It’s probably not new information that it becomes more difficult to see in dimly lit environments. Many people struggle to see well at night, but this problem becomes exacerbated (not to mention dangerous) when combined with driving. It’s frustrating and can be more than a little bit scary to think that your vision is impaired when out at night. However, with ever improving, cutting-edge technology, glasses for night driving glare can greatly improve your vision. Read on to find out if night driving glasses are right for you.
What are Night Driving Glasses?
Our glasses for driving at night have an Anti-Reflective (AR) coating which reduces glare caused by light hitting the back of your prescription lenses. The specially coated nighttime driving glasses allow up to 99.5 percent of available light in, making for sharper vision, and having a huge impact on visibility and safety when driving at night. Internal reflections of light coming from oncoming traffic headlights and street lights is greatly reduced, which in turn also reduces eye strain.
How are they different from UV lens glasses?
UV glasses, on the other hand, are glasses that protect against ultraviolet radiation and have become more popular as we begin to understand the damage the sun can do to both our skin and our eyes. These glasses are suitable for daylight hours.
However, UV glasses are also often marketed as polarized glasses for night driving. Unlike Anti-Reflective coated lenses, UV lenses rely on a colored tint to block glare and increase contrast and depth perception. This is in fact incredibly dangerous; many experts have pointed out that any form of tint or color in lenses will actually reduce the amount of light your eyes receive and impair vision overall. Impaired vision for driving at night is the last thing you want to be worrying about!
What is nyctalopia?
As opposed to vision during the day, our ability to perceive color is greatly diminished at night. It’s only natural that when there is a lack of light, vision can be greatly reduced. Nyctalopia (or night blindness) is a reduction in vision and does not mean complete blindness. It is often a symptom of another vision issue, such as myopia, which means nearsightedness. Often, people with myopia find it more difficult than others to see in low light situations. Following a complete check-up, your optometrist might recommend the purchase of special AR-coated lenses as a sort of night vision glasses for driving, to alleviate the symptoms of nyctalopia. While they will certainly improve vision, they will also help make your driving safer and stress-free.
What to look for in night driving lenses
How do you know what to look for in night driving glasses? If you have been searching for the right driving at night glasses you will be pleased to know that there is a great amount of research going into this field. Many new technologies and increased research mean glasses for night driving glare are being optimized and produced in larger, more effective quantities. These lenses can provide improved vision overall thanks to the AR coating.
Tips for safe driving
While the amount of light available certainly does affect vision and safety while driving, there are many other factors to consider when taking visibility and vision into account for safe driving. It only takes a few minutes to be prepared. Here are some safe driving tips with regards to vision and visibility:
- Ensure windshield and headlights are always kept clean and that you have water and detergent topped up for longer journeys.
- Clean your glasses in the car before heading off.
- Make sure internal lights, such as those on the dashboard, are reduced so as not to cause a strain on your eyes reducing your vision at night.
- Always keep up with your regularly scheduled eye exams, to be certain your prescription is up to date.
- Try Anti-Reflective coated lenses for your prescription glasses to improve nighttime driving vision.
There are a multitude of risks involved with limited vision, especially when driving. The glare from high beams or a lack of streetlights on smaller roads are a danger to you and others. But these issues can, in part, be resolved by the use of anti-glare glasses for night driving. While nighttime driving glasses can’t fully grant you night vision, they should help make your driving experience safer, and less stressful. Still asking yourself “Do night vision glasses work?” Why not give us a call and let us answer that and any other questions you may have. One of our experienced consultants will be more than happy to assist you in finding the vision solution that suits you best!