Poor Night Vision: Glare, Halos and Possible Causes
Struggling to drive at night, seeing halos around lights, or needing more contrast than others are useful clues about your eyes — and some causes are very treatable.
Clear information to help you prepare for a conversation with an eye-care professional.
✳ Care explained with context
A clearer place to start
Understand the concern. Choose your next step.
Use this guide to learn what may be assessed and what questions to raise. It is educational information, not a diagnosis.
The guide
Poor Night Vision: Halos, Glare and Trouble Driving After Dark
01
Common causes
Early cataract is the classic cause of night-time glare and halos. Uncorrected astigmatism, higher-order optical aberrations, dry eye and vitamin A deficiency (uncommon but real) also affect night vision.
02
Less common but important
Retinitis pigmentosa and other retinal conditions first show up as night blindness, often from younger age and sometimes with family history.
03
The evaluation
Refraction under dim light, slit-lamp lens assessment, and a retina examination cover the usual suspects. Specific electrophysiological tests are added only when the pattern suggests a retinal cause.
!
Do not wait
Please seek urgent assessment if you have
Night blindness from childhood or teenage years
Night vision problems with tunnel-like side-vision loss
These symptoms may need urgent care. Contact the hospital to check availability; if you cannot promptly reach an eye-care team, go to the nearest emergency service.
These answers are a starting point. Your clinician can advise based on an examination.
Do halos around lights always mean cataract?+
No. Refractive error and dry eye can also contribute. New halos with severe pain, headache or nausea need urgent assessment; other new or worsening symptoms should be checked.
Can night vision improve after treatment?+
It may improve when an identified cause can be treated or corrected. The likely benefit depends on the cause and eye examination findings.
Jain Eye Hospital & Laser Centre
A clear next step starts with a conversation.
Book an appointment or contact the hospital if you need help planning your visit.
