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DriveSafe Lenses

Dr. Altig Answers Patient Questions about DriveSafe Lenses

eye disease glare driver female blinding sight

Have you found driving at night has become more difficult?

We all notice different things happen as we age. Our bodies take a little longer to recover from athletic activity, our joints are a little stiffer, and often seeing at night while driving becomes a little more of a challenge. You are not alone with this. Whether you have perfect 2020 vision or suffer from an eye condition, aging takes its toll on all of our eyes.

While driving at night it is not uncommon to experience blurry vision, haloed vision, or loss of aspects of your peripheral vision. It is not just the darkness that intensifies this, but high beams and headlights as well as the lights of the traffic signals and other vehicles. All of this can add to significantly increased difficulty in seeing while driving at night.

There is a solution however to your nighttime driving issues. ZEISS DriveSafe Lenses are optimized glasses specially designed for driving.

What is the difference between an anti-glare and an anti-reflection lens?

Dr. Altig: Anti-glare and anti-reflection means the same thing. Say you are looking at a frame with a picture in it that has an anti-glare coating on it – that’s an anti-reflective coating. What causes the glare is light reflecting off the surface of the glass, and that happens in glasses as well.

So we put the anti-reflective or anti-glare coating on the lens and it decreases the amount of reflection loss, and, therefore, more light gets into the lens and more light gets into your eye. Hence, your vision is clearer because the eye needs light to see, and the more light you get into your eye the better your vision is.

Can you explain the difference between an anti-glare and a polarized lens treatment?

Dr. Altig: The polarized lens will only reduce reflected light. Anti-reflective lenses increase the amount of light that is getting into your eye, which provides clearer vision. Polarized lenses block out light that is being reflected from a flat surface, like a lake, or a ski slope. Light that comes off a flat surface, like a lake reflecting back at you, is what gets diminished by the polarized lens treatment.

That’s why if you are on a lake, and look into the water, if you have polarized lenses you can look right past the surface of the water and see what’s inside. If you are wearing an untreated lens, the light is reflected up, and not bounced away, so you can’t see into the water.

When we use the word coating for a lens, is it the same meaning as the word treatment?

Dr. Altig: Yes. The bottom line about DriveSafe lenses is they have the best lens treatments in the world. Generally, most lens treatments have a warranty where if you scratch them they will replace them once per year. However the DriveSafe lenses have a premium treatment, and the warranty includes multiple replacements over a two-year period. In our practice, we have only had a few patients who had any issues with the DriveSafe lenses.

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Is DriveSafe a lens treatment that can be applied to glasses and sunglasses?

Dr. Altig: Yes. You can apply the DriveSafe lens treatment to sunglasses as well as regular glasses. If you are using a bifocal lens to use DriveSafe, it has to be a progressive lens.

Is it possible to combine DriveSafe with a photochromic treatment, such as transitions?

Dr. Altig: Yes. I personally insist on only using photochromic lenses. I love stepping outside and having them turn into sunglasses. But everything has advantages and disadvantages, and the photochromic lenses don’t work well inside a car.

DriveSafe is a lens coating available only on Zeiss lenses, correct?

Dr. Altig: You can’t get the DriveSafe treatment on a lens that is not made by zeiss. Zeiss has a patent on it.

zeiss color

When we use the word coating for a lens, is it the same meaning as the word treatment?

Dr. Altig: Yes. The bottom line about DriveSafe lenses is they have the best lens treatments in the world. Generally, most lens treatments have a warranty where if you scratch them they will replace them once per year. However the DriveSafe lenses have a premium treatment, and the warranty includes multiple replacements over a two-year period. In our practice, we have only had a few patients who had any issues with the DriveSafe lenses.

Are DriveSafe lenses good for non-driving purposes as well?

Dr. Altig: I tell patients that I love the lenses but I hate the name. These lenses are not only for driving, they are everyday glasses that enhance your everyday vision. There are certain times when they really shine such as during the rain and at night.

I will only go to Altig for my eye care.

I have been in Texas since 2010, and I will only go to Altig for my eye care. Keep up the great work!

- John K. - May 2017

The service is always exceptional!

Dr. Altig and the entire staff always go the extra mile! I have been coming to this office for 14 years, and the service is always exceptional.

- Carrie H. - May 2017

No Need for Dangerous Glares During Driving!

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Altig Optical

3451 Western Center Boulevard
Fort Worth, TX 76137

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Hours

  • Monday: 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
  • Tuesday: 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
  • Wednesday: 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
  • Thursday: 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
  • Friday: 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
  • Saturday: Closed
  • Sunday: Closed

In case of an emergency during non business hours, please go directly to the emergency room.