– Are you a Safe Driver?
– Is it OK for you to text and drive ?
– Do you think you can see to drive even if you can't see 6/12 – have you checked recently that you can see a number plate at the specified distance?
- Drivers should always keep a spare pair of glasses in the car, preferably a pair that gives good vision, are not scratched and in a hard case. (In the UK it is not mandatory but strongly recommended).
- If you wear tinted lenses when the sun is bright it is imperative that you do also have a pair of untinted specs with you (just be very careful when you swop from one to the other).
- Modern photochromic / transition / reactive lenses are clear enough at night to comply with driving regulations but are often not dark enough to act as ' sunnies' in the car.
- Driving glasses should be comfortable – specs that are constantly slipping done your nose are not just a nuisance but very dangerous.
- It is best to avoid very thick frame rims or sides (they can reduce your field of view)
- It is best to have an Anti-glare / reflection-free coating on the lenses, this will reduce annoying head light dazzle
- Windscreens and spectacles lenses should be clean and scratch free. Scratches and smears infront of your eyes are annoying, distracting and tiring.
- Air-conditioning, car-heater systems or demister air can cause 'dry eye', so be careful where any air flow is directed. Windscreen demisting air can bounce back from the windscreen to your eyes. This can be especially troublesome for contact lens wearers but even though specs will provide some protection air maybe deflected round the lenses.
- Increasing use of sat-nav systems means that the over-40's who need an additional near vision correction may find they need driving specs with varifocal or bifocal lenses (lenses with distance and near vision sections).