ZEISS PhotoFusion X

Fast clear. Fast dark.
Your all-in-one glasses.

  •  Man jumping in the air wearing glasses with ZEISS PhotoFusion X in tinted state
  • Sensitive to glare when light conditions change?
  • Want self-tinting lenses that switch from clear to dark super-fast?
  • Want always-on protection for all kinds of light?
We’ve got you covered. Our state-of-the-art photochromic technology combined with built-in blue light protection makes PhotoFusion® X your all-day, all-light solution.

No need to swap.

We all know this feeling: You step outside and the daylight instantly blinds you. You reach for your sunglasses – urgh, they're not there!
With photochromic lenses, you get the glare protection and comfort you need – when you need it.

A lens with ZEISS BlueGuard lens material and ZEISS PhotoFusion X treatment blocks blue light in clear and tinted state.

All in one protection.

With ZEISS PhotoFusion X, you have photochromic glasses that tint from clear eyeglass lenses to sunglass-level darkness outdoors. They’re also made with our ZEISS BlueGuard lens material. It blocks up to 50% blue light indoors and up to 94% outdoors when fully tinted.1 Plus full UV protection all the time – whether clear or dark.

Performance perfected.

With new, fast-reacting photochromic dye compounds, and a new speed-optimised carrier matrix, lenses with ZEISS PhotoFusion X fade from sunglasses to perfectly clear in no time. They also turn from clear to dark in seconds. You'll see it all – in every type of light. And look good doing it.

How do they work?

How do they work?

You may have heard photochromic lenses be called self-tinting, light-responsive, light-adaptive, variable tint or light intelligent lenses. They are also called transition lenses because that’s precisely what they do. These lenses stay transparent indoors but transition to a sunglass tint when exposed to the sun's ultraviolet radiation.

Photochromic dye compounds, when exposed to UV rays, are activated to “open up” – this causes your lenses to darken.
Women wearing glasses with ZEISS PhotoFusion X in tinted state with a visualization of the tinted dye compounds.
Once the UV disappears, the molecules fold up again – and your glasses turn back to clear.​
Women wearing glasses with ZEISS PhotoFusion X in clear state with a visualization of the folded dye compounds.

How do we make them faster?

Glasses with photochromic lenses typically darken quickly but take longer to transition from dark to clear. Speeding up a photochromic lens' transition time can be tricky. It usually means that the darkness of the lens will be compromised. With the PhotoFusion® X design, ZEISS scientists would simply not settle for anything less than sunglasses-level darkness.​

New improved, faster dye compounds – each less than 0.3 mm in diameter – need very little light energy to react. At the same time, a new speed-optimised resin gives the molecules more freedom to quickly fold or unfold at their maximum level of performance.

The results?

While clearing up to 80% faster than before,5 ZEISS PhotoFusion  X lenses in their respective  colours  are still as dark or even darker  than our previous generation  photochromics.

Outstanding technology behind ZEISS PhotoFusion X

The results.

  • 2.5 x

    Up to 2.5 times faster fade-back than a well-known brand’s latest generation.2

  • 60%

    Up to 60% faster dark than before.3

  • 15 sec

    Only 15 seconds to effective glare protection.4

  • Glasses with lenses in ZEISS PhotoFusion X colour blue with ZEISS DuraVision Flash mirror coating colour Ruby. Half of one lens is not fully darkened to show the difference in colour.
  • Glasses with lenses in ZEISS PhotoFusion X colour blue with ZEISS DuraVision Flash mirror coating colour Diamond. Half of one lens is not fully darkened to show the difference in colour.
  • Glasses with lenses in ZEISS PhotoFusion X colour brown with ZEISS DuraVision Flash mirror coating colour Amber. Half of one lens is not fully darkened to show the difference in colour.
  • Glasses with lenses in ZEISS PhotoFusion X colour Pioneer with ZEISS DuraVision Flash mirror coating Jade. Half of one lens is not fully darkened to show the difference in colour.

    ZEISS PhotoFusion X Pioneer & ZEISS DuraVision Flash Jade

  • Glasses with lenses in ZEISS PhotoFusion X colour blue with ZEISS DuraVision Flash mirror coating colour Sapphire. Half of one lens is not fully darkened to show the difference in colour.

    ZEISS PhotoFusion X blue & ZEISS DuraVision Flash Sapphire

  • Glasses with lenses in ZEISS PhotoFusion X colour blue with ZEISS DuraVision Flash mirror coating colour Ruby. Half of one lens is not fully darkened to show the difference in colour.

    ZEISS PhotoFusion X blue & ZEISS DuraVision Flash Ruby

  • Glasses with lenses in ZEISS PhotoFusion X colour blue with ZEISS DuraVision Flash mirror coating colour Diamond. Half of one lens is not fully darkened to show the difference in colour.

    ZEISS PhotoFusion X blue & ZEISS DuraVision Flash Diamond

  • Glasses with lenses in ZEISS PhotoFusion X colour brown with ZEISS DuraVision Flash mirror coating colour Amber. Half of one lens is not fully darkened to show the difference in colour.

    ZEISS PhotoFusion X brown & ZEISS DuraVision Flash Amber

  • Glasses with lenses in ZEISS PhotoFusion X colour Pioneer with ZEISS DuraVision Flash mirror coating Jade. Half of one lens is not fully darkened to show the difference in colour.

    ZEISS PhotoFusion X Pioneer and ZEISS DuraVision Flash Jade

  • Glasses with lenses in ZEISS PhotoFusion X colour blue with ZEISS DuraVision Flash mirror coating colour Sapphire. Half of one lens is not fully darkened to show the difference in colour.

    ZEISS PhotoFusion X blue and ZEISS DuraVision Flash Sapphire

Colours abound.

We get it. You want your self-tinting eyeglasses to look just as fab as your designer sunnies.
ZEISS PhotoFusion X comes in a wide range of photochromic lens colours to complete your look. Mix and match these with ZEISS DuraVision Flash mirrors to add a layer of wow – and make heads turn.

Let’s recap.

Don’t stop now.

These lens ingredients combine nicely with PhotoFusion® X.

ZEISS PhotoFusion X means all-in-one protection, great looks and convenience – but you have a few more choices to make. Let’s have a look.

Your eyes

ZEISS PhotoFusion X is for every type of prescription and is especially handy for light-sensitive eyes. Just ask your eye care professional.

Your lifestyle

Add ZEISS PhotoFusion X technology to elevate most of our lens types. It’s a great way to make your ZEISS SmartLife lenses even smarter.

Your face & frame

In addition to upgrading your lenses with all-in-one protection, you can fine-tune their optics to your unique face and frame.

Eye protection

ZEISS PhotoFusion X offers it all – UV, blue light and glare protection. Don’t love self-tinting glasses? Get ZEISS BlueGuard in your clear lenses. UV protection is always free.

Thickness & weight

ZEISS PhotoFusion X is available in a wide range of indices so you can look and feel great with the thinnest, lightest lenses possible.

Durability & care

Add any lens coating of your choice to reinforce your glasses and make them easy to clean.

Any questions?

  • Photochromic lenses aren’t activated by artificial light, headlamps or streetlights – which makes them pretty much the same as any other clear lens when driving at night. They primarily protect the eyes from sunlight, UV rays and blue light.
    Need a solution to prevent glare and see clearly when driving at night? Check out ZEISS DriveSafe

  • Sometimes, self-tinting glasses can look strange when they’re not fully darkened or fully clear. But ZEISS PhotoFusion X reaches sunglass level darkness outdoors depending on the temperature and intensity of the UV light.  

  • Lenses with ZEISS PhotoFusion X technology get just as dark as sunglasses and provide full UV protection. But that's not all: ZEISS PhotoFusion X also blocks up to 50% blue light indoors and up to 94% outdoors when fully tinted.1

  • First, ZEISS PhotoFusion X reacts faster: They need just 15 seconds to darken and provide effective glare protection.4 ZEISS PhotoFusion X also clears up to 2.5 times faster than the competition2 – and up to 80%5 faster than our previous photochromic lenses.

  • We think they’re all awesome. ZEISS PhotoFusion X is available in several great colours – like Grey, Blue, Extra Grey, Brown and Pioneer. You can also add a layer of wow with our stunning ZEISS DuraVision Flash mirrors in Ruby, Sapphire or Diamond, to name a few.

  • 1

    Analyses by Technology and Innovation, Carl Zeiss Vision GmbH, DE 2021. Based on Blue Violet Block (BVB) metric that quantifies the amount of light 400–455 nm blocked by PFX Extra Grey 1.6 HC form.

  • 2

    Testing by independent laboratory in USA, 2021 according to requirement in ISO 8980-3. Based on the average speed (%T/min) of fade-back from fully activated state to 80 %T at 23°C in grey 1.50 index (CR607) HC only form. Compared to a well-known photochromic brands latest generation in 1.5 grey.

  • 3

    Analyses by Technology and Innovation, Carl Zeiss Vision GmbH, Aus 2021 in accordance to ISO 8980-3. Based on the average speed (%T/min) of activation from clear state to 30 %T at 23°C in grey 1.60 index and polycarbonate in HC only form.

  • 4

    Analyses by Technology and Innovation, Carl Zeiss Vision GmbH, DE 2021 in accordance to ISO 8980-3. PhotoFusion X Grey or Extra Grey at 23°C, 1.6 index with HC.

  • 5

    Testing by independent laboratory in USA, 2021 according to requirement in ISO 8980-3. Based on the average speed (%T/min) of fade-back from fully activated state to 80 %T at 23°C in grey 1.60 index and Polycarbonate HC only form.