Prescription safety glasses aren’t just for the daytime hours. You may think the need to block light sets with the sun, but nighttime use has it own distinct needs. Glare, for example – not from the sun, but from streetlights, headlights, or other forms of artificial lighting – can be a big problem in the dark or at dusk. Ask any bike or motorcycle rider and they’ll tell you all about the hazards of nighttime glare.
Luckily, the many prescription safety glasses available through Phillips Safety offer options that can handle your nocturnal needs.
Amber lenses are the recommended color for use at night. Amber works best at allowing clear vision under low-light conditions while still guarding against those sudden flare-ups of distracting glare, such as when a headlight beam of an oncoming vehicle crosses your path. A yellow or amber shade can actually lighten your field of view when darkness encroaches, and it will sharpen contrast and depth perception. Yet your eyes will still adjust to the overall darkness level and be more sensitive to any artificial light that does come your way; you’ll be thankful you’re wearing tinted glasses when that happens.
Variety is the spice of life, as they say, and some people do not feel comfortable with yellow or amber shades. If you prefer clear lenses but still require safety protection in darker conditions, you’ll probably want to have an anti-glare coating applied to your lenses. This will cut down on the ambient reflections that occur more commonly at night without coloring your lens.
If an actual source of light on your glasses is required, we carry the Panther LightSpecs Vindicator model. It combines ANSI-Z87.1 rated safety glasses with a pair of ultra-bright LED lights at the temples. Use them to illuminate your work area, light your way on a dark bike path or street, and make yourself more visible to others at night.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that no lens can offer you perfect vision at night. Many of the tints and colors that work so well during daylight hours can actually impair your vision at night. So if you experiment with various shades, be sure to stick to the yellow/amber spectrum.