It is a common practice to prescribe/request for Anti-Glare or Anti-Reflective Coating while suggesting for a Corrective Lens. There are some who doubt whether they are really worth doing it? Let us see.
The Anti-Glare or Anti-Reflective coating is applied on Corrective Lenses to reduce the strain on our eyes due to reflections from the front and back surfaces of the lenses. This also improves the vision to certain extent because of the fact that less light is lost due to reflection. It can also improve the contract factor.
Coating
A transparent, thin layer of film is applied on the surface of the lenses. When two wave forms interfere each other, the resultant wave form may be of a greater, lower or same amplitude.
There is Constructive and Destructive Interference. The layer thickness is so selected to produce an optimum result. Destructive Interference is produced in the light waves reflected from the interfaces and Constructive Interference is produced in the transmitted beams. Usually Infra-Red (IR), Visible or Ultra-Violet (UV) coatings are prescribed. The coating enhances the cosmetic appearance of the glasses.
Anti-Reflection coating reduces glare in eye glasses without compromising the vision considerably. The amount of light passing through will be reduced, thus enhancing the contrast and vision when Anti-Reflective lenses are used. Maintenance of the glasses also becomes slightly easy as these coatings repel water and grease.
Technological Changes
The coatings used in yester years were sometimes troublesome. Peeling off the coating, Scratches etc. were the main disadvantages. With technological changes, the new Anti-Reflective coatings are improved very much.
Instead of a coating on the lens surface, the newer ones are fused onto the lenses. They repel water and grease and hence maintenance is easy.
There are different types of Anti-Reflective coatings like Quarter Wave, Multi-Layer, Dual Band etc. and there are many brands providing such coatings.
Quality names in Anti-Reflective coatings
Here are few brands which stand out in the technology.
- Crizal Alize (Essilor)
- Crizal Advance with Scotchguard (Essilor)
- Hi Vision (Hoya)
- Super Hi Vision with ViewProtect (Hoya)
- Teflon Clear Coat (Zeiss)
- Carat Advantage (Zeiss)
The Price varies between brands and features. While the cheapest options will not have advanced features, it is worth having Anti-Reflective Coating on constant ware eye-glasses. This is especially good for those who work with Computer Screens and drive in bright sun light. Those who have difficulty driving in the night due to the light from other vehicles will also find this useful.
Always get recommendation from your eye doctor for the best solution rather than deciding on your own.