prescription glasses for night driving

I am trying to find out what are the optimal prescription (or otherwise)
eyeglasses for night driving. The problem is simple: on a dark road you
usually stare in a brightly lit (by headlamps) area in front of your car as
long as you're going straight. But when you start turning into the corner
you have to look in the darkness. That wouldn't be that bad by itself, but
the eyes are already used to relatively bright light of headlights and it
takes them a while to adjust (of course, too long for actually seeing into
the turn). I wonder if some kind of eyeglasses would do better in this
conditions. For example, would lenses with transparency changing inversely
with brightness help? (If such lenses exist)? I've tried to ask this
question to local opticians, they tend to recommend anti-glare coating, but
they can't explain why would it help in these circumstanes. So I've decided
to turn to the usenet wisdom

Thanks in advance,
Alex.

Mike Tyner wrote:
> "alexti" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote
>
>> long as you're going straight. But when you start
>> turning into the corner you have to look in the
>> darkness. That wouldn't be that bad by itself, but the
>> eyes are already used to relatively bright light of
>> headlights and it takes them a while to adjust (of
>> course, too long for actually seeing into the turn).
>
> This is why driving manuals tell you to watch the stripes
> on the road, and not dazzle yourself by staring at
> oncoming headlights.
>
>> I wonder if some kind of eyeglasses would do better in
>> this
>> conditions. For example, would lenses with transparency
>> changing inversely with brightness help? (If such lenses
>> exist)?
>
> Photochromic lenses have been around for a long time, but
> with the current technology the lenses don't change fast
> enough nor can they darken selectively in different parts
> of the lens.
>
> Electrochromic rear-view mirrors do what you describe,
> but it'll be a while before the technology can be
> installed in glasses, and they'll have to hide the
> battery somewhere, and it'll take even longer for the
> lenses to know how to darken selectively, dimming the
> highlights without losing details in shadow.

Ummm, back up a bit. The area illuminated by headlights
is not "brilliantly" lit. Actually it is more likely less than
adequately lit. reducing that effectiveness is to lessen
the difference between that and unlit areas is probably
not a good idea. There are cars that swivel the inboard
headlight in the direction of the turn. Buying one of those
might be a better idea.

-Quick

In article <Xns9733E34DC625BsfjshTTalextiFJFsdsi@64.59.135.15 9>,
(E-Mail Removed) (alexti) wrote:

> I am trying to find out what are the optimal prescription (or otherwise)
> eyeglasses for night driving. The problem is simple: on a dark road you
> usually stare in a brightly lit (by headlamps) area in front of your car as
> long as you're going straight. But when you start turning into the corner
> you have to look in the darkness. That wouldn't be that bad by itself, but
> the eyes are already used to relatively bright light of headlights and it


Buy one of those cars that have side lights. When you flip on the turn
signal, the light on that side comes on also.

The other solution, the one I use, is to not drive at night. Winter
solstice is past. That means that it will start staying light later.
This is a good thing for me.

--
Dan Abel
(E-Mail Removed)
Petaluma, California, USA

Dan Abel <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:dabel-(E-Mail Removed):

> In article <Xns9733E34DC625BsfjshTTalextiFJFsdsi@64.59.135.15 9>,
> (E-Mail Removed) (alexti) wrote:
>
>> I am trying to find out what are the optimal prescription (or
>> otherwise) eyeglasses for night driving. The problem is simple: on a
>> dark road you usually stare in a brightly lit (by headlamps) area in
>> front of your car as long as you're going straight. But when you start
>> turning into the corner you have to look in the darkness. That
>> wouldn't be that bad by itself, but the eyes are already used to
>> relatively bright light of headlights and it
>
>
> Buy one of those cars that have side lights. When you flip on the turn
> signal, the light on that side comes on also.
What are those cars? Not that I'm about to change the car just for that
And I imagine you can just install extra lights, but would it be road-
legal? I would think that if you meet another car in left turn you'll be
blinding its driver?

Anyway, it's probably better to post in *.autos.driving.* for some
engineering solutions

"Mike Tyner" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:L%qqf.9083$(E-Mail Removed) nk.net:

> "alexti" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote
>
>> long as you're going straight. But when you start turning into the
>> corner you have to look in the darkness. That wouldn't be that bad by
>> itself, but the eyes are already used to relatively bright light of
>> headlights and it takes them a while to adjust (of course, too long
>> for actually seeing into the turn).
>
> This is why driving manuals tell you to watch the stripes on the road,
> and not dazzle yourself by staring at oncoming headlights.
Just in case it didn't come out clear, I was talking about your own
headlights and contrast betwen the area lit by them and the area remaining
outside of the beams.

>> I wonder if some kind of eyeglasses would do better in this
>> conditions. For example, would lenses with transparency changing
>> inversely with brightness help? (If such lenses exist)?
>
> Photochromic lenses have been around for a long time, but with the
> current technology the lenses don't change fast enough nor can they
> darken selectively in different parts of the lens.
Don't they react on UV rather than on an amount of visible light?