Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in older adults in the United States. Approximately 20 million adults in […]
You may have heard your eyecare professional or others mention different coatings that can be put on glasses or sunglasses. But what are these different available lens coatings, and what can they do for you?
Anti-reflective coatings, also referred to “AR coating” or “anti-glare coating”, reduces eye strain, allows for clearer vision, and, especially on sunglasses, further reduces the amount of UV rays that reach your eyes.
This is accomplished through the coating practically eliminating all reflections from both the front and back of the lenses. It’s easiest to understand this, and some of the benefits, by looking at the numbers. Standard plastic lenses reflect approximately eight percent of light that hits them, which means that only the remaining 92 reaches your eyes for you to see. High-index lenses reflect even more light, so for those lenses, anti-reflective coating is even more beneficial, especially in low light conditions. One major example is night driving, where, between the low light and the glare from oncoming traffic, it can be hard to see. Glasses with anti-reflective coating can therefore make your nighttime driving both safer, and less stressful.
Other benefits of adding anti-reflective coatings to your lenses can include making the lenses of normal glasses practically invisible, which can help draw attention to your eyes and make it easier to maintain eye contact with people. AR coated glasses also provide greater comfort during computer use, and when applied to photochromic lenses, enhances their quality and comfort without impacting their sun-reactive capability.
There are a few specific types of anti-reflective coatings that your optician might recommend, based in part on your lifestyle. For those who spend most of their time on computers or utilizing other devices with screens, an AR coating that filters out blue light might be the most helpful.
While anti-reflective coating is applied to give your eyes additional protection, scratch proofing is there to ensure that those helpful glasses have some protection of their own. Everyone drops their glasses at one point or another, and we’ve all had that annoying realization that one of our lenses just took a scratch that’s not going to come out. Especially for those who invest more money in higher quality glasses or sunglasses, simple measures to ensure that you can keep using them for an extended period of time is a wise investment.
While each of these descriptors seemingly make very different promises, in practice they are used almost synonymously. It’s impossible to create lenses that are literally immune to suffering scratches. At least for now. Products advertised as scratch proof do tend to be more durable than those advertised as scratch resistant, however.
Scratch protection is accomplished either by reinforcing the material itself, or by adding a coating to protect it from damage. The latter method is what is primarily used for protecting eyeglass lenses.
The protective coatings, while made out of incredibly strong material, are very thin and designed to not impair the vision of the person wearing the reinforced lenses. (Other devices featuring lenses or screens, such as cameras and computers, also tend to feature scratch resistant coatings.
There are many ways in which eyeglass lenses can become scratched, so if you want your eyewear to last (and especially if you want kids’ eyewear to last), you should consider choosing scratch resistant or scratch proof options. These days, most eyeglass lenses do have built-in scratch resistant coating, but it is not universal, so when talking with our optician, make sure that you let them know you want your lenses to have a protective coating. You can also ask them about the different warranties on lenses treated to be scratch resistant and on those without such treatment.
As opposed to the previously discussed lens coatings, anti-fog coatings are a much more niche add-on for your eyeglass lenses. Anyone who’s worn glasses in the winter has experienced them fogging up when they go into a warmer location from the cold outdoors. Fogging of your personal lenses, just like that of your car’s windshield, can become a safety issue, as it temporarily limits your ability to see.
In more recent days, with so much of the world wearing masks, glasses wearers have all experienced the irritating fogging up of lenses caused by most masks not creating an airtight seal over your nose.
Options for anti-fog coatings include the factory-applied coating Fog Free, which prevents the condensation of moisture on the lenses that leads to fogging, wipes and cleaning cloths for glasses that prevent fogging, and liquid which can be applied to lenses that keeps the lenses fog free for up to a week according to the manufacturer.
While everyone is familiar with the (ultraviolet) UV ray protection provided by sunglasses, an additional form of UV protection exists in the form of a protective dye that can be applied to lenses of all types. Note that many types of lenses have 100 percent protection from the damaging UV rays built in, so these would not require any additional coatings. It is very strongly advised that you make sure any glasses you wear provide this protection, to avoid potential eye issues in the future. If you aren’t sure whether your eyewear includes proper UV protection, ask our optician to check them for you.
Lens coatings for glasses are not something which often comes to mind right away when choosing a pair of glasses, but they are often worth having despite the added cost. Whether you want extra protection for the lenses themselves, or added benefits and protections for your eyes, options are available. Depending on how, when, and where you intend to wear your glasses, you will be able to determine which options are best for you. If you have any specific questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.
I haven't actually used the optometrist side, so my review is limited to the vision therapy offered. This office was recommended by my occupational therapist for the treatment of my double vision following a stroke.
Love this location. I had a brain injury accident from day one one. All the team make you feel you still important and hope in the horizon after when the medical system fell you miserably. Dr. Ikeda very professional and very understanding about your issue. Two tombs up.
My husband and I were immediately impressed with Dr Ikeda. I was hit by a car while cycling which caused broken bones and three brain injuries. The brain injuries caused double vision. Dr. Ikeda examined my eyes and got me started on vision therapy with his occupational therapist who specializes in vision therapy. She (Chris) is absolutely great. I am impressed with the array of tools used to help recover my binocular vision. I am doing things I never thought were possible (balance boards etc). Chris pushes me and keeps me motivated. I really enjoy my sessions with her. The office staff is always friendly and they have a wonderful appointment reminder tool that makes it easy to keep my calendar up to date. I am happy the rehab center at Little Co. of Mary recommended them!!
The Vision Therapy is handled in a separate office through a different door from the shared waiting room. Chris, the vision therapist, has a wide and varied assortment of tools, equipment and resources to best evaluate and treat most vision issues. After just a few visits, my double vision became easier to control, using exercises developed during the therapy process. It was time well-spent.
I have been coming here since I can remember. I love it here. The staff is so amazing and nice. They explain everything they gonna do and never make you feel rushed. Dr. Ikeda has always been my doctor and I would never want another one. He is the doctor for my whole family and is always asking how everyone is doing. I am also so crazy about picking out my frames and have to try so many and each person who helps me take the time and lets me try them all on. I would never want to go anywhere else! I definitely would recommend this office to anyone looking for a great eye doctor.
This is not for the eye exam but for the frames selection portion. I brought my prescription from Kaiser here with my VSP insurance. The reception staff was very polite and professional. Manny helped me to pick out frames and explain my coverage. Very helpful and patient not like the individual at the other place I rated here on Yelp. I was running late and he still helped me and was not bothered at all. I am so glad I came here ..........very pleased.
Very professional staff and pleasant.
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