Mark your calendars, November 1st is when the day gets shorter. And your eyes are going to need the right transition to adjust without hiccup.
I don’t think I’m too different from others when I say that I’ll miss the extra sunlight. But also, I’ve tried to understand why I felt so disoriented every year at this time.
And so I found some answers.
Eyes adjust kind of slowly
It turns out our eyes adjust a lot more slowly than a few seconds. Like going from a bright office into a dark parking lot. Night vision takes loads more time, and this gets worse as we age.
According to the National Library of Medicine, “dark adaptation” happens over the course of several minutes. And if you’re inside, the brighter the indoor light coming in, the longer it takes your retina to adjust the right way.
Shorter days = low light glasses time
This is where I realized the power of prescription and transition lenses. You’re losing 2-3 hrs of light per day, that means you’re driving to work in the dark, coming home in the dark, and maybe doing a few things in-between in the light.
It’s so helpful to have glasses that adjust the way you do.
In the summer it’s a lot of sunglasses wearing and that’s about it. Not anymore.
The dry eye part
The perfect storm of winter is indoor heating + more screen time. It’s a recipe for dry eyes.
So having the right pair that keeps your eyes taken care of through the season is essential.
What I do to help
For me, it’s about getting regular eye exams to stay ahead of the changing seasons. And as far as being bummed out about the daylight savings thing, maybe our biggest gripe is the vision part.