Glare is one of the most common complaints amongst our patients who wear glasses. Anti-reflective (AR) lenses were created to combat this problem. Glare occurs when light hits the front or back of your glasses or sunglasses lenses and bounces off. This issue can occur anytime, but it’s particularly bad at night and for spectacles with high-index lenses.

Anti-reflective coating eliminates light reflections by allowing 99.5% of light to pass through the lenses into the eye.

In comparison, regular plastic lenses allow about 94% of light to reach your eyes. High-index lenses let an even lower 88% of light through, making their glare very distracting for most patients.

Benefits of Anti-Reflective Lenses

Investing in AR coating can increase the cost of your next pair of glasses, so it’s important to understand their perks in order to determine if they’re worth the investment for you.

  • Safer nighttime driving. The glare from street and headlights is a common problem for drivers with glasses. Reducing this glare improves your vision, making driving a safer and easier task.
  • Better appearance. Glasses without AR coating don’t just reflect light from the inside; light is reflected from the front of the lenses as well. Anti-reflective lenses are more attractive in person and in photos, improving your overall appearance.
  • More visible facial expressions. Humans communicate in many ways, and eye movement and facial expressions are an important part of one-on-one conversation. AR lenses let those you talk to see your face clearly, improving their ability to follow your eye movements and expressions as you talk.
  • Sharper vision. Bright glares cause blurry vision, and they can make seeing clearly difficult in low-light situations. AR coatings eliminate the glare that makes your vision foggy, resulting in sharper eyesight.
  • Improved comfort during screen time. Looking at smartphone and computer screens causes a number of vision problems, including computer vision syndrome. AR lenses have been proven to alleviate the difficulties of prolonged screen time, making them a great option in educational and professional settings.
  • Easy cleaning. Many top-quality anti-reflective lenses are coated with surface layers that prevent water spots and repel skin oils. These layers reduce distracting spots and smudges while making cleanings easier when you need them.