Sunny days and Night time Drives

Ask the Optician

Sunny days and Night time Drives

Your optical questions answered
by Joel C. Wolf , Licensed Optician and Owner of Village Opticians

Are sunglasses good for my eyes?

YES! There is a benefit to wearing UV protective lenses--wearing them may protect against cataract formation. Clear lenses with UV protection offer greater protection than unprotected dark lenses. It is imperative that we protect our eyes with a quality pair of UV PROTECTIVE sunglasses whenever we are outside exposed to the damaging rays of the sun. If you do not know if your sunglasses are UV protected you can just bring them by and let me test them, free of charge, of course.

Can I get UV protection applied to my existing lenses?

Yes. This is a process I can do right at our office. In most cases your glasses will be ready the same day you drop them off.

What makes it so difficult to see while driving at night?

The short answer to this question is “glare”.

The glare from car head and taillights, as well as street and traffic lights, make it very difficult to see comfortably and accurately while driving at nighttime.

Having a good anti-reflective treatment on your eyeglass lenses will help this dangerous and uncomfortable situation. Many people complain of car headlights looking like star bursts. This type of glare is easily reduced with an anti-reflective treatment.

Having clean lenses that are scratch-free is also very important when driving at night. Scratched or dirty lenses cause the light to appear scattered and objects to appear out of focus. Light transmits better through a smooth surface, versus through damaged lenses. Keeping your vehicle’s windshield clean will also help reduce nighttime driving discomforts.

What can I do to keep my lenses clean and scratch free?

To keep your lenses in the best of shape, we recommend using eyeglass cleaner (which you can get by simply stopping by for an adjustment) to clean your glasses, but tap water with lotion-free dish soap also works well. Afterward, use a cleaning cloth or soft cotton cloth (not your clothes) to dry your lenses. You definitely want to avoid using tissue products to dry your lenses and never use window cleaner because the ammonia can destroy your lenses. Taking these steps will not only reduce glare dramatically while driving at night, but also keep your glasses looking great!

Can I get an anti-reflective treatment applied to my existing lenses?

Yes, you can have this type of treatment applied to your existing lenses.

If you do not know if your existing lenses are anti-reflective you can bring them by our office and I will test them for you free of charge.

As always I hope I have enlightened a few of you and helped to keep you comfortable, healthy and safe.

Please email all your optical questions to Joel at VillageOpticians@hotmail.com.