The reasons why you would add a lens coating to your eyeglasses are many. Basically, eyeglass lens coatings provide vision enhancement and protection. Some are great for those who are a little rough on their glasses, such as children, and others help the wearer to see better under certain conditions. Sometimes, a lens coating works to approve the appearance of the glasses, as well as for enhancing performance.
When considering coatings for your lenses, there are a number of things to keep in mind.
Types of Coatings
Technically, there are three types of coatings to choose from. These include:
- Anti-reflective, also known as anti-glare
- Scratch resistant
- UV protective
If you only wear one pair of glasses every day, try to opt for the coating that will protect your glasses as much as possible. You can always add more protective qualities later on.
Anti-reflective Lens Coatings
Anti-reflective lens coatings are metal oxides that the manufacturers apply to both the front and back of the lens surfaces. The benefits of this coating include improved night vision and more comfortable computer use. If your work has you sitting in from of a computer all day long, an anti-reflective coating is a good choice.
This lens coating also eliminates the glare from your glasses so that people can see your eyes clearly. You’ll never have another photo ruined by the glare from your glasses.
An anti-reflective coating is especially good for people who choose high-index lenses, because they are thinner than any other type of lens and may reflect more light. During the process, a few other layers are added to protect the glasses, including a hydrophobic layer to repel water and another layer to repel oils and smudges.
Always follow directions for cleaning your lenses as this coating is very thin and using anything other than a special cleaning cloth could cause visible scratches. Anti-reflective lens coatings can also be applied to sunglasses.
Scratch Protection
There’s no such thing as total scratch protection, but if you’ve ever used your shirt, a paper towel or a tissue to clean your glasses, you should probably have a scratch resistant coating applied to your lenses.
Most eyeglass lenses, including polycarbonate lenses, do have some scratch resistant qualities, but you may still need additional protection.
UV Protection
Don’t miss out on this very important protection for your eyes. Overexposure to UV rays can lead to cataracts, retinal damage and other problems. Polycarbonate lenses and other types already have total UV protection, while others will require a special UV coating in order to ensure protection for your eyes.
