# Optical Forums > Ophthalmic Optics >  Night driving lenses

## 12345

Hi, what are the tinted lenses recommended for night driving? i always had the idea that yellow tinted lenses was the answer till i read this article from http://www.laramyk.com/resources/edu...iving-glasses/

FYI, i do not have any prescription for myself so any suggestions as to what i should get?

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## uncut

I think all opinions about efficacy of night vision eye-wear need to be redefined.

Does driving in 6 lanes of bumper to bumper traffic, constitute a "night time" driving condition?

Can you see the overhead celestial bodies, and identify them clearly, might be a truer "night time driving" condition?

This orb, that we reside on is glowing with artificial night time lighting, which makes it less of a "night time" driving condition than it was a mere 20 years ago.

I believe that you should have your night vision properly tested, corrected, and filtered/ARd in a custom way that works best for your particular eyes, age, vehicle, and driving conditions, geographical considerations mixed in.

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## alexa007

The best types of night driving glasses are anti-reflective coating. Zircon and silicon are the elements that make up this type of film. This type of glasses is different from sunglasses which shield light, instead these glasses that are specially coated to provide more light. This is helpful in making your vision better in dark.

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## 12345

would something like i.scription lenses help?

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## Big V

> Hi, what are the tinted lenses recommended for night driving? i always had the idea that yellow tinted lenses was the answer till i read this article from http://www.laramyk.com/resources/edu...iving-glasses/
> 
> FYI, i do not have any prescription for myself so any suggestions as to what i should get?


I have not found a yellow, amber, or orange tint that works any better than a lens with a premium anti-glare coating. The real issue at night is high order aberations that are caused due to increased pupil size at night which causes the starburst, halos, and blurriness at night. The best way to solve this issue is an AR coating. What you might also explore is a FreeForm PAL or SV lens to give you better vision at night. The HOYA ID SV lens is the best SV FreeForm on the market. As for PAL's I would go with the HOYA ID MyStyle or Zeiss Individual. However, to get all the benefits from the Individual you must be measured with an iProfiler. The results from the iProfiler are yet to be proven though. I have a corneal transplant and it didn't work on me. Now that I think of it. The IZON lens might work for you too. Again, must be measured by a special machine. Wavefront tech. is still in its infancy and I think has a long way to go before it is truely effective. I have also seen research that wavefornt tech in a spex lens doesn't really make the difference anyway. Hope this helps!

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## rdcoach5

would something like i.scription lenses help?     

As I understand, that's where they shine.

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## EyeManFla

I work Kalichrome for years for shooting. It was great for driving on cloudy days, but I never noticed any real value for night driving.

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## Arsenal

> Hi, what are the tinted lenses recommended for night driving? i always had the idea that yellow tinted lenses was the answer till i read this article from http://www.laramyk.com/resources/edu...iving-glasses/
> 
> FYI, i do not have any prescription for myself so any suggestions as to what i should get?


I don't recommend any tints fro night driving, but a -.50 with an AR coat seems to help a lot of folks.

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## chip anderson

The minus fifty probably helps myopes which are about -0.50 more myopic at night.  Don't know about hyperopes either way.

Chip

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## lind2020

sometimes I wear my drivewear pair at night if im in the city & have a lot of opposing headlights - works exceptionaly well. I also know of at least one Ophthamologist who reccomends them following cat. surg.

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## Robert_S

> sometimes I wear my drivewear pair at night if im in the city & have a lot of opposing headlights - works exceptionaly well.


Me too. I never tell customers they're safe for night driving though.

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## Robert Martellaro

This may be of interest.

http://www.aoa.org/x5352.xml

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## Arsenal

That was interesting.  Thanks.

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## musicvirtuoso

> would something like i.scription lenses help?


agreeing with the reply above: Yes, i.Scription [Zeiss] is definitely suited to deal with this. What a lot of patients don't realize is that a lot of issues with night vision can be due to high-order aberrations. Another lens which may be even better (and really is the only other option when it comes to wavefront guided lenses) is the iZon made by Ophthonix. It's essentially the same thing; however, their system of aberrometry is different. While Zeiss uses the typical Hartmann-Shack system, Ophthonix uses Talbot-Moire aberrometry which is supposed to be more accurate due to a higher number of data points. Also, each manufacturer supposedly has slightly differing systems of designing and manufacturing. I don't have interferometry equipment here to test any of these lenses, but there are a few studies on each. The only down side to using these types of lenses is that it is virtually impossible in typical optical shops to check lenses against what the lens is supposed to be. You pretty much have to put full faith in the manufacturer.

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## Yeap

> would something like i.scription lenses help?


As you mentioned you do not have any prescription, i think you do not need any lenses. 

when there a lens in front your eye, definitely there is less light able to reach you retina for you pupil to respond. as for night driving, pupil dilation, poor concentration and some other environment factor will sure causing a certain level of abberation. 

for this issue personally think that is important to make you patient understand the situation and manage what they are expecting on the new lenses.

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## Robert_S

Would anybody be able to explain how iScription can work except when the wearer of the lens is lookins straight ahead, or tell me if an iScription compensation would decrease the quality of vision away from centre?

Of course I should ask our Zeiss rep, but ours isn't the most technically minded.

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## Robert_S

Has anybody heard of Vistamesh by the way?

It's supposed to be a night driving lens.

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## Barry Santini

I scription represents Zeiss's approach to using total wavefront analysis of the eye across varying pupil diameter samplings and Applying a proprietary weighting/optimization in an effort to deliver the best overall vision for that individual in varying light conditions. In order to realize the full benefits, Iscription precise values must be communicated to a Zeiss certifies lab partner for use in the FF lenses being made.

Of course, the examiner is still responsible for overseeing the Iscriptions findings, and should still use discretion in optimizing for binocular balance, eye dominance, and evaluating the delta Rx change.


B






> Would anybody be able to explain how iScription can work except when the wearer of the lens is lookins straight ahead, or tell me if an iScription compensation would decrease the quality of vision away from centre?
> 
> Of course I should ask our Zeiss rep, but ours isn't the most technically minded.

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## Barry Santini

> The only down side to using these types of lenses is that it is virtually impossible in typical optical shops to check lenses against what the lens is supposed to be. You pretty much have to put full faith in the manufacturer.


This is true of virtually all optimized FF lens designs.

B

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## Darryl Meister

> While Zeiss uses the typical Hartmann-Shack system, Ophthonix uses Talbot-Moire aberrometry which is supposed to be more accurate due to a higher number of data points.


The number of measurement points claimed by Ophthonix actually represent points that are more or less interpolated over an image. The number of points analyzed on this interferogram is not directly related to the maximum spatial frequency detected by the machine.

But, more importantly, you only need enough points to fit the Zernike polynomials up to the desired order used in the wavefront-guided Rx calculations. And both machines capture more than enough data to fit Zernike polynomials up to the orders routinely used.

In fact, if I recall correctly, i.Profiler/i.Scription actually bases the Rx calculations on more Zernike orders than the Z-View (7th order versus 6th order, I believe). Also, i.Scriptions are calculated to a precision of +/-0.01 D. The last I checked, Z-View's iPrint is calculated to a precision of only +/-0.12 D.

Nevertheless, you are unlikely to see a clinical difference in accuracy between the two machines, particularly when used to compute a wavefront-guided spectacle correction.




> The only down side to using these types of lenses is that it is virtually impossible in typical optical shops to check lenses against what the lens is supposed to be. You pretty much have to put full faith in the manufacturer.


All free-form lenses that have had the Rx powers modified at the measurement points should have a compensated prescription supplied with the job in order to verify the accuracy of the finished lens. If not, you should contact the lens manufacturer or laboratory.

Best regards,
Darryl

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## Robert_S

> I scription represents Zeiss's approach to using total wavefront analysis of the eye across varying pupil diameter samplings and Applying a proprietary weighting/optimization in an effort to deliver the best overall vision for that individual in varying light conditions. In order to realize the full benefits, Iscription precise values must be communicated to a Zeiss certifies lab partner for use in the FF lenses being made.
> 
> Of course, the examiner is still responsible for overseeing the Iscriptions findings, and should still use discretion in optimizing for binocular balance, eye dominance, and evaluating the delta Rx change.
> 
> 
> B



I know what iScription is. But its measurements are realised by an adjustment of the ultimate spectacle lens which is produced. My question is whether those corrections will only work when the pupil is in a certain position relative to the lens.

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## Darryl Meister

> I know what iScription is. But its measurements are realised by an adjustment of the ultimate spectacle lens which is produced. My question is whether those corrections will only work when the pupil is in a certain position relative to the lens.


The vision correction will work over the entire lens, since the wavefront-guided prescription is realized as a sphero-cylindrical power. This is really the only practical solution for managing the influence of ocular high-order aberrations with a spectacle lens.

Also, since i.Scription is only applied to customized ZEISS lenses, via free-form manufacturing, the specified optical powers are actually maintained over a wider field of view compared to traditional spectacle lenses.

Best regards,
Darryl

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## Robert_S

> The vision correction will work over the entire lens, since the wavefront-guided prescription is realized as a sphero-cylindrical power. This is really the only practical solution for managing the influence of ocular high-order aberrations with a spectacle lens.
> 
> Also, since i.Scription is only applied to customized ZEISS lenses, via free-form manufacturing, the specified optical powers are actually maintained over a wider field of view compared to traditional spectacle lenses.
> 
> Best regards,
> Darryl



So, just to be clear, i.Scription is a correction to the total power of the lens, and does not compensate individual reference points on the lens?

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## Darryl Meister

> So, just to be clear, i.Scription is a correction to the total power of the lens, and does not compensate individual reference points on the lens?


I may not have entirely understood your question.

"i.Scription" is a type of spectacle prescription, determined with the aid of aberrometry data and special software. Consequently, this is the desired prescription for the lens to provide at all points over the lens, unless of course addition power is also provided for near vision.

However, because i.Scription is applied to customized ZEISS lenses, the optical optimization process "compensates" points all over the lens in order to provide the desired i.Scription correction at different angles of view, at least within the mathematical constraints of progressive surfaces.

Best regards,
Darryl

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## Robert_S

So, Darryl, assume we surface a lens incorporating the i.Scription compensation data of a patient. Presumably the compensation points will have to cover the width of the cornea (we are mapping corneal abberations, correct?) so that all the abberations are taken into account simultaneously. Now, the width of the human cornea is roughly 1cm, so what happens if the eye turns 0.5cm? Will the corrective points not become misaligned?

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## Robert_S

Darryl, I have one other question, if you don't mind. (I know this is really off topic - sorry everyone)

In the UK, Zeiss recently updated their product range so that their main progressive designs are: Individual 2, Progressive Superb, and Progressive Plus 2.

Our rep told me they basically shuffled their pack, so PP2 is the old GT2-3D, PS is the old Individual, and the Individual 2 is a new design. Is this information correct?

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## chip anderson

Actually you only "see" though about 1-2mm of the cornea.  And before you start I know about peripheral vision.  But you can block out almost all central vision with about a 1.5mm opacity held 6-12 mm from the cornea.  I have seen contact lens patients see just fine though a 7.5 mm translating bifocal contact lens.  Not many but some.

Chip

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## Robert_S

Thanks Chip. I'm not an optician so biology of the eye is not my forte, but I love to learn... although I might study to be a doctor at some point soon. 

My question still applies, though just on a smaller scale.

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## Darryl Meister

> Presumably the compensation points will have to cover the width of the cornea (we are mapping corneal abberations, correct?) so that all the abberations are taken into account simultaneously. Now, the width of the human cornea is roughly 1cm, so what happens if the eye turns 0.5cm? Will the corrective points not become misaligned?


This only applies if you have attempted to correct the high-order aberrations of the eye with a spectacle lens. Just as correcting second-order sphere and cylinder power results in induced first-order prism away from the center, correcting third-order aberrations results in induced second-order sphere and cylinder errors.

In fact, this limitation is the reason why spectacle lenses with wavefront-guided prescriptions do not correct high-order aberrations. These lenses simply provide an optimal low-order (sphere and cylinder) correction that accounts for the _influence_ of high-order aberrations upon vision quality.

There are a few threads that discuss this on OptiBoard, but you should read *this article from Dispensing Optics*, if you want to learn more about this stuff.




> In the UK, Zeiss recently updated their product range so that their main progressive designs are: Individual 2, Progressive Superb, and Progressive Plus 2. Our rep told me they basically shuffled their pack, so PP2 is the old GT2-3D, PS is the old Individual, and the Individual 2 is a new design. Is this information correct?


Yes, that sounds correct, although Individual 2 actually offers a few improvements over the previous Individual, so the two lens designs are not necessarily identical.

Best regards,
Darryl

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## Robert_S

Thank you Darryl for all your help. I wish you were my Zeiss rep!

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## tmorse

> Now, the width of the human cornea is roughly 1cm, so what happens if the eye turns 0.5cm?


Width of cornea is about 12mm. Are you are asking what happens if the eye turns 50mm?

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## Robert_S

No, but thanks. Darryl has answered my questions.  I did say 'roughly' by the way.

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## chip anderson

Actually the width of the average cornea is 13.2.   The width of the visible iris appears to be near 12 mm but most are somewhat smaller (11/11.5mm) and gets some magnification from the anterior chamber/cornea.  The average healthy cornea is about  1 mm.

Chip

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## Melissa Dou

:Smile: I work at a optical store and we have our own eye doctor. Most our customers need polarized lenses for driving use at day time and they need yellow tint lenses without anti-reflective coating for driving at night. However, latest prescription is necessary for both day time use or night use driving glasses.

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## sharpstick777

Welcome to Optiboard Big V!




> ....Hope this helps!

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## sharpstick777

Welcome to Optiboard 12345! 

Here are two old threads that might be of some help: 

http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...=night+driving
http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...192#post294192

Worth a look.




> Hi, what are the tinted lenses recommended for night driving? i always had the idea that yellow tinted lenses was the answer till i read this article from http://www.laramyk.com/resources/edu...iving-glasses/
> 
> FYI, i do not have any prescription for myself so any suggestions as to what i should get?

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## sharpstick777

Welcome to Optiboard Alexa007!




> The best types of night driving glasses are anti-reflective coating. Zircon and silicon are the elements that make up this type of film. This type of glasses is different from sunglasses which shield light, instead these glasses that are specially coated to provide more light. This is helpful in making your vision better in dark.

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## Melissa Dou

The yellow color on the lenses are to add light to the lenses. However, it is not simply the yellow tint, just the similar as the yellow tint.

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## SharonB

In Europe (France, specifically) several years ago I found night driving glasses available OTC - they were tinted a light yellow, and had AR on both surfaces, and a -.50D power. I bought a pair at about 20 Euros, and found that they did improve night vision.... however, you'll probably never see them in the US.

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## penny

Assuming a person already wears glasses or contacts, according to the Ciba sales rep I was talking to recently, their Air Optix and Night and Day contact lenses have an increase in minus power near the periphery of the lenses due to their bi-aspheric design.  So if a person does have a myopic shift with the increased pupil size at night this may help. I'm not sure if other contact lenses have this design.

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## musicvirtuoso

Continuation of i.Scription/iZon debate here.

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