Most drivers prefer to wear sunglasses when driving. If you are one of them, you may have noticed that when you change the driving glasses you normally wear, that you also notice a difference in visual acuity if the lens colour differs. So what are the optimum type and colour of lenses you should wear when driving?
Please don’t forget that your driving glasses should also protect against 99-100% of all UV rays. You should also remember that despite the colour or darkness of the lens, it is the clear outer coating that filters the rays and not the colour of the lens itself.
Most people are now aware that they need UV protection, but just to explain, UV radiation comes in at least two primary forms, UVA and UVB and both carry their own dangers. UVA can lead to premature skin aging while UVB may cause skin cancer. UVC has lower radiation and is mostly found in artificial sources such as certain types of lamps. While short-term exposure is not really harmful to the eyes, repeated and extended exposure is.
When considering your driving glasses, make sure you buy some high quality glasses, hopefully these should be with polarised lenses as these cut out solar glare and dazzle that result in temporary blinding effects the most effectively. Polarised sunglasses work by only allowing light through in a particular direction and blocking the reflective light that is thrown up from all directions and that creates the distracting reflections. Wearing polarised sunglasses will not only give you sharper vision but better depth perception as well.
The colour of the lens for your driving glasses may be determined by the normal weather conditions where you live. However, brown may be the best all-round choice where lighting conditions tend to vary greatly such as in the United Kingdom!
If driving in strong sunlight, you should consider blue lenses as these will increase the contrast by filtering out the most yellow light and thereby improving clarity. Grey will lend itself to medium lighting conditions and provide better colour perception while on the road. If driving at dusk or when the weather is overcast when some objects may look similar, you should find that amber or yellow lenses will improve contrast greatly.
To end, dont be fooled into thinking that the cheapest glasses you can find are as good as the more expensive ones. The dearer ones are so for a good reason, years of research and technological advancements do make them superior. Driving can be a dangerous pursuit at the best of times, so put the odds back in your favour and get yourself a pair of decent polarised driving sunglasses!
