Night Vision

[Cashman]

For most of my life I have worn contact lenses for distance vision, and when playing tennis.

Recently I have started to notice that my play under lights has badly deteriorated. I am consistently late - something that wasn’t a problem previously, and still isn’t a problem during daylight. I’m fairly certain it is because I am having trouble picking up the ball.

I get my eyes checked regularly and my current lens prescription is supposedly accurate.

Has anyone else had this problem? If so, did you find a solution?

 

[3loudboys]

Yes this started in my mid 40’s and I couldn’t find a solution that helped. My eyes did get a little better by simply playing more in the darker floodlit conditions. Found the ball toss into a dark sky and sometimes with flood light glaring to be very hard. Seeing the optician next week and will ask.

 

[Znak]

For most of my life I have worn contact lenses for distance vision, and when playing tennis.

Recently I have started to notice that my play under lights has badly deteriorated. I am consistently late - something that wasn’t a problem previously, and still isn’t a problem during daylight. I’m fairly certain it is because I am having trouble picking up the ball.

I get my eyes checked regularly and my current lens prescription is supposedly accurate.

Has anyone else had this problem? If so, did you find a solution?

Tough to decipher your exact problem, but for me I had to make a brand change, mine would get extremely dry at night while playing sports and would have spurts of blurred vision. My friend had these halos appear while playing at night around the lights, but that was because his contacts were old. Could be you're due for a fitting/brand change, (or it could be something else)...

Also Richard Brice does neuro/eye training, worth a look into, I did a bit of it as well but fell off since you have to be pretty dedicated with it:

https://www.instagram.com/tennis.hacker/?hl=en

 

[Addxyz]

Bump up the prescription on the contact lenses.

 

[mtommer]

Has anyone else had this problem?

Is it the same night conditions and location? I don't have wear glasses etc. as I don't have vision issues but there have been some courts at night where my bh gets way off and I always hit to my left (I'm lh) no matter how I try to adjust. Even my fh gets rushed. For some reason my ball pickup is delayed or maybe it's just the ball is slightly off from where my mind is telling me it's supposed to be. Hard to pinpoint the cause. I've even played inside once at a court where the lighting system just wrecked my timing. There was a layer of light aura or fogginess the ball traveled through. Hard to describe and frustrating to play in.

There was a match between Murray and Federer at the Aussie Open. Federer later admitted he took a bathroom break at the start of the match because the court was transitioning halfway from shade to sunny and it was messing with his play. I remember watching his play and remarking to my sister that his play felt eerily familiar to me for the above reasons. When he acknowledged it in the presser I was a little surprised that I was right.

Lighting can affect each person so differently.

 

[EggSalad]

Watching this thread. My ability to track the ball under the lights has greatly deminiahed with age. I’d love a solution.

It’s more the glare of the lights that bother me. Similar to driving at night and having bright heads lights coming at you in the opposite lane.

 

[EggSalad]

This thread motivated me to buy some cheap yellow lenses sunglasses off Amazon. They supposedly help with night time glare.

Since my issues are pretty much the same driving at night and LED headlights as well as tennis at night with LED lights, I’m hoping this will help. We’ll see.

 

[ChaelAZ]

Has anyone else had this problem? If so, did you find a solution?

Yes and no. It is worst at dusk, with the darker court and brighter sky, but if they do not have really good lights I am picking up the ball about when it passes over the net, at best. One facility we play leagues atI have the least nubmer of wins and they have AWFUL lights. Definitely related.

 

[Cashman]

Bump up the prescription on the contact lenses.

Like I said, I have had my eyes tested recently and my current script is correct

Is it the same night conditions and location?

Yes, pretty much

Admittedly the lighting is not the best, but never so bad that it's caused me problems before

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

For most of my life I have worn contact lenses for distance vision, and when playing tennis.

Recently I have started to notice that my play under lights has badly deteriorated. I am consistently late - something that wasn’t a problem previously, and still isn’t a problem during daylight. I’m fairly certain it is because I am having trouble picking up the ball.

I get my eyes checked regularly and my current lens prescription is supposedly accurate.

Has anyone else had this problem? If so, did you find a solution?

Have you been checked for cataracts?

Have you considered laser surgery? Your prescription might give you 20/20 but that's static; the standard optometrist doesn't test for dynamic vision. Possibly surgery can improve dynamic vision also.

I also have more problems at night but actually dusk is even worse for me.

 

[LuckyR]

Cashman, if you are like 3loudboys and are in your mid40s, this is a well appreciated issue where lenses harden and have difficulty accommodating. That is, while your distance prescription may be perfect and your reading prescription may also be perfect, the ability of your lens to change shape to keep the ball in focus as it gets closer to you (and the focal length shortens) will become difficult. Welcome to aging. It beats dying.

 

[socallefty]

It seems like when a player gets old enough to need reading glasses, their vision at night goes down the drain also. I don’t know anyone past 45-50 who says that they see as well at night on the tennis court as they did in their youth. The same thing happened to me also - reading vision and night vision went down the tubes at the same time just before I turned fifty.

 

[3loudboys]

Cashman, if you are like 3loudboys and are in your mid40s, this is a well appreciated issue where lenses harden and have difficulty accommodating. That is, while your distance prescription may be perfect and your reading prescription may also be perfect, the ability of your lens to change shape to keep the ball in focus as it gets closer to you (and the focal length shortens) will become difficult. Welcome to aging. It beats dying.

51 now and that pretty much sums it up. Whilst my ability to ‘see’ the ball eroded over that period in dusky conditions my ability to manage it improved after the shock of onset. When I say manage all that is is extra concentration and to an extent estimation - still not perfect by any means. Took me by surprise to be honest though as had no idea this was normal. Friend from India told me that there are eye tests available for everyone for exactly this type of age related degeneration. More sensible than the UK where you trip over this when it happens.

 

[optic yellow]

This thread motivated me to buy some cheap yellow lenses sunglasses off Amazon. They supposedly help with night time glare.

Since my issues are pretty much the same driving at night and LED headlights as well as tennis at night with LED lights, I’m hoping this will help. We’ll see.

The real problem is that most LED lights murder your eyes.

 

[LuckyR]

51 now and that pretty much sums it up. Whilst my ability to ‘see’ the ball eroded over that period in dusky conditions my ability to manage it improved after the shock of onset. When I say manage all that is is extra concentration and to an extent estimation - still not perfect by any means. Took me by surprise to be honest though as had no idea this was normal. Friend from India told me that there are eye tests available for everyone for exactly this type of age related degeneration. More sensible than the UK where you trip over this when it happens.

It is very dramatic when it happens. Over about 14 days your eyesight goes from "before" to "after". Luckily I was pre-warned.

 

[LeeD]

Night vision goes bad for your opponent also...just you did not hear his complaints.
Everyone's vision is worse at night, so live with that thought and play at night if you have to.

 

[BenC]

the type of lighting tech used matters too. fluorescent bulbs are supposed to flicker fast enough that you don't notice but it still feels like trying to track a butterfly at a rave.

 

[3loudboys]

Night vision goes bad for your opponent also...just you did not hear his complaints.
Everyone's vision is worse at night, so live with that thought and play at night if you have to.

Yes it’s inevitable but no less frustrating.

 

[optic yellow]

the type of lighting tech used matters too. fluorescent bulbs are supposed to flicker fast enough that you don't notice but it still feels like trying to track a butterfly at a rave.

The best nighttime lighting for being kind to eyes is incandescent or frosted LEDs which mimic this feel.

 

[Cashman]

Night vision goes bad for your opponent also...just you did not hear his complaints.
Everyone's vision is worse at night, so live with that thought and play at night if you have to.

this has nothing to do with the topic

 

[LeeD]

Too ignorant to know the truth.

 

[cks]

It is worst at dusk, with the darker court and brighter sky

+1
Dusk is the worst time of day for me to play and track the ball.

Depending on where I play at night, the lights can effect how I track ball. Sometimes lobs are harder to track at night with lights, than playing in the day and dealing with the sun.

 

[sureshs]

Rod photoreceptors are used for night vision.

Several factors affect night vision. Exposure to bright light quickly breaks down the visual purple and blinds the rod cells. A lack of vitamin A can decrease night vision because Rhodopsin is chemically related and deficiency will reduce production of the protein. Illness, headaches, fatigue, drugs, alcohol and heavy smoking also reduce your ability to see at night.

 

[Cashman]

Too ignorant to know the truth.

take your pills

 

[Bud]

take your pills

Vitamin A

 

[LeeD]

take your pills

Pills cure a physical problem.
Your problem is mental.

 

[Cashman]

Pills cure a physical problem.
Your problem is mental.

you’re not the brightest spark, are you

 

[Cashman]

Just to close the loop on this one, I had an optometry appointment the other day

The primary conclusion was that because my specific eye condition involves misshapen cornea, my vision worsens in low-light conditions (when the pupil dilates and more of the misshapen surface area is brought into play). There was not a lot he could do for this.

His one suggestion was that the soft contact lenses I normally wear may be a bit unstable for sport. He suggested that hard contact lenses or glasses may provide a small improvement.

 

[Chas Tennis]

You don't play at night, that is always too low a light level, you play under some form of artificial lighting.

See light levels recommended for "Recreational" tennis.

LED Tennis Court Lighting Layout & Design Guide (2025) (2025)

Find the ideal LED tennis lighting solution, fixture, and lighting system with our LED tennis court lighting layout and design guide.

sportsvenuecalculator.com

Daylight levels.

Daylight Illuminance - Lighting Equipment Sales

It was as bright as the sun and as bright as the daylight. These are the sentences we hear frequently after lighting applications. LED lighting applications really create bright environments at high light levels. Is it really as bright as the day?

lightingequipmentsales.com

"In direct sunlight areas, 30.000-130,000 lux light levels are reached. In areas that do not receive direct sunlight, 10,000-30,000 lux light levels can be obtained during daytime. It is necessary to reach this level at night if we want to talk about as bright as the sun."

I found information on light level requirements for indoor tennis courts. Recommended indoor levels were about 1/80 th of outdoor bright sunlight level. Huge difference! I frequently advise in posts to video in bright sunlight because the camera's automatic exposure control will select a much faster shutter speed and that will result in much less motion blur than videoing indoors.

I purchased a light meter for low cost, $40. I have not used it much. If really interested, get a meter and start measuring the light levels under the artificial lighting at your courts. Also, measure levels at dusk. Where I am, there are hills that cast the valley in shadow at dusk.

Some forms of lighting decrease in output as the lamps age. If the lamps are replaced only when they fail completely or lower output lamps are not replaced, maybe that is a factor at certain of your courts in certain areas of the court. Lighting at our platform tennis courts would have darker areas because some lamps would be old. A light meter would show those areas.

 

[innoVAShaun]

This used to be a problem for me.

I first tried my military Oakley HD optic lenses (amber) which illuminates everything around you very well. A lot of HP juniors wearing glasses have those and normal lenses also.

My eye doctors recommended I keep a set of moisturizing eye drops handy. I like to use the brand Major.

 

[Jonesy]

Just get one of these and be done with it.

 

[ngoster]

I have experienced something similar, if not exact. Depending on the quality of the lights, my vision can get blurred enough to throw off my timing. The public courts that I usually play at will have burnt out lights here and there creating dark spots thus blurring my vision. The club that my friend invites me to has new LED lights that are super bright so I don't experience any noticeable issues.

So here's the thing. I'm nearsighted and can only play sports, comfortably, with contacts on (i.e. field of vision, stability, etc.). I also have astigmatism so I have to wear special types of contacts for that. I've always been prescribed these types of lens until my last check up when my optometrist prescribed regular lenses. I thought it was quite curious but I didn't ask because my night vision seemed fine for tennis at that time. More recently, however, my vision has been blurry when wearing contacts when lighting isn't optimal. Other than tennis, I've noticed it while driving home from tennis. I can't read license plates or see street names clearly. When I wear glasses, I can see everything just fine. I have an appointment this weekend so I'll need to ask about it.

You may want to do the same test. Either try playing with glasses on to compare or simply drive around at night.

One other factor may be that your vision isn't balanced between both eyes. One may be blurrier than the other (at night) which can impact depth perception and timing.

Bottom line....getting old sucks.

 

[Cashman]

You don't play at night, that is always too low a light level, you play under some form of artificial lighting.

See light levels recommended for "Recreational" tennis.

LED Tennis Court Lighting Layout & Design Guide (2025) (2025)

Find the ideal LED tennis lighting solution, fixture, and lighting system with our LED tennis court lighting layout and design guide.

sportsvenuecalculator.com

Daylight levels.

Daylight Illuminance - Lighting Equipment Sales

It was as bright as the sun and as bright as the daylight. These are the sentences we hear frequently after lighting applications. LED lighting applications really create bright environments at high light levels. Is it really as bright as the day?

lightingequipmentsales.com

"In direct sunlight areas, 30.000-130,000 lux light levels are reached. In areas that do not receive direct sunlight, 10,000-30,000 lux light levels can be obtained during daytime. It is necessary to reach this level at night if we want to talk about as bright as the sun."

I found information on light level requirements for indoor tennis courts. Recommended indoor levels were about 1/80 th of outdoor bright sunlight level. Huge difference! I frequently advise in posts to video in bright sunlight because the camera's automatic exposure control will select a much faster shutter speed and that will result in much less motion blur than videoing indoors.

I purchased a light meter for low cost, $40. I have not used it much. If really interested, get a meter and start measuring the light levels under the artificial lighting at your courts. Also, measure levels at dusk. Where I am, there are hills that cast the valley in shadow at dusk.

Some forms of lighting decrease in output as the lamps age. If the lamps are replaced only when they fail completely or lower output lamps are not replaced, maybe that is a factor at certain of your courts in certain areas of the court. Lighting at our platform tennis courts would have darker areas because some lamps would be old. A light meter would show those areas.

are you a bot?

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

I played at a facility that had great lights and, not surprisingly, I shanked a lot less than when playing at another place where the lights are so-so.

As one ages, I guess the ability to properly calculate where contact should be made even though we can't see the ball that well declines. I asked my optometrist if dilating my eyes would help and he thought, on the whole, it would not.