Vision and Glare

A glaring oversight?

Frankly, most of us don’t think much about how well equipped our eyeglass lenses are to reduce potentially dangerous and fatiguing glare caused by bright sunlight or reflections. Yet Transitions^® lenses, especially when combined with an anti-reflective (AR) coating, are not only the optimal choice for your everyday eyeglasses, they also reduce distracting, discomforting and disabling glare.* When you reduce glare, you can improve your overall quality of vision and minimize eye strain and fatigue. Transitions lenses help to ensure that your quality of vision is at its best at all times, all day, everyday. And the best part is, you don’t even have to think about it.
Transitions lenses reduce glare and:

help prevent the loss of visibility
improve visual quality and visual comfort
provide a comfortable level of light
reduce squinting and eye fatigue
improve contrast
enhance your healthy sight and wellness

For more information about the details of Transitions lenses, click here.

*In extreme conditions, we recommend polarized sunglasses that block 100% UV radiation and help reduce blinding glare. Also consider specialized sunwear that is Activated by Transitions™.

What is “glare”?

Glare can be described as “extreme brightness” from the presence of excessive visible light.
Glare can be distracting and even dangerous and can occur day or night in a number of ways.
Glare can cause you to squint, resulting in eye strain and eye fatigue. In extreme cases, glare can even result in temporary blindness.

There are four types of glare to be aware of:

Distracting glare
Distracting glare can be caused by car headlights or streetlights at night. It can also be as simple as light being reflected off the front of your lenses making it difficult for others to see your eyes. Similarly, it may be from light reflected off the back – or inside – of your lenses so that you see the distracting reflection of your own eyes of objects behind you in your forward field of vision. As a result, this kind of glare may cause eye fatigue, annoyance and distraction.

Discomforting glare
Glare can be caused by everyday, normal sunlight conditions. Depending upon one’s light sensitivity, this glare can be discomforting regardless of weather or time of day. It can be present in any level or intensity of light, or when moving from one lighting condition to another. Discomforting glare often causes squinting and eye fatigue.

Disabling glare
This type of glare comes from excessive, intense light that can occur when you face directly into the sun. Disabling glare can block vision because the intense light can cause significantly reduced contrast of the retinal image. The latent effects can last well beyond the time of exposure.

Blinding or reflected glare
This comes from light reflected off smooth, shiny surfaces such as water, sand or snow. It can be strong enough to block vision. Reflected light is polarized and requires polarized lenses to reduce it optimally.

Transitions Healthy Sight for Life Fund

Learn what Transitions Optical is doing to help more people see better today—and tomorrow—through our support of charitable organizations across the globe.

Youth Education Materials

Make healthy sight awareness fun. Our outreach program offers creative educational materials—including classroom plans—for students of all ages.