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 switch.

We all know the feeling: You step outside and the daylight instantly blinds you. You reach for your sunglasses – ugh, 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% of blue light indoors and up to 94% outdoors when fully tinted.1 Plus sunglass-level UV protection all the time – whether clear or dark.

Performance perfected.

With new, fast-reacting photochromic dye compounds and a new speed-optimized 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 simply wouldn’t 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-optimized resin gives the molecules more freedom to quickly fold or unfold at their maximum level of performance.

The results?

ZEISS PhotoFusion X lenses in their respective colors are as dark or even darker than our previous generation photochromics.4

Outstanding technology behind ZEISS PhotoFusion X

The results.

  • 4.5x

    4.5 times faster to clear versus the most common photochromic brand.3

  • 26%

    Up to 26% darker than the previous generation.2

  • 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 color blue with ZEISS DuraVision Flash mirror coating color Ruby. Half of one lens is not fully darkened to show the difference in color.

    ZEISS PhotoFusion X Blue and ZEISS DuraVision Flash Mirror Ruby

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

    ZEISS PhotoFusion X Blue and ZEISS DuraVision Flash Mirror White

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

    ZEISS PhotoFusion X Brown and ZEISS DuraVision Flash Mirror Amber

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

    ZEISS PhotoFusion X Pioneer and ZEISS DuraVision Flash Mirror Jade

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

    ZEISS PhotoFusion X Blue and ZEISS DuraVision Flash Mirror Sapphire

Colors abound.

We get it. You want your self-tinting eyeglasses to look just as incredible as your designer shades.
ZEISS PhotoFusion X comes in a wide range of photochromic lens colors to complete your look. Mix and match these with ZEISS DuraVision Flash mirrors to add an additional 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 take 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 doctor.

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 and standard in every ZEISS lens.

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 can be worn both day or night for driving. During the day they primarily protect against sunlight, UV rays and blue light, but they don’t activate when exposed to artificial light, headlamps or streetlights. If you find you want more glare protection during the day for driving, you may want try our ZEISS Polarized lenses. Or, for glare during night driving, check out ZEISS DriveSafe.

  • Some people think 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 sunglass-level 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: It needs just 15 seconds to darken and provide effective glare protection.4 ZEISS PhotoFusion X also clears up to 4.5 times faster than the most common photochromic2 – and up to 26%5 darker than our previous photochromic lenses.

  • We think they’re all awesome. ZEISS PhotoFusion X is available in several great colors – from our Pioneer grey green color to our fun Blue color to typical brown and grey tones, including an extra-dark extra grey. Plus we offer Pro Grey and Pro Brown which are up to 4.5 x faster to clear than the most common photochromic.3 Or add a layer of wow with our stunning ZEISS DuraVision Flash mirrors.


  • 1

    Analyses by Technology and Innovation, Carl Zeiss Vision GmbH, Aus 2021, based on Blue Violet Block (BVB) metric that quantifies the amount of light 400-455nm blocked by the lens, for PFX Grey 1.6 HC only lenses.

  • 2

    Testing by independent testing laboratory in USA in 2021-22 according to requirement in ISO 8980-3. Based on activate state T% at 23C in Poly HC only form.

  • 3

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