Driving at night can be an issue for many drivers especially during the winter months. The days are shorter and nights longer. It's no wonder that many of us lack confidence when it comes to driving at night.

Many of us struggle to drive at night because of one simple reason.... lights. They can come from all directions - headlights, traffic lights and all of these can cause discomfort and lower your ability to focus properly causing glare
As we age, our eyes can take abit longer to react to the changes in the light and glare can play an important part in our road safety at night.
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Driving at night needn't be a chore or something you dread doing. With a few simple steps you can become a more confident driver in no time. 

• Get your eyes tested. Really, we should be getting our eyes tested once every 2 years (more often if you have had problems with your sight in the past). This ensures that we have the correct prescription for our lenses and we feel more confident on the road.
• Ensure you have what you need before you start your journey. Get everything together and organise yourself for the journey ahead. That way you aren't distracted whilst driving.
• Keep to well lit roads/main roads. 
• Make sure your windscreen is clean from dirt or debris. Reflections (both inside and outside of your windscreen) can be a hazard. Ensure you have enough screen wash and that the inside of your window is smear free.
• Invest in night time driving glasses. There are special glasses that you can purchase that really do help with reducing glare from headlights. They are called fitovers are they fit over your current glasses and the name of the brand that we recommend are called Cocoons. The Twilight lens system blocks 100% of harmful UV light and 60% or more of harmful High Energy Visible (HEV) blue light while providing 93% overall visible light transmission. The unique filtering properties of these HEV filters effectively reduce scattered blue light and improve contrast without compromising overall light transmission. The lens system is protected by a one-year scratch resistance warranty and includes an anti-reflective coating to minimize glare and halos created by artificial light sources.
  

​As the UK Supplier of Cocoons, Associated Optical are on hand to answer any questions that you have prior or after purchasing them.
We hope this post helps you. If it has or if you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will do our best to respond.

​A fitover is designed to be worn over your prescription glasses. Designed for the spectacle wearer, the fitover allows full protection from UV without the need to purchase prescription sunglasses. That said, many consumers that purchase Rx sunglasses also buy a pair of fitovers as a spare pair. Fitovers are particularly useful for driving and sporting activities. 

​Side-shields are such an important element to the performance and level of protection given by fitover sunglasses. Without side-shields, or full wrap lenses you are sacrificing side protection.  In fact you could be exposing the eyes to UV and glare. Cocoons feature patented frame designs to feature large side-shields designed to provide maximum protection & exceptional peripheral vision.

​Another factor to consider is comfort, without a good fit, fitovers will become uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. Cocoons feature adjustable temples called Flex2Fit. Once positioned the temple remains in a fixed position. It will only move if it is intentionally adjusted. This helps the fitovers to remain comfortable & secure making it a perfect fit for you!

​A fitover is designed to be worn over prescription glasses. A professional grade fitover will seal off incoming light from above, the peripheral and below the prescription glasses.

Up to 70% of light that reaches the eyes can be reflected off surfaces below the eye-line. If light is allowed to penetrate from below the prescription glasses, it severely diminishes the performance of the fitovers.

​Many fitover frame designs don’t feature underside protection.

The performance and quality of the lens is centrepiece to any sunglass that is designed to be worn over prescription eye wear. Utilisation of an inferior lens material can adversely affect the performance of the patient’s prescription lenses.
Cocoons feature Polaré polarized lenses. The Polaré lens is the highest quality polarized lens available in any OveRx sunglass, including every known competitive product. Live Eyewear is aware that certain competitors may make unsubstantiated claims as to the quality, material and optical performance of their lenses. These claims infer that competitive lenses are the same quality as the Polaré lens. Live Eyewear invests heavily in research and development to insure that we continue to provide our customers with the best lenses available in the world. ICS Laboratories was commissioned by Live Eyewear to test and provide an independent evaluation of Cellulose Acetate (CAB) lenses and the Polaré lens (TAC). All Fitovers Eyewear polarized sunglasses utilize CAB lenses. Test results show the Polaré lens is vastly superior to the competitive lens in strength, scratch resistance, and most importantly, optical performance. It is imperative to Live Eyewear that a lens intended to be worn over prescription eyewear does not adversely affect the performance of the prescription eyewear. Thus, the sunglass lens must be free of distortion, stable and strong enough not to deteriorate during regular usage. A full copy of the ICS report is available upon request.
A simple test you can perform by yourself is to apply a small amount of pressure to the centre of any competitors lens with your thumb. The reaction of the CAB lens is identical to lenses found in mass market, drug store and non-optical retail environments. Live Eyewear does not consider such a lens to have sufficient quality for dispensing by the eyecare professional.

​Sadly, it is thought that about 80% of fitovers are purchased in retail locations such as supermarkets. This unfortunately means that they can be ill-fitting and uncomfortable for the user. Resulting in the user not being able to wear them so off in the drawer they go never to be used again. It is important that you choose the right fit for your glasses.
If you type fitovers into a google search, you’ll see a lot of discounted brands. However, just because a fitover is cheap, it doesn’t mean it is necessarily right for you. 

​Cocoons are available only from professional retailers. This means that when you go to purchase a pair of cocoons, your eye professional will spend time with you going through your requirements and will explain the benefits of Cocoons and how to best use them. They will also be able to tell you the correct size needed to fit perfectly with your prescription glasses meaning you will get the best fit.
Not only will you benefit from this personalised service but Cocoons come with a 1 year scratch resistance warranty and the durable frames are guaranteed for life!
Cocoon Fitovers eliminate up to 70% more light by blocking reflected surface glare and UV. Helping to protect your eyes from direct and indirect sunlight.

Associated optical has distributors in optical practices all across the country. Please contact us for details of your nearest retailer.