Driving Glasses

Last night I came to the conclusion I need some night driving glasses, and they will have to be prescription lenses. I want polarized, anti-glare... Any one know where to start looking? There's an old thread from '03 but it doesn't address my needs. Thanks!

I know that I can't use most of the glass used for lenses without a glare. I use the light weight plastic lenses and there is no glare. If you try a company like LenseCrafters, you can try all the lenses and if they do not work for you. They will keep changing them until you find some that do.

Oakley often makes a lot of specialized glasses, and can often work something up... might want to cotnact them.

This is not complicated at all.(?) Get a prescription, and get polarised glasses with a anti-reflective coating. I've been wearing glasses for years, all with anti-reflective coating, (there are a few other terms used for the same coating)

Wouldn't polarized for nighttime be rather dark?

polarized lens make it hard to read LCD displays; I use non polarized sunglasses for driving.

I find polarized the best for driving. I use to like the Serrenghetti drivers glasses they had photochromatic lenses. Currently I prefer Ray Ban. When driving in haze or even rain, the polarized lenses really help out alot.

Same here - always wear polarized glasses.

I have this 'night vision' issue too. I have a mild prescription less than -1.0 in each eye. At night I get out my oakley prescription m-frames with orange lenses. Looks kind of silly because they are m frames that I use for cycling but it works. I'm going with contact lenses next. Prescription Frames and lenses way too expensive by comparison. A decent set of prescription sungalsses run about $300. You can get disposable contact that you can keep in the car for a third of that.

This is what I think: Polarized glasses are more for sunlight glare, the view ahead that you see thru' your glasses. Anti-reflective coating mostly helps with nighttime driving, and cutting out that reflection you see on the glasses while you are viewing thru' them, like a distraction. AR also helps in giving better pics with flash photography. The OP asks for glasses for night time driving...I would think the best advice is get a pair of AR coated lenses for night driving, and polarized lenses with AR coating for daytime driving.

You might want to try polarized glasses before you buy. I don't think it's going to make that much difference at night as it does on bright sunny days. Polarization itself does not make lens a darker tint. Polarized lens transmit vertical lightwaves (I'm keeping it simple, don't get on my case about particle/wave duality). Sunlight reflected off a surface e.g. glass, water tends to be horizontal lightwaves and so are screened out by polarized sunglasses. The result is less reflection glare and you can see more clearly through the glass/water. Direct sunlight and headlights are oriented both vertically and horizontally so there isn't much reduction by polarization, which is where the tint and reflective properties of sunglasses come into play. During the daytime, there is a lot of reflected light glare because the sun is overhead. At night the glare is mostly from headlights and street lights which is direct, so I doubt polarized lens will make much difference, except for some of the reflected light. LCD displays work because the crystal polarizes the light and the front glass/plastic is polarized. The display lightwave orientation is vertical so you can read the display wearing polarized lenses as long as you keep your head more or less upright. If you tilt your head the display will get dimmer until your head gets 90* to the axis of the display (ears pointed at the floor and ceiling) when the display will be totally black because the polarized lenses are blocking 100% of the display light.

I find it difficult to read my guages when wearing polarized lenses. Hasn't anyone other than Phil and I experienced this problem?

I was told once, while at a BMW CCA DE, by an experienced racer, that if you use polarized glasses on the track you might not be able to see light reflected off of a puddle or fluids that were deposited on the track. So, his recommendation was to NOT use polarized lenses on the track at a DE or for racing so that you DO see any light reflected off of fluids deposited on the track. He seemed to intimate that being able to see the fluids on the track by NOT wearing polarized lenses in that context saved his race, his line, or his bacon at least once. Of course that is a different context than routine driving out on the roads. I have used glasses for 13+ years and have anti-reflective coating. This is effective for me at night as it takes away the reflected light distractions when driving. Regards, Marc 95M3 04 40th 911 06M3 ZCP

Marc, When/where did you buy your 40th?

LiveNupe: Sent you a PM. Marc

Serengeti is the best Ive tried,will not race in any thing else.

Stilt, I'd give Hildago's a call. I've bought a number of glasses over the year from Jim, and he knows his stuff. He can do regular or prescription. His website doesn't have all the info in it, but calling him is worth it, he knows an amazing amount. http://www.hidalgos.com/ I have no connections with him other than being a satisfied customer. HTH, Jim