Do You Find Driving at Night Challenging?

Whether you've been diagnosed with an eye condition like macular degeneration or simply find night driving more difficult than it used to be, you're not alone. Even if your eyes are otherwise healthy, low levels of key nutrients can impact your ability to see in low-light conditions.

If you struggle with glare, poor contrast, or difficulty judging distances while driving at night, your nutrition may play a bigger role than you think. Let’s explore the key reasons why night vision can become a challenge and how you can support your eyes through diet and lifestyle.

Why Is Driving at Night More Difficult?

Several visual factors contribute to night driving struggles. Here’s a breakdown of what might be happening:

1. Reduced Contrast Sensitivity

Contrast sensitivity helps you distinguish objects from their background—like spotting a pedestrian wearing dark clothing against a dimly lit street. If your contrast sensitivity is low, everything looks more washed out, making it harder to pick out details in the dark.

2. Increased Glare Sensitivity

Oncoming headlights, streetlights, or reflective surfaces can create intense glare, temporarily blinding you. If your eyes struggle to filter light efficiently, this effect is much worse, making it difficult to focus on the road.

3. Reduced Depth Perception

Your ability to judge distances depends on contrast and sharpness. When contrast sensitivity is poor, objects may appear flatter, making it harder to accurately gauge how far away they are—an issue that can be particularly concerning when braking or changing lanes.

4. Impaired Dark Adaptation

Dark adaptation is your eyes’ ability to adjust when moving from bright light (like the glare of headlights) to darkness. If this process is slow, you may experience temporary “blind spots” after exposure to bright lights, making night driving feel even riskier.

5. Night Blindness (Poor Vision in Low Light)

Some people experience an overall reduction in their ability to see in dim lighting, known as night blindness. This can be a sign of low vitamin A levels, which impacts your ability to produce rhodopsin, the pigment your eyes need for vision in the dark.

How Nutrition Can Help Your Night Vision

The good news? Your diet plays a major role in how well your eyes adjust to low-light conditions. Here’s what you can do:

1. Boost Your Macular Pigment to Improve Contrast Sensitivity

The macular pigment is a yellowish substance located in the central part of the retina, known as the macula. It comprises three carotenoids: lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin. The macular pigment acts as a natural blue light filter, helping to reduce glare and improve contrast sensitivity—making details easier to see in low-light environments.

Best Foods to Increase Macular Pigment:

Leafy Green Vegetables – Spinach, kale, collard greens, turnip greens, Swiss chard.
Egg Yolks – A great source of lutein and zeaxanthin combined with fat to increase absorption.
Colourful Fruits and Vegetables – Lutein and zeaxanthin contribute to the yellow and orange pigments you see in foods e.g. bell peppers, corn, squash and mango.
Other Options – Avocados and pistachio nuts.

Eating plenty of foods rich in these carotenoids can help keep your macular pigment levels topped up. Think leafy greens, eggs, and brightly coloured veggies. But if you’re not getting enough from your diet, a supplement containing the macular carotenoids can give your vision an extra boost, especially for night driving.

Research shows that taking all three macular carotenoids together (lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin) is more effective than just lutein and zeaxanthin alone. This combination helps build up your macular pigment, improving contrast sensitivity and making it easier to see details in low-light conditions. In other words, it could mean less glare and sharper vision when driving at night!

2. Support Vitamin A Levels for Dark Adaptation and Night Vision

Vitamin A is essential for producing rhodopsin, the pigment in your retina that allows you to see in the dark. Without enough vitamin A, your eyes may struggle with both dark adaptation and general night vision.

Important Note on Vitamin A Forms:

Beta-Carotene (Found in Plant Foods) – Carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins contain beta-carotene, which your body converts into vitamin A. However, this conversion is inefficient in some people, meaning they may not get enough active vitamin A from plant-based sources alone.
Preformed Vitamin A (More Readily Absorbed) – Found in animal products, preformed vitamin A is already in its active form, making it potentially more effective in topping up levels.

Best Sources of Preformed Vitamin A:

Liver – The richest source of preformed vitamin A.
Eggs and Dairy – Whole eggs, butter, and full-fat dairy provide easily absorbed vitamin A.
Oily Fish – Salmon, mackerel, and sardines offer vitamin A along with other essential eye-supporting nutrients.

3. Boost Melatonin Levels to Improve Dark Adaptation

Melatonin isn’t just for sleep—it also helps regulate dark adaptation in your eyes. Low melatonin levels have been linked to slower recovery from bright light exposure, making it harder for your vision to adjust when driving at night. Here are some ways to naturally support melatonin levels:

Get Your Light Right:

Melatonin is heavily influenced by light exposure—getting it right is key! Soak up morning sunshine, cut back on evening blue light and keep it dark in the bedroom at night

Support Melatonin with the Right Nutrients:

Certain foods contain melatonin or the building blocks needed to produce it. Including these in your diet may help
Melatonin-rich foods – Tart cherries, pistachios, walnuts, eggs, and salmon are naturally high in melatonin.
Tryptophan-rich foods – This amino acid helps your body make melatonin. Good sources include turkey, chicken, dairy, nuts, and seeds.
Magnesium for melatonin function – Magnesium helps regulate melatonin and can be found in leafy greens, nuts and seeds, avocados and dark chocolate.
Vitamin B6 for melatonin production – Foods like salmon, organ meats, sweet potatoes, avocado and chicken provide this essential vitamin.

Stick to a regular sleep schedule:

Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day helps keep melatonin levels steady.

Avoid eating late at night:

Large meals close to bedtime can disrupt melatonin production. Try to finish eating at least 2-3 hours before bed.

Exercise:

Regular movement can help support your sleep-wake cycle and melatonin production. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate activity most days.

By making these small adjustments you can naturally boost your melatonin levels, helping your eyes adjust more easily to darkness, plus you'll likely sleep better too - a win-win!

Final Thoughts: Can Nutrition Help You Drive More Comfortably at Night?

If night driving has become more difficult—whether due to glare, difficulty distinguishing objects, or slower dark adaptation—you don’t have to just accept it. Even if you haven’t been diagnosed with an eye condition, low levels of key nutrients could be making your night vision worse.

By focusing on:

✔ Macular pigment support (lutein, zeaxanthin, meso-zeaxanthin) to improve contrast sensitivity

✔ Preformed vitamin A intake for night vision and dark adaptation

✔ Melatonin support to help your eyes recover from bright lights

…you can take proactive steps to improve your vision in low-light conditions and make night driving safer and more comfortable.

Have you noticed that certain dietary changes have helped with your night vision? Drop a comment below and share your experience! And if you found this helpful, pass it along to someone else who struggles with driving at night. 🚗✨

If you would like to work one to one with a nutritional therapist to support your eye health and protect your vision then get in touch with me here and we can chat! ☕