What are anti glare glasses?

Anti-glare or anti-reflective is an additional lens coating designed to improve your clarity of vision. This coating increases the amount of light passing through your lenses by decreasing the light reflecting off their front and rear surfaces.

Due to the way anti-glare coating works, this coating helps you see more clearly by transmitting as much as 99% more light through the lens, rather than it bouncing off.

The more light that can pass through your lens, the better you can see.

Sounds good right?

As there’re so many lens options to choose from, lens upgrades and coatings can seem like an upsell when purchasing new glasses. 

If you're wondering about the benefits of anti-glare glasses, this article explains if anti-glare really works and if it’s worth your money.

Let’s delve in.

 

Close view of anti-glare lens coatings on round red glasses frame

Do I need anti-glare on my glasses?

Anti-glare isn’t mandatory, but it vastly improves the performance, experience and aesthetics of your glasses. By reducing lens surface reflections, you can see more clearly and naturally, especially if you require high index (thinned) lenses. Aesthetically, people will also see your eyes more clearly due to the reduction of reflections.

 

6 Reasons to invest in anti-glare

#1 If you take pride in your appearance, anti-glare lens coatings make your glasses look more premium thanks to their purple and green hues. From a distance, people can tell your lenses are of a high quality, plus they'll be able to see your eyes more clearly than if you were wearing cheaper uncoated lenses.

#2 If you have a strong prescription, you probably require high index lenses. However, these thinner flatter lenses have a habit of creating more reflections. Therefore, investing in anti-reflective or anti-glare coating is a good way to combat this side effect.

#3 If you regularly use a computer or drive at night anti-glare / anti-reflective coating can help alleviate eye strain by reducing distracting reflections. This helps you see more easily using less effort to read your computer screen or focus on the road ahead.

#4 If you use ‘safety’ lenses anti-glare coating mitigates their flatter lens profile. By their nature, polycarbonate, Trivex or glass lenses are more susceptible to surface reflections therefore usually always require AG or AR.

#5 If you value eye contact AG coating reduces the effects of strong lighting, camera flashes or screens reflecting off your lenses. During conversations, Zoom calls or in meetings, people will see your eyes more clearly which improves your social interaction and overall aesthetic.

#6 If you work long hours and wear your glasses full-time, AG coating gives the most natural visual experience and places less strain on your eyes. Compared to uncoated lenses, anti-glare coating lets you see more clearly with minimal visual fatigue.

 

Is it worth getting anti-glare on glasses?

On average, anti-glare lenses cost 50% more than uncoated equivalents. Opticians charge more for anti-glare as they’re more expensive to manufacture. They do however improve the performance and clarity of your lenses by increasing light transmission.

Additionally, anti-glare often comes with an anti-scratch layer which prevents damage to the surfaces of your lenses making them last longer. In the UK, the average price difference can be as much as £30 between uncoated and AG single vision prescription lenses. See the price table below.

*Prices sourced from market research conducted by the Telegraph

Coating

Specsavers

Boots

Vision Express

Tesco

Optical Express

Anti glare

£30

£0

£35

£30

£79

  

 

Is anti-glare same as anti-reflective?

Yes, anti-glare and anti-reflective are the same thing. You may also hear them being called AG or AR for short. Another industry term for this coating is MAR which is an acronym for Multi-Layered-Anti-Reflective.

 

Is anti-glare same as blue light?

No, anti-glare is not the same as a blue light blocking coating. Anti-glare reduces reflections across your lenses whilst blue light blocking diminishes the frequency of light commonly emitted from digital screens; known as HEV (high energy visible) light. In addition to anti-glare and anti-scratch coating, blue light blocking can also be added as an upgrade.

 

Close view of person holding round amber eyeglasses frame

Do anti-glare glasses really work?

Anti-glare coating works in several ways. By reducing surface reflections, onlookers can see your eyes more easily improving eye-contact. Anti-glare also lets more light pass through your lenses, thus improving optical clarity, definition and overall performance.

Anti-glare vs uncoated lenses

  • Uncoated lenses reflect approximately 10% of light.
  • Anti-glare reflects as little as 0.5% of light

The less light that reflects off your lenses, the easier you can see. This is why uncoated lenses are cheaper and less effective compared to anti-glare equivalents.

Anti-glare takes more time, energy and processes to apply to ophthalmic lenses. But the results provide more premium lenses with greater visual performance.

 

Three quarter view of man wearing round amber eyeglasses outside in street

What are the benefits of anti-glare?

Anti-glare lens coatings often contains hydrophobic and oleophobic properties which repel water and natural oil from your skin. Not only does anti-glare improve visual performance, but it makes your lenses easier to maintain.

Key benefits of AG lenses include:

  • Easier to clean
  • Ideal for high-index lenses (strong prescriptions)
  • Ideal for polycarbonate, Trivex or glass lenses
  • Improved vision whilst driving at night
  • Improved clarity when using digital screens
  • Less distracting reflections across your lenses
  • Better eye-contact with colleagues, friends and family
  • You look better in photos, video and social media
  • Reduced visual fatigue from reflections
  • Often comes with anti-scratch coatings
  • Looks better quality

 

What are the disadvantages of anti-glare glasses?

Due to their reduced reflections, anti-glare glasses have a habit of highlighting any scratches dirt, oil or grease. Anti-glare glasses are also more costly. Because of this, take extra care of your glasses and clean them more frequently to maintain their cleanliness and performance.

Key disadvantages of AG lenses include:

  • More frequent cleaning
  • Emphasised lens scratches
  • Not ideal for children’s glasses
  • Dirt, oil and grease is more evident
  • Greater care must be taken
  • More expensive

 

Side view of man in street wearing round amber eyeglasses looking downwards

Anti glare glasses FAQ's

 

Does anti-glare make a big difference?

Yes, anti-glare makes a huge difference to the performance and aesthetics of your lenses. Compared to uncoated lenses, they'll help you see more clearly by transmitting more light with superior visual acuity. Uncoated lenses are rarely a good idea, regardless of your prescription or budget. They simply don't perform very well, look cheap and have a shorter lifespan.

 

How do you clean anti-glare lenses?

The best way to clean anti-glare lenses is by immersing your eyeglasses in warm water with a mild concentration of household dishwashing detergent. This helps soften stubborn oil or dirt on your lenses which can be gently wiped clean and dry with a microfibre cloth.

Avoid using any abrasive materials to clean your glasses to prevent damaging the surfaces or your lenses or the surrounding rim. Never use your clothing or toilet paper to wipe your lenses clean.

 

Does anti-glare coating wear off?

Treated with care, anti-glare coating should last just as long as the lifecycle of your lenses; anywhere between 2-5 years. If treated poorly, this coating can quickly wear, get scratched and deteriorate in their performance. To lessen deterioration, anti-scratch coatings and a protective glasses case improve the longevity of your lenses but always try to keep your lenses scratch free.

 

View of dark road at night with traffic lights and car head lamps

Is anti-glare coating good for night driving?

Anti-glare coating is good for night driving by reducing harsh reflections from car headlights, street lamps and traffic signals across the surface of your spectacle lenses. Up to 50% more light is transmitted through the lens which enables greater vision during dusk or evening driving. Over time, this alleviates eye strain for improved visual comfort.

 

Can anti-glare be added afterwards?

Whilst it’s possible for anti-glare coating to be applied to uncoated lenses after purchase, this is an uncommon service. For quality and longevity, anti-glare is predominantly applied to lenses prior to purchase. This is because the lens surfaces are in virginal condition, free from scratches and dirt which can impede any post-purchase coatings.

 

Does anti-glare block blue light?

No, anti-glare doesn’t block blue light. Anti-glare is designed to increase the amount of visible light which can pass through your lenses. HEV light (high energy visible) isn’t the same frequency as visible light and will pass through any lens without a blue light protective coating.

The efficacy of blue light protection remains unproven, however it's growing ever more popular in our modernised lives. At Banton Frameworks, we offer blue light protection as a secondary coating which you may wish to have added to your lenses.

 

How can I tell if my glasses have anti-glare?

A recognisable indicator of anti-glare coating are blue, purple or green hues on the front-side lens surfaces. If these colours are present, they likely have anti-glare coating. If your lenses reflect the same colour as the light-source, your lenses do not have this coating.

 

How is anti-glare applied?

Anti-glare is applied to uncoated lenses in multiple stages of thorough cleaning, rinsing, drying and vacuum deposition technology (VPD). Via electrons, the lenses are coated with thin microscopic layers of various metal oxides, each designed to block different frequencies of light.

Seen in the video above, specifically designed lens-racks secure the lenses in place throughout the numerous cleaning and VPD stages. This entire process takes around 5 hours to complete, hence the additional cost of anti-glare and other similar additional lens coatings.

 

Which anti-reflective coating is the best?

Essilor’s range of antiglare lenses are deemed as some of the best on the market. This includes their Crizal Sapphire 360, Crizal Prevencia and Crizal Rock lenses. However, many unbranded anti-glare coatings from local opticians and eye clinics provide comparably sufficient performance. 

Hopefully you found this article helpful. Please check out our other eyecare blogs. Thanks for stopping by.

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