Night time eye protection
- ILMB
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Night time eye protection
Postby ILMB » Sat Sep 15, 2012 5:14 pm
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
- Tornado
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Re: Night time eye protection
Postby Tornado » Sat Sep 15, 2012 6:07 pm
2015 Specialized Tarmac
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Re: Night time eye protection
Postby biftek » Sat Sep 15, 2012 7:19 pm
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Re: Night time eye protection
Postby high_tea » Sat Sep 15, 2012 7:31 pm
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Re: Night time eye protection
Postby KonaCommuter » Sat Sep 15, 2012 7:50 pm
- queequeg
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Re: Night time eye protection
Postby queequeg » Sat Sep 15, 2012 8:01 pm
+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!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.
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Re: Night time eye protection
Postby drnick79 » Sat Sep 15, 2012 8:26 pm
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Re: Night time eye protection
Postby human909 » Sat Sep 15, 2012 8:50 pm
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Re: Night time eye protection
Postby high_tea » Sun Sep 16, 2012 7:20 pm
I tried that. Bashing insects to death with my eyeballs got real old, real quick.human909 wrote:My eye lashes are the only protection my eyes have.
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Re: Night time eye protection
Postby human909 » Mon Sep 17, 2012 12:13 am
Yes I must admit insects can be pretty bad at times.high_tea wrote:I tried that. Bashing insects to death with my eyeballs got real old, real quick.human909 wrote:My eye lashes are the only protection my eyes have.
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.
- DaveOZ
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Re: Night time eye protection
Postby DaveOZ » Mon Sep 17, 2012 5:38 am
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Re: Night time eye protection
Postby warthog1 » Mon Sep 17, 2012 6:56 pm
What sort are they? Hopefully <$100DaveOZ 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.
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Re: Night time eye protection
Postby DaveOZ » Mon Sep 17, 2012 7:42 pm
- ILMB
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Re: Night time eye protection
Postby ILMB » Mon Sep 17, 2012 8:52 pm
However...
I have sent an inquiry re product specifications, and hopefully advice will indicate some sort of discount.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.
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Re: Night time eye protection
Postby greyhoundtom » Tue Sep 18, 2012 11:18 am
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
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Re: Night time eye protection
Postby high_tea » Tue Sep 18, 2012 12:16 pm
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.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
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.
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Re: Night time eye protection
Postby PawPaw » Tue Sep 18, 2012 12:26 pm
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.
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