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Anti-reflective coating, also sometimes referred to as AR or anti-glare coating, is a type of glaze that can be applied to the lenses of your prescription glasses. It is normally an ‘optional extra’ meaning that it involves additional cost. The choice of whether you go for it or not is normally given to you at the time of ordering your new glasses. Many people think that extras such as AR coating are an unnecessary expense and fail to see why it is important to choose lenses with AR coating, particularly in certain circumstances.
 

Benefits of anti-reflective coating on prescription glasses

Below are some of the key benefits of choosing prescription glasses with anti-reflective coating.

Improved vision while driving

Many people need to wear glasses to help them see more clearly when they are driving. However, anti-reflective coating on your lenses can increase the benefit that you will feel from wearing glasses when you are behind the wheel, particularly at night. This is because an anti-glare coat can help to eliminate any glare from sunlight, streetlights or headlights, improve the clarity of your vision and thus making your journey safer for you and other road users.

Reduced eye strain

The light in office buildings and other work environments is often not conducive for healthy eyes. This is because it doesn’t replicate natural daylight and instead causes glare and brightness that makes headaches and eye strain very common. By wearing glasses with anti-reflective coating at work, you can minimize the risk of developing these problems and enjoy eyes that are more relaxed.

Enable others to see your eyes

Eye contact is an incredibly important thing for many people. Looking into someone’s eyes while speaking to them helps them to feel that they are being listened to and that what they are saying is worthwhile and valuable. A lack of eye contact is also associated with distrust. While this certainly may not be the case for you, if you wear glasses without anti-reflective coating it is very difficult for those around you to make eye contact. This is because the light will refract off of the outside of your lenses, giving the person you are speaking to a reflection of themselves or the room around you, rather than enabling them to see your eyes. By choosing AR coating, you can significantly reduce any glare from your glasses and make eye contact possible.

Added durability to your lenses

Despite our best efforts to look after them, the lenses are the most fragile part of our glasses and it doesn’t take a great deal for them to become scratched. If this happens, it could actually impair your sight further and you may find that you need to replace them entirely. However, anti-reflective coating can actually increase the durability of your lenses since the glaze offers improved scratch-resistance.
 

Is anti-reflective coating available on my glasses?

Fortunately, anti-glare glazes are available on virtually all types of prescription lenses including varifocals, high-index lenses, and polycarbonate, polarised and photochromic varieties. If you have an existing pair of glasses that currently do not have anti-reflective coating on, you may still be able to get this applied to them – your optician will be able to advise. However, if you are due an eye test soon and you suspect your prescription may change, it may be best to hold off on spending money on getting your glasses glazed with anti-glare until you know for sure.

If you would like more information about the benefits of anti-reflective coating on prescription lenses, our expert optical team would be happy to help. Please contact our clinic with your query, or to schedule an appointment.