Drive more safely with Zeiss Drivesafe glasses

Zeiss DriveSafe Lenses provide the perfect solution for drivers who want just one pair of spectacles for everyday use. Lenses-in-Glasses gives you the low-down on Zeiss DriveSafe Lenses and why they can help you drive more safely on UK roads.

The Problem with Varying Light Conditions

The problem with varying light conditions is that our eyes can’t adjust quickly enough to meet the situation.  Ask yourself these questions:

• Do I feel I can’t detect objects quickly enough when driving in low-light conditions such as rain, dusk, twilight or at night?
• Am I disturbed by glare from oncoming cars at night?
• Do I have problems refocussing when looking from the road to the dashboard or my mirrors?

If you’ve answered yes to any of the questions above, you’re not alone. Driving in the dark employs our scotopic vision. In other words, our pupils grow large to allow in any light that’s available to us, but we have a small depth of focus which means it’s difficult to judge distances. Driving in low light, such as a misty or cloudy day, means our pupils go through various size changes as we adjust to the differing conditions (mesopic vision). Then we have the added challenge of continually shifting our focus between the road ahead, our mirrors and our illuminated control panel which means our pupils have to adjust every few seconds.

Night Driving

Night driving in particular, can be stressful, and recent findings show that in the UK 50% of all fatal accidents occur after dark, although far fewer miles are driven at night time. Poor illumination is the main cause, which has been addressed by increasing the number and intensity of road lights. However, more energy consumption means it’s not the ideal solution.

Car manufacturers have also tried to address the issue by developing high-intensity discharge (HID / Xenon) and LED headlamps. They’re certainly brighter than older style headlights, but can cause glare. Plus, these headlamps can give off a bluish light which has led to an increase in complaints about discomfort for drivers, unsettled by the brightness emitted by cars coming towards them on the opposite side of the road. The dazzle from lights reflected on a wet road is also a cause for driver concern.

Low Winter Sun

Driving on a bright day means the pupils reduce in size (photopic vision) to restrict the amount of light entering the eye. However, driving on a bright winter’s day brings its own challenges as we can be  bombarded with glare when the sun is lower in the sky. Sunglasses will help and at the very least we should have a pair of prescriptions sunglasses in our glove compartment at all times. However, as the days are shorter in winter and it gets dark much earlier, it’s often easier to have just one pair of prescription spectacles which can not only cut out glare and make it safer for driving in low light conditions, but can also darken in bright sunlight to protect the eyes from ultra-violet rays.

Zeiss DriveSafe Lenses

Zeiss DriveSafe lenses are available in both single vision and progressive lens designs and have been specifically designed to make driving safer. You can also choose to have Zeiss DriveSafe transition lenses to give you an alternative to prescription sunglasses for those brighter days.

Order your Zeiss DriveSafe Lenses for your spectacle frames through Lenses-in-Glasses and drive more safely in all light conditions.