A Coalville opticians has offered advice on driving at night as part of Road Safety Awareness Week.

If you see blurry or wavy beams on lights, you could be one of the 27 per cent of people in the UK living with a common eye condition known as astigmatism.

Experts at Specsavers have been revealing the signs and symptoms that may indicate astigmatism and sharing top tips on how to drive safely with this condition.

Driving at night can be difficult enough for those with 20:20 vision — but for people with astigmatism, it is even more challenging.

This comes as a recent review of multiple studies found that two-thirds of those with astigmatism experience night-time driving difficulties.

With the days now getting increasingly shorter, it is more important than ever to be aware of any changes to your sight and to recognise the symptoms associated with astigmatism.

This condition means the cornea (the front layer of your eye) or lens (the part of the eye responsible for focus) is shaped more like the pointed end of a rugby ball rather than a spherical football.

The result of this can cause blurred or unfocussed vision making everyday tasks difficult or even dangerous.

Shailan Ruparelia, store director at Specsavers Coalville, says: 'Astigmatism can present a range of symptoms including headaches, regularly having to squint to see clearly, eye strain or tiredness when focusing on prolonged tasks.

"If you have astigmatism, or think you might, it is important to get an up-to-date eye test every two years and always wear your glasses or contacts when driving."

In light of Road Safety Awareness Week, Specsavers has shared four top tips to drive safely with astigmatism.

1. Make sure you get your eyes tested at least once every two years so your prescription is up to date, and you can see as clearly when driving.

2. Anti-reflection treatments like UltraClear SuperClean can help reduce reflections which can be distracting when driving at night.

3. For varifocal wearers the SuperDrive lens is tailored for driving, featuring a 180-degree distance vision area and a wide upper intermediate area for road and wing mirror use, with minimum head movement.

4. It can be beneficial to wear contact lenses to correct astigmatism while driving as this eliminates extra light reflection. Mild astigmatism can be corrected by an ordinary gas-permeable lens while others with higher amounts of astigmatism might benefit from special 'toric' soft lenses to fit your eye shape.