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Night time eye protection

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2012 5:14 pm
by ILMB
Hi

I wear sunnies during the day for protection from debris and glare.

What's the best option for night time? The main problem for me is to protect against night blindness due to oncoming traffic lights.

I have been into optometrists and they don't seem to be aware of any standard products out there, and are suggesting a deep (seriously) orange lense, or a clear glass lense with a protective coating over the top that reduces glare. Has anyone tried either of these options?

What are the rest of you night-time riders using?

TIA

Re: Night time eye protection

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2012 6:07 pm
by Tornado
I'm just on the clear safety glasses from work. Glare I just put up with.

Re: Night time eye protection

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2012 7:19 pm
by biftek
i've got an orange pair and clear safety glasses for when i am on the forklift , i use the orange for night riding

Re: Night time eye protection

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2012 7:31 pm
by high_tea
I use photochromics that fade to clear. They seem to help a bit with glare. Convenient too: one pair for day and night.

Re: Night time eye protection

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2012 7:50 pm
by KonaCommuter
I just use clear safety glasses day and night. But my helmet does have a visor and most of my riding is commuting / utility.

Re: Night time eye protection

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2012 8:01 pm
by queequeg
high_tea wrote:I use photochromics that fade to clear. They seem to help a bit with glare. Convenient too: one pair for day and night.
+1 Clear/Blacks on my Oakley Jawbones. Useless against "night blindness" though (are any glasses effective against night blindness?). Just don't look at car headlights!

Re: Night time eye protection

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2012 8:26 pm
by drnick79
Clear safety glasses here as well.

S

Re: Night time eye protection

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2012 8:50 pm
by human909
My eye lashes are the only protection my eyes have. :mrgreen:

Re: Night time eye protection

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2012 7:20 pm
by high_tea
human909 wrote:My eye lashes are the only protection my eyes have. :mrgreen:
I tried that. Bashing insects to death with my eyeballs got real old, real quick.

Re: Night time eye protection

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 12:13 am
by human909
high_tea wrote:
human909 wrote:My eye lashes are the only protection my eyes have. :mrgreen:
I tried that. Bashing insects to death with my eyeballs got real old, real quick.
Yes I must admit insects can be pretty bad at times. :cry:

It all depends where your ride and at what times but certainly there have been a couple of times where I've desired some extra protection. :wink:

Re: Night time eye protection

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 5:38 am
by DaveOZ
I use photo chromatic lenses. It's dark when I ride to work an light in the afternoon so this means I only need on pair of glasses. They are perfect at night and a light grey tint which darkens with sun. I love them.

Re: Night time eye protection

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 6:56 pm
by warthog1
DaveOZ wrote:I use photo chromatic lenses. It's dark when I ride to work an light in the afternoon so this means I only need on pair of glasses. They are perfect at night and a light grey tint which darkens with sun. I love them.
What sort are they? Hopefully <$100 :)

Re: Night time eye protection

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 7:42 pm
by DaveOZ
Mine are Rudy Project which are not cheap but they lasted me fine for 2 years so far despite being being dropped many times.

Re: Night time eye protection

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 8:52 pm
by ILMB
Thanks to all that have contributed so far. Current consensus seems to be clear lenses, and to not bother with glare reduction.

However...
DaveOZ wrote:Mine are Rudy Project which are not cheap but they lasted me fine for 2 years so far despite being being dropped many times.
I have sent an inquiry re product specifications, and hopefully advice will indicate some sort of discount.

Re: Night time eye protection

Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 11:18 am
by greyhoundtom
The dangers of night driving glasses

It is an all too common misconception that yellow tinted or yellow polarized night driving glasses are beneficial for night time driving.
The thought is, the yellow or amber color reduces glare and improves contrast. However, in reality, when driving at night or dusk in already limited lighting conditions, ANY tint further reduces the amount of light transmitted to the eye, and consequently, further impairs vision.
The problem is compounded as the yellow tint gives the wearer the impression they are seeing better, when in fact the reverse is actually true.

While yellow lenses can be effective for foggy or hazy daylight conditions, they are not effective against headlight glare and should not be worn at dusk or night. If glare from headlights is a problem, the first step should be a thorough eye examination, as this could be an early indication of cataracts or other medical conditions.

The best option for night time driving is a pair of spectacles with clear lenses and an AR coating. The AR coating is beneficial in two ways. First, it minimizes internal reflections within the lenses, reducing halo problems, and second, it increases the transmittance of light through the lens to the eye. However, it is important to note, if a patient does not normally wear spectacles, AR coated lenses, or any other type of night driving glasses will not improve night vision, as AR coatings only minimize aberrations that are inherent in ophthalmic lenses and night driving glasses will simply serve to introduce those abberations to the wearer’s vision.

Tips for optimal night time driving vision:
- Make sure eyes are examined regularly
- Always wear an up-to-date prescription
- Lenses worn should be clear with an AR coating
- Ensure lenses are clean
- Ensure windshield is clean
- Ensure headlights are clean and properly aligned

Responsible dispensers of ophthalmic lenses should discourage the use of tinted, polarized, or photochromic lenses in night time or dusk driving conditions and not participate in solicitation or marketing of so-called night driving glasses by irresponsible manufacturers

Re: Night time eye protection

Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 12:16 pm
by high_tea
greyhoundtom wrote:
The dangers of night driving glasses

It is an all too common misconception that yellow tinted or yellow polarized night driving glasses are beneficial for night time driving.
The thought is, the yellow or amber color reduces glare and improves contrast. However, in reality, when driving at night or dusk in already limited lighting conditions, ANY tint further reduces the amount of light transmitted to the eye, and consequently, further impairs vision.
The problem is compounded as the yellow tint gives the wearer the impression they are seeing better, when in fact the reverse is actually true.

While yellow lenses can be effective for foggy or hazy daylight conditions, they are not effective against headlight glare and should not be worn at dusk or night. If glare from headlights is a problem, the first step should be a thorough eye examination, as this could be an early indication of cataracts or other medical conditions.

The best option for night time driving is a pair of spectacles with clear lenses and an AR coating. The AR coating is beneficial in two ways. First, it minimizes internal reflections within the lenses, reducing halo problems, and second, it increases the transmittance of light through the lens to the eye. However, it is important to note, if a patient does not normally wear spectacles, AR coated lenses, or any other type of night driving glasses will not improve night vision, as AR coatings only minimize aberrations that are inherent in ophthalmic lenses and night driving glasses will simply serve to introduce those abberations to the wearer’s vision.

Tips for optimal night time driving vision:
- Make sure eyes are examined regularly
- Always wear an up-to-date prescription
- Lenses worn should be clear with an AR coating
- Ensure lenses are clean
- Ensure windshield is clean
- Ensure headlights are clean and properly aligned

Responsible dispensers of ophthalmic lenses should discourage the use of tinted, polarized, or photochromic lenses in night time or dusk driving conditions and not participate in solicitation or marketing of so-called night driving glasses by irresponsible manufacturers
Sure, but the motivation for wearing eye protection (or part of it anyway) is protection from debris and bugs and so on. In cars, the windscreen does this job (at the cost of reducing light transmission). So it's not exactly an apples-with-apples comparison.

As an aside, photochromics are a complete waste of time for driving, IME. They darken in response to UV light, which is blocked by glass. So my clear photochromics unhelpfully fade to clear when I get in the car.

Re: Night time eye protection

Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 12:26 pm
by PawPaw
I've had a few expensive pairs of sunnies over the years, but they are as easily damaged as cheaper ones, so I don't bother anymore.
Currently, I've got a couple of pairs of BBBs and Shimano. I leave clear lenses in all of them, though yellow seemed ok too.
I don't find sunlight bothersome.
I'd suggest if your eyes are sensitive to car lights, you get on a cleaner low fat diet. Fatty desposits knock your special senses around well before anything else.