ANTI-REFLECTIVE COATING on glasses (is it worth it?) | Optometrist Explains

What is ANTI-REFLECTIVE COATING? | Optometrist Explains
Today we talk about the anti reflective coating and how it works.
It helps reduce glare and reflections via destructive interference
Hopefully by the end of this video we can answer some common questions which include:
Are anti-reflective coatings worth it?
Why do anti-reflective coatings flake off?
How are ar coats for night time driving?
GEAR I use:
Camera:
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Lens:
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Light:
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Soft box:
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[@Awesomeboyscout]

There are so many marketing gimmicks nowadays and it seems so difficult to find an optical shop to trust. Very informative though

[@AntonioTheOptom]

Thanks!! 🤗

[@Who-cu9eu]

@@AntonioTheOptomf my glasses already come with AR coating in the manufacturing process, can I add an extra anti glare coating on them? Would adding another AR coat on the glasses block more glare?

[@shapursasan9019]

Thank you very much, your video helped me to choose the anti-coating option when the question was asked. You are an amazing communicator! Keep up the wonderful work!

[@adaml.5355]

Zenni's AR starts at about $5 on typical lenses, and their premium oleophobic is only $15. I've started purchasing their Blokz Photochromic lenses which are high-index 1.61, UV blocking, and HEV blocking by default. They include super hydrophobic anti-reflective easy to clean coating option with these lenses, presumably because they pair the photochromic coating with a specific anti-reflective and anti-scratch coat. For $40 lens options, these are such a great value! I can touch the lens with my finger and it doesn't leave much of a mark, and the anti-reflective treatment is absolutely flawless. It's FAR better than any Crizal coating I've ever had. Zenni partners directly with Mitsui Chemicals so they get all these great technologies. I mean...at most places $40 is the cost of ADDING an anti-reflective coating, let alone getting high index, OR even a photochromic lens. The photochromic coating alone is often $100 at least! The photochromic features of this lens work great. It darkens about 80-90% under a UV flashlight, and probably about 70-80% in intense sun conditions after about 1 minute. It changes back to clear in a few minutes. I also have a pair with oleophobic coating and I've again had great luck with it. Far better than my previous pair with the awful overpriced Crizal coating on a cheap polycarbonate lens. (They cost way more than my Zennis ever did.) Never again!

[@tundeio]

Thanks for the info! Have been enjoying your videos :)

[@AntonioTheOptom]

👍👍

[@kowalityjesus]

That was pleasant and informative! You are the polar opposite of the people who throw garbage on the side of the highway. Also you look like famous SC2 player TY.

[@AntonioTheOptom]

Thanks for the compliment! 😂 and I wish my sc2 skills were as good as TY. I’m a Zerg player so not a big fan of good Terran players 🤣

[@rodaraguz]

I bought the AR coating a few years ago and I couldn't adjust to it. I had to switch back out to lenses without it because it was just not sharp like it used to be. There was an ever slight blur and its so annoying because you know it can be better. I really liked the way it looked but I guess my eyes adjusted to having it without the coating. I would recommend AR for any new glasses wearers tho because it does look much better. I might try again one of these days but I am not too confident it will work out..

[@ZappyIsKey]

The thing about the coatings is they scratch up your glasses really easily and it is not the actual lens that is being scratched, it really is a way for vision centers to make more money by making you buy another pair of glasses. I personally would still get the coatings but when they become scratched up and I can notice them in a annoying manner, I would just remove the coating with some Armour Etch, (after I get a new pair of lenses ordered with my insurance if available at no additional cost) . Then they are good as new, just without the coatings this time. Great back up pair of glasses for when you need them without all the annoying noticeable scratches on your glasses! :)

[@AntonioTheOptom]

😅 does the coating remove cleanly?

[@ZappyIsKey]

@@AntonioTheOptom Yup, just some water to rinse it off, no fingers required.

[@ZappyIsKey]

All of the coating is completely removed if you apply it completely. There are a few videos on it. I recommend looking at some to see what I’m talking about.

[@BennyKleykens]

Because of AR coating my average lifetime for a pair of glasses has gone from +5 years to less than 3 years. I'm done with them. No more AR for me.

[@jandarc2176]

Can u tell me how it is done please

[@drewkoltun3350]

Great video thank you! Do you know if the metal oxides used in creating anti-reflective coating could be used on a mylar drum head?

[@Laysha300]

I have been wearing glasses since I was 6 and I'm 22 now. When I found out about anti-reflective lenses is when I noticed in a picture that the adults wearing glasses didn't have the flash reflection and I did. Ive been wearing the coating since I was 9, I currently got a set of glasses which I forgot to mention the coating and im so upset. Its the first time I haven't worn it and it feels like I have a grainy filter on my vision and the get dirty a lot easier.

[@NowInAus]

My hard coat has peeled, I think because I did a lot of work with solvents. So annoying. Has me wondering, before I abandon them forever, whether the hard coat technology has progressed much recently? Awesome channel btw (Andy, WA -3.5 myopic and proud)

[@wilianlucas7743]

thank's for the video

[@ledgeri]

Was the UV protection detailed since it was mentioned?

[@stefangoeres3256]

Hello from fellow optometrist from Germany! Great video! Here in Germany hardly anybody wears uncoated lenses. AR coating is the standard option. You need to actively ask for an uncoated lens as a customer. Due to the drastically changing age structure alongside with the use of hendheld electronic devices there seems to be billions of venture cspital pumped into new companies and optical stores pop out everywhere. Those companys try to undercut every price and in this case their lowest advertised priced refer to uncoated lenses but the majority of people tends to buy the better version benefitting from prices being a third or less of what they used to be about 5 years ago. But there is gonna be a problem with quality if you need special provision.... With the "bread and butter" spectacles being subtracted from the quality companies by those cheap competitors the customer with special needs is no longer being subventioned by the deals with quick and easy (and to be honest: over priced) sales. So it is either going to become more expensive or/and the supply will be discontinued. The mandatory provision of officially trained opticians and optometrists is simply being disregarded and the guilds have little power to fight this because the "clever" traditional opticians that have become rich to quickly and easily left the guilds to save the fees. This is the mess they probably deserve. Too bad for the customer with special needs but limited budget....

[@AntonioTheOptom]

Hey Stefan! Great to hear from you! I completely agree, I feel that AR coats should come standard but the public don’t really seem to know otherwise. I love hearing different perspectives from optometrists from around the world it’s awesome!

[@dhk4992]

Good stuff!

[@AntonioTheOptom]

Thank you!! Thank you!! 🙏🙏🙏

[@timcapelle]

As an oil burner technician I couldn’t use ar coating because the fuel oil dissolved the coating and it flaked off

[@opjang0320]

Nice video bro!

[@AntonioTheOptom]

Thank you thank you!! 🙏🙏

[@tumimanthata4991]

is it possible to get both A.R. Coating and Blue Light Protection lens enhancements on a pair of glasses? or are you restricted to one lens enhancement?

[@ronal6300]

Bro what do you think about blue cut coating???? Is it worth it or is it a gimmic

[@seaanhughes]

What are the coatings actually made of and can you compare say greenish MAR to the likes of Crizal sapphire?

[@lain9583]

I know the coatings make my vision better, but in my experience glasses with these coatings is that overtime they will leave smudges that cannot be removed. I think it's due to not properly caring for the coating, it seems that it's actually hard to take care of them.

[@AntonioTheOptom]

Absolutely! 👍

[@weldonyoung1013]

@Iain , frequent cleaning with an alcohol solution & micro cloth should work. Frequent being once a day, more often if you notice vision blurring. Otherwise your glasses have not been coated properly, because skin acids or other harmful oils should not have the time to eat award at the surface.

[@mgtowphilippines8164]

@@weldonyoung1013 not alchohol. Actual lens cleaner and water and dont wipe it rather blow it with air

[@weldonyoung1013]

@@mgtowphilippines8164 , I should have said rubbing alcohol. 70% works great, 50% will work. It tends to be more readily available at pharmacies & cost much less than specially labeled lens cleaners. High concentration of rubbing alcohol also will not leave a residue like regular glass or window cleaner. As for blowing dry, I've found that just adds more dust to the just cleaned surface & being a high myopic I really notice it.

[@hannahderis2410]

What is better having anti-reflective coating or a dark coating(when your outside) in your lens?

[@ritomaxtla]

I made a major mistake and used a microfiber cloth on my dusty lenses. I should have probably watered the dust off first. Now when I put my lenses against direct light I can see a lot of tiny scratches that were made when I did this. I know this because the scratches even have a circular pattern. Anyhow, I don't notice these scratches at all when I'm actually wearing them (only when I put them under direct light) but I was wondering if it's possible that my eyesight is being further deteriorated because my eyes now have to adjust through the tiny scratches on the lenses?

[@AntonioTheOptom]

Unlikely! 😁👍

[@christopherdelino8433]

Can i add anti scratch, progressive lens, transition and anti reflective all in 1 glasses? Thanks.

[@Springmaiden0]

I have an astigmatism from 70 now its 125, I got my eyeglasses and I just added $18 for anti-reflective, anti-radiation and anti blue light. My eyes feels soo comfy since then 🤓

[@DJK6914]

18 dollars? My coatings were insanely pricey! My glasses were 195. I paid 408 for all the extra crap! I feel like I got ripped off 😣

[@Springmaiden0]

@@DJK6914 Yes, maybe because its a budget type of coatings hahaha It is still worth it as long as you got your eyes protected 🤓

[@hulkgqnissanpatrol6121]

I wish I had of watched this 2 weeks ago! 😑 I've only ever used sunglasses and not really into the reading glasses look so I went with a prescription Annette sunglasses with amethyst progressing lenses and they didn't explain the anti reflective coating at all, even with my questions they just seemed to agree with my understandings that eventually made the sale. As their my first ever glasses and I'm 37yo they just don't feel right at all, double vision feeling as I move, reflections that highlights any and all dust/print's but for an extra $150 AUD I couldn't after they advertised the lenses @$140 ALL FOR IT TO BE EACH LENSE! 😑 Oh well, live and learn I guess! Thanks

[@johndoedoe4840]

If your goal is to get rid of glare from the headlights of other cars during night driving, should you get the AR coating on both front and rear of the lenses or just the rear?

[@snipeyourwife2517]

Hi, I just got my eyeglasses made, and I had the one with anti reflection coating. I wore the glasses for only 3 days out in the sun, and I noticed my glasses started to craze. What can I do now?

[@AWHM]

What about clip-ons?

[@stagnantfox3027]

The issue with these coatings is that they chip off on glasses and consumers see this as planned obsolesce, because it is irritating as hell to use glasses that has chipped AR coating. It chips anywhere between 1 year or 5 years of use.

[@AntonioTheOptom]

Yeah.. tricky that one.. I’ve had people even decline anti reflection coatings because of this reason despite it being offered for free

[@stagnantfox3027]

@@AntonioTheOptom I will decline next time I get glasses because I work as a hairdresser and our products (specifically aerosol sprays) tend to eat at the coating. As I have unfortunately discovered very quickly when I started to work as a hairdresser.

[@vidiaramnarine83]

I'm in the optical field and a patient came in and said that on one lens she's getting a rainbow effect with lots of blues . This happens when she's on the open road or at nights. What can cause this

[@wphillips007]

Thanks for the informative video. Would AR coating (both front and back of the lens) be helpful for Transition type lens. I am really struggling with glare and reflection on my sunglasses.

[@AntonioTheOptom]

I don’t think the AR coat would interfere with the Transitions coating in any way. I have both AR and Transitions in my glasses and they’ve been working a treat! 😀

[@wphillips007]

@@AntonioTheOptom Thank you so much for the quick reply - it was very helpful!

[@AntonioTheOptom]

My pleasure! 🤗

[@Anordiahenry90]

Very Informative! I just need some more clarification. I did get an eye exam, which I ended up getting new frames and lenses(progressive)..First lenses did give of that blue/purple reflection so I return them. The replacement lenses gives off a slight yellow reflection. My older glasses had a greenish reflection. Are the greenish reflection more of a better quality? And why are the newer glasses giving off a yellowish hue instead of the green?

[@AntonioTheOptom]

Not a 100% sure why because I don’t know what lens it is specifically but the colour shouldn’t define “quality” per se

[@weldonyoung1013]

Over the decades I noticed the newer coating treatment have started picking up a coloured reflection, when I first encountered this a decade ago I thought it was a defect. Can't say as I notice much difference in the overall quality, but with traffic lights a green reflection appears to spread the light fron a green-light at night. I'm using very high index glass lenses.

[@abcdef8915]

There shouldn't be any difference in quality. Although the majority of lenses have a greenish tinge mainly because the optical industry designed it to be that way - it's deliberately added to show customers that there is a AR coating in place. If the lenses are giving a blue/purple/yellow reflection then it doesn't necessarily mean it's a problem. It's the way the lens manufacturer designs recipes for the AR coating. They may have added slightly more of one layer of AR coating which changes the colour of reflection. Either way it shouldn't have any affect on the optics.

[@deathmonk1409]

Hi, is anti-reflective coating glasses common ? Because i am planning to get one from a normal optical shop. And also how will it looks like when taking pictures of it with camera flash(in the dark), does the glasses get reflection?

[@AntonioTheOptom]

Yeah at night time it will be a little bit more obvious, tbh I haven’t owned a pair of glasses without AR coating in a very long time so I am not fully familiar with how they are 😂

[@Dev-lc4cd]

I was really hoping you were going to say that anti-reflection coatings work by allowing the light that would otherwise be reflected away, to instead pass through, increasing the visible light transmittance of glass.

[@lindat915]

Do transitional lenses have anti-reflective coating? I just got new glasses that are transitional and I was sold on getting anti-reflective coating. Not sure if I just got ripped off if in fact transitional lenses have AR. Could you clarify?

[@abcdef8915]

No they do not. Transition lenses will only have AR coating if you ask for that extra. You can tell if it has AR coating if there is a greenish tinge to it. See 3:45.

[@rimad6882]

I had AR coating, because of night driving, and no difference at all. I could not find on the net somebody actually compares coated vs non-coated glasses in night conditions.

[@cathlim7021]

Doc what's the brand of lens your using? 🙂

[@kgosimothupi895]

I think Diesel, don’t come at me if I’m wrong...it just looks like the brand Diesel

[@lough1959]

Very informative! I just got new glasses w/ Scratch Resistant Coating, UV Protective Coating, Anti-Reflective Coating, and Superhydrophobic Coating. I was told they were to be fingerprint-resistant. NOT! If I just "think" of touching them, there is literally a purple stain covering the lens! AND...It takes at least 2X of hard cleaning to remove it! I can't keep them clean and can't see out of them! Can I remove this coating w/o damaging the lenses?!

[@AntonioTheOptom]

Unfortunately not 😢

[@lough1959]

@@AntonioTheOptom If I do the hack for removing UV, will that remove the SH coating or just ruin them? I really can't see!

[@AntonioTheOptom]

@@lough1959 they are super delicate. I wouldn’t 😂

[@lough1959]

@@AntonioTheOptom Thanx for the advise, I think I'll take it!

[@musicmaniac32]

I've had similar misfortune with anti-reflective coating. Every single pair of glasses I've gotten over the past 18 years (from different manufacturers even) where I've opted for the anti-reflective coating has left me with glasses that are continually smudged and impossible to clean with a lens cleaning cloth and spray. I can usually get them clean with dish soap, but I can't do that when I'm away from home AND I have to let them air dry to be perfectly clear. If I dry them with a lens cloth, they get smudged again. I'm so fed up with my latest pair that I was on KZbin looking at info about replacing my lenses without the coating. I love the frames, but hate the lenses. It may suck to have glare, but it sucks way worse when you have a smudge right in your line of vision. It's like a permanent haze.

[@shaunbrough3845]

Mine gives off a yellow/golden (night time one), but what I do not understand is there is still some back reflection on back of lens, is this normal (I bought a new pair ands its driving me crazy)!

[@abcdef8915]

A yellow reflection is pretty rare and not necessarily a problem but if it's giving off strong back reflection that's distracting then that pair of glasses should be returned as it's most likely faulty coating. AR is supposed to reduce eye strain not increase it.

[@AWHM]

Should you wash your microfiber cloth or get a new one?

[@weldonyoung1013]

I've been washing mine in with the rest of the laundry, that does cause a small problem - the micro cloth picks up some cotton fibers which will transfer to the lenses. As a better way, hand washing should get around that problem.

[@MrDevilkeh]

Maybe I am just a bit too rough with my glasses, but after about 2 years the coatings on my glasses always start coming off. My old glasses without any coatings last forever without any scratches... My next pair will be without coatings...

[@JayJay-lx5yv]

Every glasses were made to last for 2 yrs so tht was the coating timeline

[@doney1996]

Thank you handsome!

[@AntonioTheOptom]

No thank YOU 🤗🤗

[@joebloggs4191]

If anti reflection is so important it should come as standard on any lens and not as an add on at extra cost!

[@abcdef8915]

The capital equipment to put on AR coatings is actually pretty costly.

[@Funktastico]

@@abcdef8915 Are you saying AR coating is not done by lens manufacturer themselves but rather from a separate 3rd party company ?

[@abcdef8915]

@@Funktastico usually the AR coating is done by the manufacturer but it depends on the lab.

[@nathanbarajas9174]

Not even a optometrist, just like optics in general.

[@AntonioTheOptom]

Yes!! Optics for life 😹😹😹

[@Awesomeboyscout]

Pretty much explained the general benefit of AR in eyeglasses, could've added difference in variety of colors though.

[@AntonioTheOptom]

awesomescout my bad! 🤣

[@nicole_roma]

The place I went to wants 150$ for the anti reflective and I think that's TOO MUCH

[@jimj2683]

After 3-4 years the coating will disintegrate and make your glasses look all scratched.

[@paganphil100]

@jimj2683: That might not matter much because you will probably need a new prescription by then.