THEY probably won't win any fashion awards, but a pair of glasses that detect driver drowsiness and issue an alarm at the first sign of fatigue could win the Melbourne company that makes them a national award for road safety.

The glasses, which use invisible leadlight to monitor eyelid movements at a rate of 500 times a second, are being used by a growing number of transport and mining companies around the world. The companies also use the glasses to remotely monitor their drivers' alertness levels on the road.

Contractor Craig Hemsley wears Optalert glasses as project manager Warren Ashby, of Air Liquide, checks the monitor, which reads fatigue levels. Credit:Tony Ashby

Their maker, Optalert, based in Richmond, is also piloting a system that could one day be used by individual drivers.

Optalert's Jim Chadwick said heavy-vehicle drivers were often unreliable judges of fatigue, and were prone to pushing on when they ought to rest.