Eye health resources

How astigmatism affects your vision when driving at night

Driving at night with uncorrected astigmatism can cause lights to appear streaky, blurry, or surrounded by halos, making it difficult to see the road clearly. Depending on the severity of your astigmatism, driving at night with uncorrected vision can be dangerous because you could fail to see hazards you might otherwise avoid.

Test your eyes for symptoms of astigmatism

Medically reviewed on April 30, 2026

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Published on February 23, 2024; Updated on July 13, 2026

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5 minute read time

Key takeaways

If you have astigmatism that isn't fixed, lights at night might look streaky, blurry, or have circles or haloes around them
Uncorrected astigmatism can distort vision, making it harder to see clearly when driving at night, particularly in low‑light conditions
If you think you might have astigmatism, seeing an eye doctor is a good idea. They can check your eyes and talk about getting glasses or contacts to help.
Getting the right glasses or contact lenses for astigmatism can make seeing at night much better, so you can see more clearly in challenging lighting conditions such as driving at night

Why does astigmatism make it more difficult to see at night?

In short, if you have astigmatism, light entering your eyes at night when the pupil is larger can mean more distortion to your vision. This is why you might see streaky lights, haloes or worse blurry vision than during the day.

This happens because your pupils are the gatekeepers for how much light gets into your eyes. When it is bright, they shrink so that you are not blinded by light. When it is dark, the pupils get bigger to let more light in and help you see better. For a person with uncorrected (or under-corrected) astigmatism, bright lights like headlights, combined with a dark environment, can be particularly challenging since the eyes already struggle to focus light properly.

The affect of astigmatism on your eyes

To understand how astigmatism affects the way you see lights, especially while driving, it helps to understand the fundamentals of astigmatism. Astigmatism is when the front surface of the eye (cornea) or lens inside the eye isn’t perfectly round. Instead, it’s shaped more like an American football.  Astigmatism, when uncorrected, makes it difficult for light to focus correctly in the eye, causing images to appear blurry or distorted, day or night, near or far.

Astigmatism—causes, symptoms and treatments

Is it safe to drive at night with astigmatism?

Uncorrected astigmatism can make night driving more difficult and potentially unsafe due to blurred or distorted vision, as well as increased glare or halos around lights. Wearing glasses or contact lenses that correct your astigmatism can help improve visual clarity and may make driving safer. It’s important to talk to your eye care professional about the best option for your vision needs.

Understand astigmatism severity

What do lights look like at night with uncorrected astigmatism?

To a person with uncorrected astigmatism, headlights and streetlights often appear streaky, smudged, or distorted. This distortion can obscure your vision and make it difficult to spot hazards on the road. For example, for a person with normal or corrected vision, lights at night might be annoying, but a person with uncorrected astigmatism may experience:

Blurry vision
Distorted or squashed images
Streaky or haloed lights
Light beams emanating from light sources
Starburst effects

Potential treatments to help reduce the effects of astigmatism at night

If you have astigmatism, the number one thing you can do to make it easier to drive at night is to visit your eye doctor and get an up-to-date prescription for glasses or contact lenses. This can help reduce or eliminate things like blurry vision, distortions and starbursts that make driving challenging. Even if you already have a prescription, your vision may have changed or the prescription may not correct your astigmatism completely, so it’s still worth checking in with your eye doctor. Be sure to mention your difficulties with driving to your eye doctor, as this will help them provide the right treatment for you.

General tips for driving at night

When you consider the science of how astigmatism works and how bright lights can impact people with uncorrected (or even undercorrected) astigmatism, it’s easy to understand why driving at night can be challenging—if not dangerous. Streetlights, headlights, emergency lights and more can all impact the ability to see, increasing the chances of an accident.

The little things add up, so take steps to make yourself more safe, comfortable and confident while behind the wheel at night.

Leave early so you have time to go slowly
Limit the distractions inside your car
Don’t use cabin lights
Try not to look directly at headlights or streetlights
Use the night setting on your rear-view mirror
Stick to familiar areas
Keep all reflective surfaces clean and smudge-free. That includes any eyeglasses you might wear.

What’s next?

Schedule an appointment with an eye doctor

Curious what your contact lens options are? Get in touch with your eye doctor for a contact lens fitting exam. 

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FAQs

Frequently asked questions

Can contact lenses eliminate halos and starburst at night associated with astigmatism?

Wearing properly fitted toric contact lenses or glasses with an updated prescription can reduce the halos, streaks, and starbursts caused by uncorrected astigmatism at night.

Do the effects of astigmatism get worse when driving in the rain at night?

Yes, wet roads and raindrops on your windshield create additional reflections and glare. This extra scattered light compounds the visual distortion caused by astigmatism, making it even harder to see clearly.

Are there special glasses for night driving with astigmatism?

Prescription glasses or contact lenses are an effective defense for challenging lighting conditions like driving at night, but also adding an anti-reflective (AR) coating to your prescription glasses can help make sure your glasses aren’t introducing any additional glare.

Why does my astigmatism seem worse at night?

In low-light conditions, your pupils dilate to let in more light. This larger pupil size can emphasize any focusing errors in your eye, making the effects of astigmatism, like blurriness and halos, more noticeable.

Can I wear regular contact lenses if I have astigmatism?

Standard (spherical) contact lenses are often effective for low-levels of astigmatism, but if it’s still challenging to drive at night even with your current prescription, it’s time to talk to your eye doctor.

How do I know if my night driving problems are from astigmatism?

The best way to know for sure is to have a comprehensive eye exam. An eye doctor can determine if astigmatism is the cause of your symptoms and provide the right prescription to correct your vision to help with challenging lighting conditions during night driving.