# Optical Forums > Progressive Lens Discussion Forum >  Zeiss DriveSafe

## ThatOneGuy

Wondering if anyone has any info about this lens/coating combo.

I have some SV lenses being made up right now, but no one  seems to be able to tell me anything about the SV or progressive design of this lens.

Sounds like maybe the Canadians might have some experience with the lens, as my impression is it has been out longer, there.

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## Matt Woelbern

Full disclosure - I work for ZEISS. Let me know what you'd like to know. We have all kinds of PDF materials including a whitepaper on the product. Canada launched the product in early August. The US launched nationally at Vision Expo West in mid-September, so relatively close to one another.

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## lensgrinder

> Wondering if anyone has any info about this lens/coating combo.
> 
> I have some SV lenses being made up right now, but no one  seems to be able to tell me anything about the SV or progressive design of this lens.
> 
> Sounds like maybe the Canadians might have some experience with the lens, as my impression is it has been out longer, there.


As you stated above, DriveSafe is a lens/coating combination.
The idea behind the coating is to reduce glare in low lighting situations (i.e. driving) by reflecting certain wavelengths of light from Xenon and LED headlights.
The progressive lens is a variable corridor design which is designed to help to keep the aberatted zones out of the drivers way when reading the dashboard, etc.
Standard lens designs take a single ray (spaced by approximatley 5 degrees or about 2-3 mm)  and traces it through the lens to determine the amount of marginal astigmatism, this information helps lens designers design a better lens.  
DriveSafe progressives use a bundle of rays which are roughly the diameter of a mesopic pupil (~4mm).  The ability to take this data into account versus using a single ray provides better data analysis to the lens designers allowing for better control of the progressive corridor. 
Thought independent testing the lens has received great feedback.

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## Matt Woelbern

Very good comments. Just to add: the optimization is as described, with the added comment that the bundle-of-rays calculation is also done on an overlapping basis, which provides additional calculation optimization. Also, the design itself has been fine-tuned for driving, with eye/head tracking studies done at an automotive research institute to determine the ideal lens design for how the drivers used their eyes in those tests. The reading area is modified due to this design but still performed very well in wearer trials for non-driving tasks.

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## golfnut

So the design is mostly intermediate and distance by nature? If so, I wonder if a shamir sport or a varilux sport would be a good design for driving?

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## ThatOneGuy

> Full disclosure - I work for ZEISS. Let me know what you'd like to know. We have all kinds of PDF materials including a whitepaper on the product. Canada launched the product in early August. The US launched nationally at Vision Expo West in mid-September, so relatively close to one another.


I would love to get the whitepapers. I've received a few marketing blurbs, but I had been left trying to piece together the realities of what it is.

I just got my glasses this morning and was surprised (or would have been had I not found a youtube video) that the AR is blue/green like carat advantage. I had expected a Carat Gold type coating since that was marketed heavily for low light, etc. and received great feedback back in the day.

Thank you very much!!!

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## ThatOneGuy

> As you stated above, DriveSafe is a lens/coating combination.
> The idea behind the coating is to reduce glare in low lighting situations (i.e. driving) by reflecting certain wavelengths of light from Xenon and LED headlights.
> The progressive lens is a variable corridor design which is designed to help to keep the aberatted zones out of the drivers way when reading the dashboard, etc.
> Standard lens designs take a single ray (spaced by approximatley 5 degrees or about 2-3 mm)  and traces it through the lens to determine the amount of marginal astigmatism, this information helps lens designers design a better lens.  
> DriveSafe progressives use a bundle of rays which are roughly the diameter of a mesopic pupil (~4mm).  The ability to take this data into account versus using a single ray provides better data analysis to the lens designers allowing for better control of the progressive corridor. 
> Thought independent testing the lens has received great feedback.


Thank you for the information. That makes a lot of sense!

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## lensgrinder

> So the design is mostly intermediate and distance by nature? If so, I wonder if a shamir sport or a varilux sport would be a good design for driving?


In a sense, yes, but it does have a full add power.  It is meant to be an everyday pair of lenses with the concentration of helping the driver, especially at night.  The two lenses above do not have the coating(remember it is a coating/lens combination) or the newer design. The coating and the new lens design together help reduce aberrations and glare.




> I just got my glasses this morning and was surprised (or would have been had I not found a youtube video) that the AR is blue/green like carat advantage. I had expected a Carat Gold type coating since that was marketed heavily for low light, etc. and received great feedback back in the day.
> 
> Thank you very much!!!


The coating is designed to attenuate the wavelengths of the headlights that cause glare.  This glare is from the blue end of the spectrum, which is why you see the reflectance you do.





> Thank you for the information. That makes a lot of sense!


Great, glad to help.

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## Matt Woelbern

Here is a temporary link to the whitepaper:

http://we.tl/h0eFXKAEfu

I couldn't find an easy way to post files here.

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## ThatOneGuy

Well, I've had them a couple weeks now, and they are AMAZING! The field of view is not as great as with the individual (I can't look out the periphery as much as I can in the individual sv), but the low light and night driving optics are incredible. It is accurate to say I feel far more confident driving at night an in the rain (as was the case on Halloween). I could comfortably see and track the roadway, which is an issue I've noticed more and more. This is definitely a tool I will be using in my tool kit.

I compared the night driving performance against Zeiss Digital lens with Purecoat Plus, Individual SV with Duravision Blueprotect, and Drivesafe lens with Duravision Drivesafe

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## Den

> Here is a temporary link to the whitepaper:
> http://we.tl/h0eFXKAEfu
> I couldn't find an easy way to post files here.


If it is possible i would be very thankful for new link for this material, the one that you posted isn't working anymore.
Tnx!

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## Tallboy

I am super interested in these lenses also.  I need to talk to my rep about them.

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## viluzb

Hi it says the download is not available anymore , can you re download this file again? 
Thank you

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## fjpod

How will they work on older patients, with incipient cataracts,  who have started complaining in recent years about glare?  This is the demographic from which I get the most complaints.

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## Adam Fairclough

As the number of vehicles with Xenon HID and LED lights gradually increase, it's going to be a more an more common complaint. As described in the whitepaper above, Studies have shown a correlation between the amount of blue light in the glare source and the amount of discomfort glare that is experienced. As you have just described, it has also been shown that this symptom worsens with age.

By reducing the amount of blue light entering the eye system from these modern headlights (in this case by reflecting it away with the DriveSafe coating) then part of the issue at hand is reduced.

The whitepaper talks in depth about this and cites various studies that have been done on the subject, it's well worth a read*

Also full disclosure, I work for ZEISS in the UK

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## Den

2*Adam Fairclough*
Well, maybe, you can give more fresh link?
Because, as already said:
*If it is possible i would be very thankful for new link for this material, the one that you posted isn't working anymore.
Tnx!*

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## lensgrinder

> Well, maybe, you can give more fresh link?


Here you go.

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## Den

> Here you go.


Thank you very much!

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## ThatOneGuy

Sorry I've been so busy, lately! Still am!

Wanted to let everyone know that DriveSafe was added to VSP

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