News Taffy

A large number of eyeglass wearers, not to mention eyecare professionals, are seeing their way much clearer thanks to anti-reflective coated lenses. Distracting glare and reflections for people who wear glasses can rob the eyes of the up to 14 percent of available light. Anti-reflective, or AR, lenses allow virtually all the available light to pass through the lens for clearer, sharper, and more comfortable vision. Recent tests prove that people are able to see more clearly with AR lenses, especially under low light conditions like driving at night.

AR coatings on eyeglass lenses are very similiar to the coatings found on microscopes and cameras. They consist of several layers of metal oxides applied to the front and back lens surfaces. Each layer is calculated to block reflective light. Because of the layering effect, AR coatings sometimes have a hint of green or purple hue, depending on the manufacturer.

Key benefits of AR lenses include glare reduction, better night vision, more cosmeticly appealing, and improved computer vision. AR lens patients see more clearly as the reduction of glare increases the light transmitted to the eye. Night vision is improved while driving as reflective light caused from oncoming headlights is eliminated. AR coated lenses are more cosmetically appealing due to the lenses becoming virtually invisible with the elimination of glare and reflections, making your eyes appear more natural. By reducing eye strain these lenses are very helpful when using a computer for long periods of time.

In sunglasses, because the lenses are so dark, the AR coating works best when only applied to the back surface of the lens. Coating the back side helps reduce the reflections of light that enter from behind you and bounce off the surface into your eyes. A back side coated sunglass lens is much more comfortable to the eye with the elimination of glare than an non coated sunglass lens.

You do have to be careful when cleaning AR-coated lenses. As with all eyeglass lenses, always avoid household chemicals, spray cleaners, ammonia, and hairspray. Always clean your lenses with a soft cloth and a AR cleaning solution, or dish detergent and warm water.