With such a wide range of lens technologies available on the market, it can get a quite difficult to choose what's perfect for you. In this blog, we'll discuss Photofusion technology and Adaptive Sun, two cutting edge photochromatic technologies from Zeiss...
Photofusion X Technology
You may be asking yourself, what exactly is Photofusion technology? Well, it is a state-of-the-art photochromic lens technology that converts your optical glasses into a pair of prescription sunglasses when exposed to UV-rays. Allowing for daily wear, all year round. So you get both an everyday pair of prescription glasses and a pair of tinted prescription sunglasses all in one pair!
When Zeiss announced the release of their new Photofusion X, it was 80% faster to react to light than the previous generation Photofusion. The most common complaint with photochromic lenses, is the reaction speed. A lot of people want their lenses to activate quickly enough that when they step inside, they can see clearly more or less straight away. In the past, that wasn't the case, no matter how much they improved in the last 10 years, that still wasn't the case. With Photofusion X, that has changed. These lenses are now quick enough to react both to go darker and to go clear that you would not notice it happening. Yes, it may not be instantaneous, but maybe that's a good thing. If they were to switch like an on and off switch, it would be quite shocking to our visual system. The Photofusion technology gradually adjusts to the light conditions as your eyes also gradually adjust.
Photofusion technology offers amazing UV protection for when you are outdoors, along with blue light protection when you are indoors, to protect your eyes from harsh indoor lights, screens, phones, and all of the digital devices we use, as Photofusion X has Blue Guard technology built-in. This means that you get an incredibly versatile lens.
How dark do the Photofusion X lenses get?
They don't get as dark as adaptive sun, but those are the darkest lenses money can buy - they go to a 97% tint. Photofusion lenses go to roughly 80%, so you should not expect photochromic lenses to be a sunglass replacement.
The Colour Options:
The lenses are available in brown, green, blue, grey and extra grey.
However, the color combinations are the fun part - pairing a coating with the original tint. These coatings include amber, ruby, sapphire, jade, and diamond. We've created some amazing combinations here.
If you'd like to see how PhotoFusion X lenses perform over time, watch our video below where we review the lenses after testing them out for 6 months...
Adaptive Sun
Zeiss Adaptive Sun lenses are a game-changer, lenses which can change in tint percentage to adapt to changing light conditions. Zeiss Adaptive Sun lenses are essentially tinted photochromic lenses. They are designed to automatically adjust their color intensity depending on UV exposure, giving full UV protection without the need to switch to sunglasses.
How dark do the Adaptive Sun lenses get?
Adaptive sun is a hybrid technology. They are tinted glasses that can do everything that sunglasses do, only better. So the concept with adaptive sun is that we start off with either a 60% solid tint or a 75% gradient tint. Adaptive sun gradient lenses adjust between a 25% - 75% gradient tint and a 97% solid tint when exposed to UV.
Sunglasses provide UV protection, glare reduction, and comfortable vision. However, even when wearing them, customers often struggle to see clearly because of constantly changing light conditions, which can strain the eyes. The lenses can either be too dark in shady/cloudy conditions or too light in bright sunlight. As a result, we tend to take them off, leaving our eyes unprotected.
ZEISS AdaptiveSun Solutions are sun lenses designed to automatically adjust their color intensity depending on UV exposure while maintaining:
full UV protection and
glare protection.
If you'd like to see what we think, watch our video below where we review the Adaptive Sun lenses...
Now lets compare...
Photofusion X | Adaptive Sun | |
UV Protection | Provides some UV protection, but not full protection. | Provides full UV protection. |
Everyday Use | Transitions from clear to tinted, so when you are indoors, your glasses look like normal prescription glasses. | Transition from lightly tinted to a full darkness sunglass, so no matter if you are in doors or outdoors, you will always have some level of tint on your glasses. |
Tint Level | Transitions from clear to a maximum of 80% tint when exposed to UV. | A Solid Tint starts at a 60% and transitions to a 97% when exposed to UV. Alternatively, you can have a Gradient Tint starting between 25% - 75% and transition to a 97% tint with UV exposure. |
If you'd like to order your pair of either Photofusion X or Adaptive Sun lenses - Contact us and upgrade your vision today!
