EDITOR’S COMMENT
Glaringly obvious problems
Recent news (Optician 12.4.24) that the Department for Transport intends to carry out an investigation into the impact of glare from car headlights will be welcomed by most drivers and their passengers, but it will
be some time before there are any meaningful changes from the automotive world.
Headlight design is already governed by international legislation, yet problems persist, and new regulations that will make automatic headlight levelling mandatory on new cars sold in the UK don’t come into force until September 2027. It also doesn’t address the issues drivers have with the vehicles of today. LED lights also remain popular with vehicle manufacturers because ordinary drivers feel safer on the roads with greater volumes of illumination, and by and large, think their safety trumps the safety of other road users. Just look at the reasons for the increase in popularity of SUVs – which also cause more glare thanks to bright light and elevation.
It isn’t just the vehicle manufacturers causing the problem, though. Drivers themselves could be inadvertently causing
CONTENTS
more glare through poor alignment of lights or dirty lights that scatter beams in different directions. Then there’s the availability of upgraded bulbs that increase brightness, and although MoT rules prohibit retro-fitting LED upgrade bulbs to cars that were specified with LED lights from the factory, this relies on MoT testers being able to see the construction of the new bulbs in situ, which isn’t possible on many headlamp designs. In addition, current legislation means cars equipped with LED lights don’t need an MoT for three years, which is a really long time for headlights to suffer misalignment. It would be good to see headlights testing on a more regular basis as part of future legislation.
In the meantime, high street optical practices are ideally placed to become the experts in dealing with headlight glare and most articles in the motoring press recommend visiting an optometrist to try driving lenses that can take the edge off headlight glare.
Editor
11 Spor ting Federer style
12 The Goods
NEWS 4 7 Days News from the past week 7 In Focus Soft contact lens growth data
OPINION 8 Diar y of a Spectacle Designer
Keeping charity in mind
PRACTICE 9 Showcase
The latest product news 10 Optician Awards
A well-oiled machine
FRAMES AND FASHION 11 Ser ving style
EssilorLuxottica’s spring/summer launch 12 The Goods
New trends for spring 2024
14 One last dance in New York
Vision Expo East show repor t 18 Not only, but also
The missteps and ingenuities of presbyopic spectacles past
CLINICAL 20 CPD: Making a big difference for little
eyes 1 Two conditions that can affect paediatric facial and visual development 26 BCLA and College unite
Landmark conference planned 28 Specialist Low Vision clinics in the UK
The distribution of low vision provision
CLASSIFIED 30 Ser vices 33 Recruitment
Editorial enquiries 020 7501 6660 opticianeditor@markallengroup.com Display advertisements 020 7501 6668 Classified advertisements 020 7501 6686 daniel.doherty@markallengroup.com Subscriber enquiries 01722 716997 subscriptions@markallengroup.com
opticianonline.net
Optician is the weekly, paid-for information source for optometrists, dispensing opticians and the optical industr y. For 133 years Optician has been the independent voice for eye care professionals, students and business owners offering breaking news, analysis and education. In print and online, Optician provides an array of clinical, business and technology ar ticles, comprehensive CPD coverage along
with the ver y latest in contact lenses, frame fashion trends and spectacle lens technology. Optician offers advice on careers and carries hundreds of job oppor tunities ever y week. Optician provides its readers with essential business help and offers a forum for eye care professionals and others in the market.
19 April 2024 OPTICIAN 3
