Anti-reflective coating
If glare becomes a problem, consider an anti-reflective coating applied to new eyeglasses.Anti-Reflective (AR) coatings improve your vision through the eyeglass lenses and enhance the physical appearance of the eyeglasses. Anti-reflective coatings also reduce internal and external reflections on the physical lens itself, creating an improved cosmetic appearance.
When cleaning these lenses, use only products that your optician recommends. Lens cleaners with harsh chemicals may damage the anti-reflective coating. Also, don’t ever attempt to clean AR-coated lenses without wetting them first.
Scratch-resistant coating
Most eyeglass lenses today have built-in scratch resistant coatings and ultraviolet protection. Scratch-resistant coating have a much harder surface that is more resistant to scratching, whether it’s from dropping your glasses on the floor or occasionally cleaning them with a paper towel. Kids’ lenses, especially, benefit from a scratch-resistant hard coat.
Since a scratch-resistant coating can’t completely protect your lenses from wear and tear, do keep your glasses in a cushioned case, and clean them with a microfiber cloth and the cleaning solution your optician recommends.
Mirror coatings
If you are looking for a purely cosmetic lens that allows the eyes to be hidden from view, then this is the coating for you. Mirror technology has advanced over the years and the choices today include an almost unlimited color selection, Silver, Gold, Blue and Rainbow mirror colors. Highly reflective reflex mirror coatings prevent the eyes of the wearer from being seen by others. Mirror coatings are usually applied to dark sunglass lenses although light flash mirrors are becoming more popular as a fashion mirror coating.
Ultraviolet Treatment
A further lens treatment that is valuable but invisible to the eye is ultraviolet (UV) protection. Just as we use sunscreen to keep the sun’s UV rays from harming our skin, UV cure in lenses prevents those rays from being detrimental to our eyes. Exposure to ultraviolet light is considered a cause of cataracts, retinal impairment and other eye trouble. The application of an ultraviolet treatment is simple and quick to apply to most plastic eyeglass lenses without affecting the appearance of the lenses. Some lenses which include polycarbonate, high index and Trivex don’t need a UV treatment because it is an inherent property of the lens material.
Multi-coated lenses
Multi-coated lenses uncorporate a combination of coatings – anti-reflection, scratch-resistant, water repellent and UV – to combine to improve the properies of your spectacles.