[jaffajaffa]

Hi everybody out there!

I'm not so keen on driving at night due to headlight glare and dazzle, and wondered if driving glasses are the way forward?! Can anyone help?

Would using sunglasses be appropriate for night driving?:confused:

[Rolebama]

I have anti-glare and anti-dazzle coatings on my glasses which I use for night driving.
Someone asked a similar question on here a while back, and if I remember rightly, the general recommendation was for the yellow-tinted driving glasses sold by most opticians and Boots.

[wagolynn]

I think you just need to train yourself not to look at the on-coming lights.

[smudger]

Yea! Jaffa, Wagolyn is right, you must train your self to keep looking to the left side of the road, that way you wont get dazzled.

As for the glasses, I use them orange tint ones, that cut out all the glare, they are also good for driving in snow conditions, as they cut all the glare from the snow, out.

They make me look like Joe 90, but I don't care, I'm the one not being dazzled;)

[Watcher]

Night Driving

Originally Posted by jaffajaffa

Hi everybody out there!

I'm not so keen on driving at night due to headlight glare and dazzle, and wondered if driving glasses are the way forward?! Can anyone help?

Would using sunglasses be appropriate for night driving?:confused:

NO! You don't say whether you currently wear correction lenses or not, but if you think about it sensibly for a minute anything that reduces the amount of light getting to the eye when you are driving at night must be a bad idea. I'm sorry, but the idea that coloured lenses improve your night vision is utter nonsense.

The problem of glare from sunlight off snow (oh, like that happens a lot!) can easily be solved by good quality sunglasses that don't change your perception of colour.

The healty human eye can readily adapt to varying light conditions, so if you are having trouble you should see an optician ASAP. If you need correction lenses make sure they have anti-reflective coatings and discipline yourself to concentrate your vision away from oncoming lights - that's all it needs.

[smudger]

Quote "The problem of glare from sunlight off snow (oh, like that happens a lot!) "

Well Watcher, it does actually if you live up the north end of Scotland where the mountains are, and as for the driving glasses not being any good for night driving, that is not quite true either. As the ones I wear do, and they are recommended by the instructors on the emergency driving course I did a few years ago.

Even if the oncoming car dazzles you by not dipping, you can still see perfectly;)
Cheers, Smudger.

[jaffajaffa]

Hi all, thanks for all the advice :).

I do try to avoid the rabbit feeling when other drivers dazzle at night. Do you remember the tv advert from 70s/80s with the slogan "Don't dazzle, dip your headlights". That always comes to mind when I'm driving at night.

I recently had an eye test and didn't need glasses fortunately and didn't bring it up night driving with the optician.

So I guess I need to look out for anti-reflection coatings, possible orange/yellow tint, do they need to be light-reactive or will that not come into effect at night? Apart from Boots does anyone know where to get these new-fangled devices from?:cool:

[wagolynn]

I don’t think the light sensitive coatings react fast enough.
At your eye test, did you get checked for glaucoma? This condition, I am told, makes driving at night difficult.

[smudger]

I got my first pair of those glasses from a motoring magazine, but after they got broken I found another pair in one of them market stalls that sold motoring gear, ony difference was the frames were more flexible.
Maybe that's why they have lasted so long;)

[smudger]

The ones I have make me look a bit like Joe90;) but I don't really care, as they are great at cutting out glare, which makes night driving and driving in the snow a lot better:cool:

I have noticed that the make green items seem Greener, if you know what I mean.

[Maxim]

Night Driving

Hi All, I can't believe I'm reading this.
I have my eyes checked every 12 months, as I've now reached an age where I need reading glasses. I am told however, that I have very good distance vision.
I'm astonished that I'm reading about training yourself not to look at headlights, and getting checked out for Glaucoma.
Surely the actual problem is car manufacturers, and their ridiculous obsession with seeing who can produce the brightest headlights:eek:

It may be that people with unusually good distance vision may suffer more, receiving more light.

Why oh why is there this obsession with bright headlights:confused:
A good bright main beam is of'course fantastic, but why a bright dip?
Assuming that when your lights are dipped, your in a lit street, or in a dark lane/motorway with traffic coming the other way.
In either case, if you need exceptionally bright dipped headlights, then that is the time to get to the opticians.
Perhaps modern German cars are built for people with poor vision.

[Rolebama]

I agree with Maxim with regard to eye problems and the manufacturers, but I also wonder how many people are capable of looking beyond their lights. I have been dazzled on numerous occasions by oncoming vehicles because they do not dip their headlamps. Specifically, on country lanes, I can see their headlamp beam from beyond the corner, so dip accordingly; yet they have to actually see my car before they dip.
I also wonder if light pollution is part of the problem? My first Mini (1960 build) had the light output of about two candles, yet, because everybody had two candles, we could all see where we were going, without dazzling. Now, those two candles would not show on the road because of the sodium lights, which to my mind should have gone the way of the Dodo long ago.

[Maxim]

Originally Posted by Rolebama

I also wonder how many people are capable of looking beyond their lights. I have been dazzled on numerous occasions by oncoming vehicles because they do not dip their headlamps. Specifically, on country lanes, I can see their headlamp beam from beyond the corner, so dip accordingly; yet they have to actually see my car before they dip.
I also wonder if light pollution is part of the problem? My first Mini (1960 build) had the light output of about two candles, yet, because everybody had two candles, we could all see where we were going, without dazzling. Now, those two candles would not show on the road because of the sodium lights, which to my mind should have gone the way of the Dodo long ago.

Totally agree - I couldn't have put all of this better ;)
During the late 80s / early 90s, new cars were manufactured with a facility that broght up the headlights to 30% when the sidelights were switched on - what a fantastic idea.

[smudger]

Quote.."A good bright main beam is of'course fantastic, but why a bright dip?"

I think it would be even worse if there was a "dimmer dip" as your eyes would have to adjust even more if it was a lot dimmer then full beam?

Personally, I find that I never get much opportunity to use full beam, with the amount of night traffic on the roads these days.

They are mostly on dip, due to cars in front of me, or cars in the opposite lane coming towards me;)

[DanBrown]

I'm agree with Wagolynn, I think you just need to train yourself not to look at the on-coming lights. :D

[MrMister]

Driving at Night

I realise this is an old thread but I was looking for reliable information about special glasses for driving at night to reduce glare from oncoming traffic headlights. I came across this forum.

I have been to a couple of other websites.

Dr Nigel Best, doctor of optometry and Specsavers Darlington store director, offers this advice on the Specsavers website:

- Dim dashboard lights to avoid reflections and having to adjust your eyes from the dark road.
- Turn your gaze away from the glare of on-coming headlights.
- Keep windscreens and mirrors clean.
- Reduce the effects of eye fatigue by keeping your eyes moving, scanning around the field of vision, rather than just focusing on one area.
- NEVER wear dark or tinted lenses for driving at night.
- Have your eyesight checked regularly – at least every two years. Eyesight can worsen gradually so changes are sometimes difficult to discern.
- Take advantage of employer-provided eyecare schemes.