Night Driving Glasses to Prevent Glare: The Deception and the Little-Known Truth
Currently, many people believe in advertisements: wearing glasses with yellow lenses can prevent glare when driving at night. However, the truth is...
Optometristvuvantiep
June 27, 2023
1. Night Driving Glasses, The Deception Unveiled
Currently, many people believe in advertisements: wearing glasses with yellow lenses can prevent glare when driving at night. However, the truth is not so!
Colored glasses have no effect when driving at night
On August 1, 2019, a new study published in the JAMA Ophthalmology journal left many people astonished. (see source citation here) According to the research, a team of scientists from the Schepens Eye Research Institute at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Harvard University (USA), led by Dr. Alex Hwang, recruited 22 drivers to participate in a simulated night driving situation. The study results showed that night driving glasses with yellow lenses did not improve performance when driving compared to clear lenses, even when drivers faced headlights. “When you wear colored glasses at night, you are essentially reducing light. It’s basically like wearing sunglasses at night,” Dr. Alex Hwang stated. So how should night drivers, especially those with refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism), wear glasses to see best?
2. The Truth About Glare and Blinding Light
According to Kính Mắt Điện Biên Phủ 529, although they occur when driving at night, GLARE and BLINDING LIGHT are two different phenomena. Glare is a phenomenon that occurs when strong light shines into the eyes. For example: car headlights, flashlights shining into the eyes. As a reflex mechanism to protect the eyes, the pupils will constrict. Blinding light occurs in people wearing glasses, where some of the light hitting the lenses is reflected back. This reflected light creates a bright area that disturbs vision.
Did you know that: when light hits myopic lenses, three phenomena occur. First, light refraction. Light will pass through the lenses but change direction (to correct myopia, hyperopia). Second, light reflection. Light is reflected back off the surface of the lenses. Third, light absorption. A small portion of light will be absorbed on the surface, converting into thermal energy.
Did you know that: when light hits myopic lenses, three phenomena occur. First, light refraction. Light will pass through the lenses but change direction (to correct myopia, hyperopia). Second, light reflection. Light is reflected back off the surface of the lenses. Third, light absorption. A small portion of light will be absorbed on the surface, converting into thermal energy.The phenomena of refraction and reflection occur on the lenses
The cause of glare is due to strong light shining in. To alleviate glare, people wear sunglasses (colored lenses) to block some light, minimizing the amount of light refracted through. The cause of blinding light is due to light reflecting off the surface. To alleviate blinding light, people use anti-reflective lenses (clear lenses) to limit the reflected light.
BLINDING LIGHT
GLARE
CAUSE
Reflected light on the lenses
Strong light intensity shining into the eyes
SUBJECT
People wearing glasses
Both people wearing and not wearing glasses
SOLUTION
Wear anti-reflective glasses
Wear colored glasses (sunglasses)
According to Kính Mắt Bích Ngọc, to prevent glare, you should wear colored glasses (but they are not suitable for wearing at night). To prevent blinding light, you should wear anti-reflective glasses, which help improve image clarity.
Anti-reflective features help reduce glare on the lenses
3. Night Driving Glasses and Advice for Glasses Wearers
Advice 1: Sunglasses help prevent glare but should only be worn during the day when it’s sunny. At night, wearing sunglasses will make it even harder to see. Colored glasses advertised as driving glasses have no real effect. Advice 2: If you do not have refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia), it is not necessary to wear glasses when driving at night. For those with refractive errors, it is advisable to use anti-reflective lenses, which are the best night driving glasses!
People with myopia/hyperopia should use anti-reflective lenses when driving
Advice 3: If you have refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia), when wearing sunglasses, you must use prescription sunglasses or photochromic lenses to see clearly. >> Learn more about prescription sunglasses here.
>> Learn more about photochromic lenses here
4. Anti-Reflective Myopic Lenses
When light hits the lenses, three phenomena occur: reflection, refraction, and absorption. The less light the lenses reflect, the less glare there is, and the more realistic and sharp the images are. Anti-reflective lenses are lenses coated with a special material to minimize the phenomenon of light reflecting back. Using anti-reflective myopic lenses has three practical benefits for users: Benefit 1: reduces glare in normal conditions and when driving at night. Benefit 2: helps provide better image quality, free from interference from reflected light. Benefit 3: when taking photos or videos, it helps reduce glare on the lenses.
Anti-glare lenses help minimize glare when taking videos or photos
If the lenses do not have anti-reflective features, the viewed images will be disturbed, even seeing an additional blurred image overlaying the main image, making the images unclear.
Anti-glare lenses provide better image quality
>> Watch the demo video of the anti-reflective feature here
5. Price of Anti-Reflective Myopic Lenses
There are two main factors affecting the price of anti-reflective lenses: brand & refractive index.
The refractive index of the lenses is an index that characterizes the light refraction capability of the material they are made of. At high myopia, the higher the refractive index of the lenses, the thinner, lighter, and more expensive they are. Learn more: What is the refractive index of lenses? Kính Mắt Điện Biên Phủ 529 3/2 specializes in distributing quality lenses from reputable brands such as Essilor, Kodak, Chemi, Hoya.
Price Table of Lenses by Refractive Index and Brand
REFRACTIVE INDEX
BRAND
PRICE
1.56
Chemi U2
336,000 VND
Kodak FSV
485,000 VND
Essilor Crizal Alize
768,000 VND
1.60
Chemi U2
630,000 VND
Kodak FSV
850,000 VND
Essilor Crizal Alize
1,468,000 VND
1.67
Chemi U2
1,186,000 VND
Kodak FSV
1,350,000 VND
1.74
Chemi U2
2,520,000 VND
Hoya Nulux
5,590,000 VND
Essilor Crizal Sapphire
11,668,000 VND
NOTE: When getting glasses, please check the packaging of the lenses carefully, and monitor the grinding process into the frame to ensure that the product is not swapped (because after grinding, it is very difficult to distinguish the brand and refractive index).
6. Specialized Night Driving Glasses for Myopia
Currently, to meet the needs of professional drivers, some eyewear brands have launched specialized lenses. Unlike regular anti-reflective lenses, specialized driving glasses have multi-angle anti-reflective capabilities, both from the front and back of the lenses.
a) Essilor Crizal Sapphire Lenses
Essilor is a famous lens manufacturing brand in France. This is the world's leading brand in terms of annual lens sales. Essilor products always stand out for their modern technology and proven quality. Essilor Crizal Sapphire is a line of lenses produced with multi-angle anti-glare technology, minimizing glare from both the front and back of the lenses, providing the best visual experience for users.
b) Chemi X-Driver Lenses
Chemi Lens is a professional lens manufacturing brand from South Korea, which has been present in the Vietnamese market for a long time, with proven quality. Chemi products are affordably priced, making them a suitable choice for the majority of consumers.
Chemi X-Driver is a line of lenses specifically produced for those who frequently drive at night, with enhanced anti-glare capabilities, yet at a very reasonable price.
7. Price of Specialized Night Driving Glasses for Myopia
Similar to anti-reflective lenses, there are two main factors affecting the price of specialized night driving lenses: brand & refractive index. Price Table of Night Driving Glasses
REFRACTIVE INDEX
BRAND
PRICE
1.56
Essilor Crizal Sapphire
998,000 VND
1.60
Chemi X-Driver
900,000 VND
1.59
Essilor Crizal Sapphire
1,980,000 VND
1.67
Essilor Crizal Sapphire
3,288,000 VND
Kính Mắt Điện Biên Phủ District 10 only uses genuine high-quality lenses, with transparent and dedicated service to customers. ✓ 1-for-1 warranty within 1 year for product defects (frame and lenses) ✓ Absolute transparency, the entire lens grinding process is public for customer supervision ✓ Free cleaning, screw replacement, nose pad adjustment, and basic repairs for the product's lifetime
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