Abstract
Road accident statistics indicate that the risk of fatal accidents or those involving severe injury to pedestrians is much higher at night than during the daylight hours. A major factor is the poorer visual information available to both the driver and the pedestrian in the dark. In dim illumination, many people tend to become near sighted. This phenomenon is called night myopia. Research employing the laser optometer has yielded new insights into the causes of night myopia, which are discussed.