Orlando Accident Lawyer Blog

Drivers with Bad Eyesight Can Cause Serious Florida Car Accidents

Thousands of people are misdiagnosed each year when it comes to conditions affecting their vision.  Floridians might be affected without even knowing that the optometrist may have made a mistake or the store might have distributed the wrong lenses.  Yet others have let their eyesight diminish over time unknowingly. 

The American Optometric Association (AOA) believes that prevention will protect the public’s health.  The association urges patients 61 or younger to have an eye exam every two years, and for those 62 and over, an annual eye exam is recommended. 

The AOA also believes that car accidents involving elderly drivers frequently are caused from physical or functional impairments.  Many of nation’s population, as well as Orlando’s senior citizens’ eyesight, has deteriorated over time and needs to be checked and treated.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveals that three times more deaths from traffic accidents occur at night than in daylight.  During the day, the iris of the eye constricts to filter limited amounts of sunlight inside, and at night the iris is more open allowing more light in.  Due to this function of the eye, depth perception and glare can be an issue for night-time drivers. 

More than 11 million Americans have vision problems that have not been corrected according to The Vision Council.  This condition can lead to impaired driving and an increase in collisions. It is important for motorists to get their eyesight tested when recommended, since driving a car is the riskiest thing most people do every day.  If eyesight goes untested, uncorrected vision can lead to traffic accidents.

For more information on this topic, read our article, Was Your Florida Car Accident Caused by a Driver with Poor Vision?