Are you like me and, even though you’re kind of young, you have the eyes of an 85-year-old person whose favorite lifelong hobby has been staring directly into the sun? It’s not fun. I should have healthy, youthful eyeballs but instead, I get to wear Coke-bottle glasses and can’t really see at night. This makes it difficult for me to drive after dark, but I’ve figured out some ways I can boost my vision and stay safe on the road, even when I’m driving past sunset. If you suffer similarly, you might benefit from these tips! Check them out!

The first one is to not wear any kind of tinted glasses at night. People market things like “glare reducing” glasses that have a slight tint, and if you own them you should just throw them away or use them when you’re at work and looking at a computer all day. The tint in glasses is pigment, which blocks light from reaching your eyes. Sight is literally light hitting your retinas, and if you have problems with your sight in the darkness, then you need all the light you can get.

Even so, the light from the headlights of oncoming vehicles can be too much for anyone and leave you with spots in your vision. If you are about to pass an oncoming vehicle, keep your eyes trained on the white line at the side of the road. You’ll be able to see the vehicle in your periphery and stay in your lane, but you won’t get a big spot in the middle of your line of vision!

Finally, if you really feel that it would not be safe for you to drive at night, don’t do it. Get a ride, schedule around it, or just stay home. You can have a lot of fun with a good book, I promise. And a book won’t put you at risk of getting into a car accident (unless, of course, you’re reading at the wheel… which I don’t think I have to tell you not to do). Safety is always first!