Eyeglass Lens Coatings

Lens coatings can significantly add to a pair of glasses by improving the look, durability, and comfort, and are just as important to consider as what style frame you choose and which type of lens material you select.

The five primary types of lens coatings for eyeglasses are: scratch resistant, UV protective, anti-reflective, tinted, and photochromic. Each of these types is described below.

1. Scratch Resistant Coating:

   For extra durability, scratch-resistant coating lengthens the life of your eyeglasses by preventing damage and general wear and tear caused through daily use, cleaning, accidental dropping, or even from eyelash abrasion. Although no eyeglasses are scratch proof, resistance to damage is significantly heightened when the lenses are coated on both sides with scratch-resistant coating. Don't assume that your lenses are automatically coated for scratch resistance. Ensure you order your lenses to receive scratch-resistant coating.

2. UV Protective Coating:

   An ultraviolet treatment coating is not visible to the naked eye, but works to protect vision much like sunscreen prevents skin damage from the sun. UV protection may not be necessary for some polycarbonate, Trivex, or high-index eyeglasses, as those lenses often automatically shield ultraviolet rays through a UV protectant included in their composition. The invisible UV coating is easy to apply to any lenses and can prevent cataracts, retinal damage, and other serious eye problems attributed to the sun's rays.

3. Anti-Reflective Coating:

   Anti-reflective coatings prevent glare, reflections, and halos around lights. Reducing these types of glares can heighten safety, such as when driving at night, and can also improve the eyeglasses' appearance to others by allowing them to see your eyes instead of light from appliances, televisions, reflections, or the sun bouncing off your lenses.

   In photographs, the coating prevents the eye-area glare often seen in photos of glasses-wearers whose glasses do not have anti-reflective coating. Anti-reflective coating also prevents glare that may make your glasses appear thicker to those around you. For sunglasses, coating only the eye-side (backside) of the lenses is advisable, as the anti-reflective quality will reduce the occurrence of light from behind you bouncing into your eye off the dark lenses.

   Additionally, many anti-reflective coatings are hydrophobic and oleophobic, which mean they repel water and oils, respectively. This can help to keep your glasses cleaner, as the coating will help prevent smudging from oils on your fingers and waterspots when it rains.

   You can sometimes see the anti-reflective coating if you look at the lens at an angle, which may give a very slight blue, green, or purple sheen to the lenses, much as is sometimes visible on other glass treated with this anti-reflective coating (such as microscopes, cameras, and binoculars).

4. Tinted Lenses:

   Coating eyeglasses with a slight tint may improve cosmetic appearance of the wearer or can even slightly improve vision. Yellow tinting is known to increase visual contrast and other colors offer different degrees of aid for vision. Some tints are purely for style or fashion and can even reduce the appearance of wrinkles around your eyes. Tinted coatings are best applied to plastic lenses and do not function as well on polycarbonate or glass lenses.

5. Photochromic Lenses:

   Photochromic coated lenses, such as the Transitions line, adjust to the level of ultraviolet light around you. This effect improves vision for those with specific impairments. Photochromic lenses also protect the eyes from the sun by darkening as needed, for those who like the convenience of having both sunglasses and clear lenses all encompassed in one pair of glasses. The down side of photochromic coated lenses is that some types do not transition in unison or one lens may appear much darker than the other if the prescription varies widely between eyes. Advancements in photochromic lenses produce more consistent results between the lenses, but be sure to discuss these possible issues with your eye doctor.

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