Do Much Driving?

By Donna Rubin, Optician

Optical Shoppe of La Plata

. http://www.opticalshoppeoflaplata.com/

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Do Much Driving?

At every moment of the driving task we are constantly being challenged and assaulted by distractions attacking our ability to drive safely. While juggling a cell phone in one hand, adjusting the radio or CD player with the other, catching a quick lunch or trying to keep the kids quiet in the back seat, it all seems to feel like too much to handle.
Making driving more difficult is changing road and weather conditions. Some of us are driving under less than ideal conditions just by being tired or not feeling our best. Do we even need to mention traffic? The main tool that we use to cope with all of these driving challenges is vision. Sometimes that vision is pushed to the limits while driving. It takes about a quarter of a second to process and react to a driving visual incident, and if you are traveling at 60 miles an hour that translates to about 22 feet! Clearly we need all of the visual help we can get to drive safely.
The most common and dangerous issue comes from blinding glare. The glare can be intense sunlight reflected from an endless variety of smooth surfaces such as the road, hood or dashboard of your car, or even the bright chrome of the car in front of you. These conditions are especially harmful if the sun is low on the horizon such as early mornings or late afternoons. These are also peak commuting times. Polarized lenses are the best solutions for helping with this.
While bright sun and glare are the most obvious visual dangers while driving, sometimes we drive in the opposite overcast or inclement weather and less light. For those conditions we want a lens that is as light in color as possible, and preferably of high contrast. Polarization protection is still important during these times because glare, particularly road glare, can unexpectedly hit at any time.
A new product called Drivewear is the only lens developed to specifically address these needs. Polarized at all times and designed to shift between a lighter and darker color as visual conditions change, it is the ultimate in driving eyewear. In the past, clear lenses were enough. In bright light conditions, polarized lenses were enough. This is no longer true. Today we need a third category of lenses in our auto centered world.
Drivewear lenses are capable of sensing and reacting to varying light conditions both inside and outside the windshield of the car. All the way from bright sunlight accompanied by intense blinding glare, to overcast inclement conditions. Drivewear lenses provide the wearer with the appropriate visual solution. Drivewear lenses provide glare protection through polarization and protect and enhance vision through photochromics, which respond to both visible and UV light.
By combining the strengths of two of the most important technologies today we have developed the lens of tomorrow. This type of lens is the only one that will change colors behind the windshield of a car. It is available at this time only in single vision lenses.