem, but they do help a good bit. As well, I'd recommend taking short trips where you know where you're going and try to get used to the lights. It does get easier. I'm used to it by now and don't really notice so much.

The best advice of all is to take your time and drive carefully.

Good luck!

David

[CrippsCorner]

My thoughts go out to anyone driving in RGPs! Jesus... that was a (scary) experience.

I basically try not to drive at night, which sucks because cars and driving is my biggest hobby. Luckily my fiancee passed her test last year so she drives me around in the dark! I do occasional force myself to drive around town locally as I don't want to lose the ability totally (gets a bit scary the longer you leave it) but I wouldn't attempt hitting an A road or motorway.

Tips though... definitely use glasses over contacts, I found they help quite a lot around lights.

Funnily enough, and this is kind of aimed towards Dlmc89. Do you find it's the actual dark or the lights that inhibit driving? For me, the darkness as such isn't a problem, so living in the middle of nowhere would be ideal lol, it's all the other drivers with their bright headlights and road lights that kill it for me.

[Jugger]

Having just done the search reminded me that some people found anti reflective coated glasses helped them with night driving. You might find other tips too.

Hi Anne

Thanks for the information and advice.

[Jugger]

Hi Jugger,

I live in the absolute middle of nowhere so driving isn't really optional for me. It's a half hour drive to the train station and the buses don't come anywhere near my house.

Driving with KC is a challenge. I have RGP lenses, and a pair of sclerals as well, and the difficulty with glare, halos and starbursts is frustrating.

I'm not sure I'd recommend driving with the interior light on, it could end up causing more problems than it solves. What I'd recommend is that you get a pair of anti-glare glasses and use them. They don't solve the problem, but they do help a good bit. As well, I'd recommend taking short trips where you know where you're going and try to get used to the lights. It does get easier. I'm used to it by now and don't really notice so much.

The best advice of all is to take your time and drive carefully.

Good luck!

David

Thanks David - I'll look into it.

[Dlmc89]

Funnily enough, and this is kind of aimed towards Dlmc89. Do you find it's the actual dark or the lights that inhibit driving? For me, the darkness as such isn't a problem, so living in the middle of nowhere would be ideal lol, it's all the other drivers with their bright headlights and road lights that kill it for me.

It's definitely the lights rather than the darkness itself. I get huge crowns on top of all the lights I see from cars, street lights etc. I live in the middle of nowhere but work in the city so if I drive to work it means taking the motorway... which when I started was terrifying. I spoke to my optometrist about it and she said I'd get used to it. Admittedly it's a lot better than it was... the crowns are just part and parcel of it now and I don't notice them so much. I have sclerals as well and driving with them is much easier, but getting them to go in my eyes is another matter!

[CrippsCorner]

I'm almost ready to give up on my left eye... soft contacts make it like 5% better, but it's not worth it for the annoyance and discomfort. I'm about to go for an appointment actually so will enquire about scleral, but I don't think they do them here.