Darker, Clearer, Faster: Doubling Down with SunSync^® Drive XT

There are many things that can take our eyes off the road while driving—phone calls, text messages, bickering backseat broods—but one distraction that most drivers can relate to is the bright, glaring sun that pierces through the windshield like a ninja. Spring and summer months bring higher sun intensity, and relief comes from switching regular prescription glasses to prescription sunglasses.

“Sunwear is always just out of reach when you need it,” notes Jason Gentile, SunSync Product Manager, VSP^® Optics and ABO-certified Optician. “Enhancing your primary pair of prescription glasses with SunSync Drive XT Light-Reactive lenses helps keep eyes on the road.” 

Switch Gears, Not Glasses 
Photochromics go from dark to clear and clear to dark because the lenses react to the UV rays emitted by the sun. Automakers as far back as the 1930s incorporated polyvinyl butyral (PVB) resin in windshields which, among other benefits, blocked approximately 99% of UV rays. Most modern windshields prevent photochromics from activating behind the wheel forcing wearers to switch glasses while driving. SunSync Drive XT is chemically treated to react to both UV and visible light, making it one of the only photochromic lenses that works behind a car windshield.

“I’ve been wearing photochromics for almost 40 years, but it’s frustrating because they block out the sun so well outside, but in the car I have to put sunglasses on top of them because they don’t get dark enough.”

—Robin G., Charlotte, NC 

As an Optician, you can help patients avoid such cosmetic crimes by recommending SunSync^® Drive XT, a “life-reactive,” all-in-one solution that responds to wearer’s environment. Here are features and benefits to think about when talking to your patients:

1. Dark behind the wheel: SunSync Drive XT gets darker and stays dark behind the wheel. How dark depends on many variables such as temperature, UV exposure and lens material, but wearer’s won’t need to switch to their prescription sunglasses, fumble with clip-ons or worse, put sunglasses over their glasses. 
2. Faster fade-back speed: SunSync Drive XT fades back to clear faster than our original SunSync lens but not as quickly as SunSync^® Elite which fades back to clear in under a minute (2X faster than our competitors¹). Because these lenses are designed to give wearers a darker experience, it takes more time for the lenses to return to clear. 
3. Extra dark outdoor color: Drive XT lenses are ultra-dark outdoors and a great choice for patients who prefer a dark sunglass tint.  However, in its activated state in the car, SunSync Drive XT is slightly less dark than its full dark outdoor color.
4. UV protection: SunSync Drive XT provides 100% UV protection, especially important in spring and summer months when UV rays can be intense.
5. Blue light reduction: SunSync lenses provide excellent blue light reduction due to the photochromic material’s natural ability to absorb blue light in an active and inactive state.

It’s important to remind patients that ambient temperature, time of day and lens material are just a few factors that can influence darkness, clarity and reaction speeds. If a patient asks how clear these lenses get indoors, you can say that all photochromic lenses have a slight tint indoors, but SunSync Drive XT’s tint is near clear in an inactive state.

Keeping It Simple 
Dispensing a photochromic lens should be easy,  but some photochromic brands take “too much of a good thing” too far with confusing choices and colors. We keep things simple by offering a streamlined portfolio that makes dispensing fast and easy. Products include: 

• SunSync Drive XT: ultra dark outdoor tint and in-car retention
• SunSync Elite: ultra-fast fade back and activation speeds 

Both are available in either a grey or brown tint, and both provide blue light reduction and 100% UV protection. 

"In annual surveys, VSP members consistently report the need for a light-reactive lens that works in the car,” concludes Gentile. “We have empowered VSP providers with a premium light-reactive lens option that answers those members' needs in SunSync Drive XT.”

Learn more about SunSync Drive XT or request an in-person demo from your ophthalmic business consultant.

1. t½F of SunSync Elite in polycarbonate is 51 seconds at 73.4°F.