Safety Check: How SunSync and TechShield Lens Enhancements Can Help New Drivers

Do you hear that? It’s the sound of a terrified parent teaching their 15-year-old how to drive. Most patients with teens will cross this road at some point and while it can be a stressful journey, there are a few things that can make it easier.  

Young drivers are bombarded with distractions and can hardly resist the next text or social media post, which could mean careening into an actual post if they don’t pay attention. Driving at night brings a whole new worry with glaring headlights and taillights. Are there ways to keep new drivers safe? That’s a question better answered by road safety experts, but as an ECP, you can give parents a smidgen of comfort with SunSync^® Drive XT Light-Reactive Lenses and TechShield^® Elite Anti-Reflective Coatings.

“The anti-glare layer in TechShield is important for patients especially while driving at night because today’s LED headlights are incredibly bright which can be distracting to drivers.”  

-Robert Grigg, O.D., Kuna, ID 

Vehicle headlights and taillights have changed over the last decade with the introduction of energy-saving LED bulbs that replaced halogen and incandescent bulbs. Here’s where TechShield Elite Anti-Reflective Coatings can help new and all drivers because it reduces the harsh glare of headlights and blurriness of taillights.

Right of the centerline is a visual of wearing eyewear treated with an anti-reflective coating; left side of centerline shows the bright glare from headlights and streetlights without an anti-reflective coating.

Because TechShield Elite lenses allow almost all light to pass through the lens, reflections are reduced, allowing for superior visual performance and appealing cosmetic appearance. Patients of all ages can appreciate those benefits!

In the Case or on Your Face

In a perfect world, we would all do this, but younger patients can be particularly rough on their eyewear and rarely put them back in the case. The multiple layers of a lens treated with TechShield Elite provide excellent cleanability, scratch resistance and smudge resistance, but the most important aspect is excellent visual clarity that even a teenager can appreciate.

Eyes on the Road, Hands on the Wheel

Here’s another unrealistic expectation of any driver, let alone a teenage driver. When the sun pierces through the car windshield at that certain time of day, it can be distracting no matter what part of the country you’re located. The chemical makeup of modern vehicle windshields blocks some UV rays. However, windshields don’t block solar energy, and that’s when switching from prescription glasses to prescription sunglasses can become a distraction. SunSync Drive XT retains a tint behind the wheel, reducing the sun’s glare and providing enough relief so wearers don’t have to rummage through a purse, backpack or center console for a different pair of glasses.

“Sometimes when it’s a patient’s first pair of glasses, all the options can be overwhelming, so I’ll walk them through the benefits of Sunsync Drive XT combined with TechShield. We include them in a package which makes it easier.”

-Robert Svensen, O.D., Anniston, AL

Many patients who love their photochromic lenses are often frustrated that they do not work in the car. SunSync Drive XT has a unique formulary that reacts to both visible light and ultraviolet light. This means that SunSync Drive XT is a photochromic lens that retains a tint behind the wheel. Will it get as dark as ultra-dark SunSync Drive XT outside the car and in the sunlight? No, but it’s enough tint to provide relief so drivers won't have to reach for a second pair of glasses—one pair outside the car, same pair inside the car.  

Lens enhancements like SunSync Drive XT and TechShield Elite AR coatings may not prevent new and young drivers from reaching for their phone while on the road, but combined, they do give them better visibility and one less distraction and that’s a plus for everyone on the road. 

Learn more about SunSync Drive XT and TechShield AR or request an in-person demo from your Ophthalmic Business Consultant. For the ultimate visual solution for progressive patients, check out the Unity^® Elite Suite.