Road Safety Week and Healthy Vision

Why healthy vision is crucial for drivers

Numerous car accidents each year are caused by drivers who fail to wear appropriate visual correction. This may be due to them having an out of date prescription which no longer guarantees perfect vision, or them failing to wear glasses at all. A survey conducted by Direct Line car insurance found that 21% of motorists who are in need of some form of visual correction fail to wear any at all when driving. This same survey found that motorists driving with poor eye sight were four times more likely to be involved in a road traffic accident thus endangering themselves and others.

Having good vision is fundamental when it comes to driving and safety; it is for this reason that drivers who are found to have caused an accident due to poor sight face fines of up to £1000, invalidating of their car insurance, and a prison sentence.

An eye test can save lives

Your vision is crucial to guarantee everyone’s safety on the road. This is why we recommend drivers to have regular eye tests. An eye examination is the perfect opportunity for you to know if your vision is where it should be. We often feel that there are no issues with our vision, but when we actually get our eyes tested, we realise that our vision is not as good as we think. Only when we have an eye test we are able to see exactly where we are on the letter chart, and an optometrist is the only person who can spot changes in your vision and potential signs of eye conditions.

An eye test is also a good opportunity to see if one meets DVLA driving standards - and for learner drivers if they would pass the number plate test. If you feel you’re not seeing as sharp anymore, you find it harder to read number plates or signs from further away, or particularly struggle to see in poor lighting, please always get your eyes tested.

Remember: in order for you to be at your best on the road, you need to be seeing as best as you can. Wearing your most up-to-date prescription glasses is the only way to ensure this.

Wear anti-glare driving glasses

Another important action you can take as a driver is wearing glasses with anti reflective coating, commonly referred to as anti-glare glasses. Ant- glare glasses are increasingly popular in the UK among drivers because they help reduce glare from oncoming traffic headlights and ensure a more comfortable drive. At Eye Emporium, we always recommend anti-glare glasses (or anti reflective coatings) particularly on distance glasses for driving.

Anti-glare glasses for night driving

It’s no news that night driving is more dangerous. Fatal accidents are three times more likely to happen at night compared with the daytime*, the reason simply being that we cannot see as well in the dark. Wearing night vision glasses for driving can be a very helpful option for drivers. Night vision glasses tend to either be coated glasses for driving (such as anti glare glasses) or specific driving glasses such as HOYA EnRoute lenses.

Try HOYA EnRoute lenses for your driving glasses

HOYA’s En Route lenses minimise the glare from headlights far more than many other anti-glare glasses on the market, providing far superior clarity in vision especially at night for those that spend very long hours driving. This is because they utilise both a glare filter (rather than coating) and a contrast enhancing filter. Together these ensure a visually comfortable experience for the driver. HOYA EnRoute lenses come as both a single vision and multifocal lens to ensure clear vision across all distances. We highly recommend these lenses to all drivers.

Choose polarised glasses

Polarised glasses use polarised lenses to cut out certain types of light waves reflected of various surfaces such as roads, car widows and mirrors. As a result, they make vision much clearer and enhance contrast for drivers on bright sunny days when the levels of light reflectance of the road surface are high. This helps drivers to see better on bright days thus improving their ability to drive safely.

Safe drive stay alive with a 20/20 vision

In order to ensure your safety and the safety of others while driving, here is a summary of our top tips:

1. Have your eyes tested regularly - Regular eye exams should be your priority as a driver.
2. Don’t wait till it’s late - If you notice any changes in your vision, always book an eye test straight away.
3. Wear an up-to-date prescription - Be it spectacles or contact lenses, ensure that your vision is perfect for every journey, no matter how short.
4. Wear anti-glare glasses - Anti reflective coating of your lenses is beneficial when it comes to minimising glare and enhance your vision on the road.
5. Try HOYA En Route lenses - As opticians, these are our go-to driving lenses for those who drive for long hours or struggle with glare from headlights.
6. Choose polarised glasses - Polarised lenses are ideal for those very sunny days on the road to ensure your vision is as crisp as possible.

Book your eye test at Eye Emporium

For further information about Road Safety and Healthy Vision or to book an eye appointment, please contact us. One of our team members will be happy to assist you.



*Sources used in this article:

• Daily Echo: https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/19686347.medical-tips-safe-road-use/
• Directline: https://www.directline.com/media/archive-2016/millions-of-motorists-risk-driving-with-bad-eyesight
• NHTSA: https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/810637