Driving requires lots of focus and utmost attention. Wearing anything that can affect your driving judgment is highly prohibited for your sake and for the sake of other road users. Therefore, can you wear reading glasses while driving?
No, you cannot wear reading glasses while driving especially single-vision reading glasses because they will impact your ability to see clearly in the distance owing to the fact that they only correct your near vision but across the whole lens.
Can You Wear Reading Glasses While Driving?
Because of the nature of driving, you are not permitted to wear reading glasses while driving to avoid it affecting your driving skills and judgment.
A reading glass, especially the single vision reading glass will highly affect your driving judgment by affecting your ability to see clearly in the distance.
The function of the single vision reading glasses is to ensure your near vision is properly corrected hence preventing you from seeing far distance clearly.
Reading glasses help you see something that is up close very clearly, hence if you drive with them, you will not be able to clearly see vehicles coming from a far distance, hence it is not good for driving.
Can You Wear Medicated Glasses While Driving?
Yes, you can wear glasses while driving as long as they are not single-vision reading glasses.
In fact, it is required of every driver who makes use of medicated glasses to wear them while driving to be able to see properly.
For users of glasses as prescribed by a doctor, there are things you should know about driving with glasses. They are:
1. It is Illegal to Drive Without Them
Yes, this might sound absurd but it is absolutely true. Many people who use glasses refuse to wear them while driving and this is absolutely dangerous because it poses a safety risk to themselves and other road users.
It is required by law for every glasses user to wear them while driving. If you do not comply, you can get fined and banned from driving or even sent to jail.
Just make use of your glasses while driving. Check the back of your driver’s license, if you see a 01 in box 12, it means the law requires you to make use of glasses while driving.
2. Your Insurance Can be Invalidated
Because it is illegal to drive without wearing your glasses, it means that if you do so, your car insurance will be invalidated.
If any accident occurs while you are driving without your glasses, you will pay the bill of repair to your car and the other parties’ car yourself.
3. Driving Without Your Glasses is Dangerous
I think we can all agree that if glasses have been recommended for you to use while performing certain activities like driving when you do not wear them, your vision will be inhibited.
When your vision is inhibited, the chances of having an accident increase. Many of the reported accidents in recent times were caused by poor vision.
These kinds of accidents can be prevented easily by making use of your glasses while driving but some people still go ahead and drive without them.
4. Glasses Can Decrease Glare
When you drive at night, it is possible that the headlights from oncoming traffic cause glare to your vision.
This gets worse if you make use of glasses, especially the ones that aren’t protected by anti-glare protection.
To reduce this, you should get lenses that come with anti-glare protection in them, this will improve the contrast.
Do Blue Light Glasses Help With Night Driving?
Yes, blue light glasses help with night driving by reducing glare and eye strain from oncoming headlights, streetlights, etc.
However, while blue light glasses can help you see better at night, they cannot fix night blindness. So, if you have night blindness, it is important to see your doctor for recommendations on what to use.
Are Night Driving Glasses the Same as Blue Light Glasses?
No, night driving glasses are not the same as blue light glasses because night driving glasses aim to block blue light to enable you to see better at night, while blue light glasses aim to help you sleep better and reduce fatigue by reducing glare from light bulbs, etc.
Therefore, it is worth saying that while both glasses are different, they serve the same purpose. Both glasses are suitable for night driving.
Conclusion
You are not allowed to wear single-vision reading glasses while driving to avoid it affecting your driving ability. However, it is illegal to drive without your glasses if recommended by your doctor to always drive with them. Ensure to drive with your prescribed glasses all the time.