Is there a ‘Mercedes Lenz’ out there for me? 

If you live in Saskatchewan, you probably use a vehicle on a daily basis. While we tend to focus on maintaining our cars through oil changes and regular check-ups, we often forget about maintaining our ability to drive as well. One of the main factors leading to the deterioration of our driving ability is our constantly changing eyesight. It’s no secret that our eyes are much different today than when we were learning to drive, so we at The Optical Shoppe felt it necessary to share all of the steps you can take to ensure your glasses are prepped and ready for your next rip around town. 

Coatings 

Because they are invisible to the naked eye, it is easy to underestimate the value of a strong anti-reflective coating but when it comes to glare reduction, they truly are unmatched. Designed for a clear prescription lens, anti-reflection coatings work their best magic against artificial glare. This type of glare happens when external light reflects off of your lenses and creates a sheet of light over your lens that makes it impossible to see through. This can be triggered by many different types of light both indoors and outdoors, meaning that your anti-reflection coating is protecting your vision at all times of the day whether you’re driving to work or sitting at your office desk.  

With all that being said, if you are an Optical Shoppe client, you can rest easy because just like Frank’s Red Hot, we put anti-reflection on everything so you’re already covered in that department. If you are resting uneasy because you don’t know if you have an anti-reflection coating on your lenses, pop by our store! We are experts on all things lenses so we would be happy to shed some (non-glaring) light on the situation. 

Tints 

While an anti-reflection coating is great for glare-reduction, it can’t do anything to combat the brightness of the sun and the natural glare that comes with it. This is when tinted lenses enter the discussion. As you’ve probably seen, there are thousands of tint colours available on the market and aside from the obvious aesthetic benefits they have, there are also many functional advantages to having a specific tint colour in your glasses. 

Some popular tints and their benefits are detailed below: 

• Grey/Green 

• Useful for reducing brightness while maintaining as true a colour as possible 

• Brown/Amber 

•  Useful for increasing contrast between colours, in case you can’t tell the difference between similar colours through a grey tint 

• Blue 

• Helps keep natural blue light from the sun away from the eye 

If you’ve been having a specific issue with your vision while on the road, it might be worth trying out a few tint colours to see if there is a better colour out there for you. 

Polarization 

We get more questions about polarization than anything else when we talk about sunglasses and that’s because – like your coatings – polarization is totally invisible to the naked eye, yet its value is unmatched. Similar to anti-reflection, polarized lenses work to filter out unwanted glare, but while an anti-reflection coating works best against artificial light, polarized lenses are useful against natural glare. Since anti-reflective coatings are designed for glasses that are worn all day, they are best suited for indoor situations where glare from medium-level light sources like lamps, overhead lighting and camera flashes are typically found. Once you step into an outdoor setting where much stronger light sources like the sun are present, the need for an anti-reflective solution grows to a level where a regular anti-reflective coating won’t be enough.  

Polarization is our answer to this problem. Since they are meant to be paired with a tint, polarized lenses are designed specifically for those outdoor activites like fishing, golfing, skiing and most importantly, driving where water reflections, snow glare and sun beams are everywhere you turn.  

Transitions 

Even though there are tons of options out there to meet your driving needs, some of us don’t need the hassle that comes with carrying an anti-reflective pair of glasses for night driving and polarized sunglasses for the daytime. Well have no fear; Transitions are here! Totally unique in the optical industry, these lenses transition to a darker tint when they come into contact with UV rays from the sun, meaning that you can have a clear pair of glasses inside and a sunglass outside without having to change the frames on your face. One thing that most don’t know is that there are actually many different types of Transitions available at The Optical Shoppe, and one of them is specifically designed for driving: 

• Standard Transitions 

• Non-polarized with anti-reflection coating 
• Ideal for everyday wear, especially if you walk, bike or jog outdoors often 
• As most windshields have UV protection, these Transitions only partially tint when inside vehicles 

• Transitions XTRActive 

• Dynamic polarization with anti-reflection coating (clear lens = non-polarized, dark lens = polarized) 
• Best for outdoor day/night activities where you would not need polarization to help with headlight glare 
• XTRActive transitions can transition in the vehicle making them useful for daytime driving 

• Transitions Drivewear 

• Fixed polarization with anti-reflection coating (always polarized, regardless of lens colour) 

• Best for driving because day or night, you are getting the best glare reduction you possibly can 

Hannah Montana truly said it best in her hit song that I’m sure was about Transitions: “You get the best of both worlds” 

If you’ve tried Transitions before and they weren’t your favourite, there’s a chance you just didn’t have the right type of Transitions for your lifestyle, and not to brag, but we just became Transitions Specialists so there’s never been a better time to send your Transitions inquisitions our way! 

So when you ask an eyecare professional what the best types of glasses for driving are, there isn’t one clear answer. Generally, most people prefer a polarized grey tint with a blue mirror in their driving glasses, but this may not be the case for you and your eyecare needs. Next time you happen to be experiencing the brightness of the highway snow banks in the prairies, visit The Optical Shoppe and turn that snow glare into no glare!