What Is It? – DriveSafe glasses were developed by the optics experts at Carl Zeiss. Using a special coating, the lenses were designed specifically to reduce nighttime glare created by HID (high intensity discharge) and LED (light-emitting diode) headlights. Because light emitted by such headlights has a distinct bluish hue, it tends to be more distracting and reduce visibility for oncoming drivers. You can get DriveSafe lenses in single vision, progressive, and transition lenses.
It 50+ Friendly? – If you find those blue-hued headlights coming at you on the road irritating, it’s not because you’re getting older. The American Medical Association has issued warnings for young and old alike about how bright, so-called white or daylight LED lights can cause severe glare and constrict pupils resulting in reduced visibility. It’s ironic since LED headlights are intended to increase nighttime visibility for the driver using them, but it turns out the high blue light content (a reflection of its color rendering index) scatters more than traditional yellow light in human eyes, making it more difficult to see in the dark.
The DriveSafe lenses are easy to order with any prescription. I tried them out in a prescription set of progressive lensed glasses. I also added the transition option, which allows them to automatically darken in sunlight. It’s a combination of features often favored by boomers who find themselves looking over the tops of their glasses to read a menu – and who also want to protect against sunlight and its pernicious effects, particularly in contributing to the development of cataracts.
I tested the DriveSafe lens over the course of several months and thousands of miles. About half of my driving was done at night on darkened highways. I found that the lenses did indeed cut down on the harsh blue glare of oncoming headlights, without reducing the visibility of my own HID headlights. There was less eye fatigue wearing the Zeiss lenses and slightly better contrast between oncoming cars and the lights around them. The glasses definitely reduced the halos around headlights and even helped on urban roads with severely bright LED street lamps. (Many cities, including Los Angeles, New York, and New Orleans, have switched to LEDs to save energy.)
Frustration Factor? – The DriveSafe glasses will not cut down significantly on daytime glare. On the other hand, they do not suffer from some of the problems posed by polarized sunglasses, which can make in-dash LCD and head up displays difficult for drivers to see.
Family and friends may also notice that your new DriveSafe lenses tend to produce a mauve reflection of their own. It’s not surprising, since this is the portion of the light spectrum it’s trying to protect your eyes from. On the other hand, I did not notice a resulting effect on the accuracy of colors I perceived looking through the glasses.
One aspect that is not related directly to the DriveSafe coating: Progressive lenses may be a necessary evil of aging, but they are definitely evil – especially for driving. Some wearers prefer them because the lenses can help see gauges and displays in the dashboard. However, progressive lenses adversely affect your peripheral vision, which means that you have to deliberately turn your head more to see what would otherwise be detected with a sideways glance. If you can get away without using progressives when behind the wheel, I recommend it.
Is it Worth The Money? – List prices for a pair of DriveSafe lenses tend to hover around the $400 mark. Some optometrists offer discounts, while others charge more, especially if you choose transition or progressive lenses.
Nevertheless, if you do a lot of nighttime driving or have found headlight glare so distracting in the evening that you avoid going out at night, the DriveSafe lens can help. Even in crepuscular conditions – at dawn or twilight – the lenses improved my view of the road.
Click here to see video that explains how the system works.
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