Yellow lens glasses don't improve drivers' night vision

A new study suggests that yellow lens glasses, touted to improve night-time eyesight, do not help drivers see better and may, in fact, worsen vision.

Researchers found that yellow lens-wearing volunteers operating a driving simulator were no better at spotting a pedestrian when confronting oncoming headlights than those who wore clear lenses, according to the study published in Jama Ophthalmology.

Buyers of these products "have the concept that somehow these magic glasses can improve night-time driving", said the study's lead author Alex Hwang, an instructor in ophthalmology at the Harvard Medical School and an investigator at the Schepens Eye Research Institute at Massachusetts Eye and Ear.

"Wearing (tinted) glasses, whether they are yellow, red or blue, cuts out a chunk of light. Which means this is the same as wearing sunglasses while driving at night."