Night Sunglasses

Why Wear Your Sunglasses at Night?

Many drivers suffer from problems when driving at night, when the light from streetlights, oncoming headlights, and other light sources may reflect from the street surface and present a serious visibility problem.

Often the glare is merely distracting, but it can sometime be quite dangerous. Rainy weather can make night driving even more hazardous, as the wet streets and sidewalks reflect even more light than usual. In addition, a certain segment of the population suffers from "night myopia," when lack of light can cause difficulty in focusing on distant objects. Motorcycle riders must wear protective lenses at all times, so night-driving lenses, or lenses like those marketed by PanOptx for both day and night wear, can be quite appealing to them.

Characteristics of "Night Sunglasses"

Most of the eyewear marketed as night sunglasses features amber or yellow lenses with anti-reflective coating. The yellow tint reduces the amount of blue light that is transmitted through the eye. These lenses are actually recommended for daytime driving use in hazy or foggy conditions.

Warnings About Night-Time Use of Sunglasses

Nearly every reliable source in the eye-care industry warns strongly against the wearing of sunglasses for night driving. The Sunglass Association of America, states: "So-called night-driving glasses are generally amber-tinted eyewear meant to reduce the glare of oncoming headlights. While they may make the driver feel more comfortable, they also reduce the wearer's visibility...." Many studies have shown that "night-driving lenses" do not improve night-vision, and some have suggested that such lenses actually impair visual performance and make it more difficult for the eyes to compensate for glare.

In 1997, Nationwide Syndications, Inc., was brought before the Federal Trade Commission because of their marketing of a product called "NightSafe Glasses," which were shown not to be so very safe at night. The distributor had to pay a $125,000 fine and was restricted from using any name for its eyewear products that might indicate that they made night-time driving safer.

According to several sources, yellow-tinted lenses do not filter out enough light to be effective against headlight glare. UV protection claims are not valid for night-time driving, as the absence of sunlight means that there is no UV light to filter out. Similarly, polarized lenses are not advantageous at night, as night-time glare is not polarized like daytime, sunlight glare.

How to Improve Night Driving Vision

• Make sure that your windscreen is clean and streak-free on both the inside and outside surfaces. Particles of dust and dirt cause light waves to scatter, causing a halo-effect, and making glare seem worse.

• Make sure that any glasses that you are wearing are clean on both surfaces.

• Lenses worn at night should be clear and should have an anti-reflective coating applied to the lenses, as anti-reflective coatings can help combat internal reflections (which can contribute to the "halo effect") and they increase the flow of light through the lens to the eye.

• Make certain that your headlights are clean and properly aligned so that they do not create an undesirable glare in front of you.

• Have a complete eye examination so that your ophthalmologist or optometrist can rule out cataracts or night myopia. If you have night myopia, your eye care practitioner can recommend the proper prescription lenses to correct your night vision and make night driving safer for you.

Related Links

• Choosing Sunglasses
• Prescription Sunglasses
• UV Index
• Photochromic Lenses