Ophthalmologist explains why eyes get tired behind the wheel and what to do about it

Five causes of driver eye fatigue

Eye fatigue behind the wheel is not just temporary discomfort but a condition that directly affects road safety. This was stated by Maria Akulova, an ophthalmologist at the Bud Zdorov clinic on Sushchyovsky Val, in an interview with Gazeta.Ru, who named five main causes of this condition.

What happens to vision and how to help your eyes

The first cause is prolonged fixation of the gaze into the distance: the eye muscle strains and gets 'stuck', unable to relax quickly, which makes vision blurry. The doctor advises stopping every 1–2 hours and looking at distant objects — the horizon or clouds — as well as doing the 'triangle' exercise, shifting your gaze from the tip of your nose to a distant point several times.

Dryness, glare and night driving

The second cause is dry eye syndrome: behind the wheel a person blinks less often, the cornea dries out, and burning and a sandy sensation appear. Akulova recommends preservative-free moisturizing drops and an exercise: squeeze your eyes shut for 3–5 seconds, then open them wide. The third cause is bright light and blinding glare from the sun or the headlights of oncoming cars: the eye has to constantly adapt to changes in light levels. The doctor advises high-quality sunglasses with polarized lenses and keeping the windshield clean on the inside. She singled out driving at night and in poor visibility separately, when the strain on vision increases many times over — in such conditions it is important to reduce speed and keep the windows clean.

Optics and vision checks

The last named cause is uncorrected optics: even a small error in diopters causes overstrain of the eye muscles. The doctor added that regular vision checks will help correct the problem. The article is published as a follow-up to an earlier piece about common causes of headaches when working at a computer.