Does anti-reflective coating on glasses work?

If you’re put off from having an anti-reflective coating on your glasses due to its legacy, then don’t be. While in the past the coating would break down quickly, impacting your glasses’ appearance and your quality of vision, today it adds durability and improves your sight, as well as helping to minimise eye strain and enhancing aesthetic.

An anti-reflective coating is made up of multiple layers of metal oxides which are applied to the surface of the lenses to reduce reflected light. Although it’s an optional extra, anyone who wears a high index lens should seriously consider an anti-reflective coating. As a general rule of thumb, the higher the index, the more light will be reflected from the lens. Opting for an anti-reflective coating can help negate this. 

Still on the fence? Let us walk you through the benefits of an anti-reflective coating.

Improve your look

For many users, one of the main benefits is aesthetic. An anti-reflective coating means other people can see your eyes better, undistracted from any reflections. This gives you better eye contact, which is particularly beneficial for people who do public speaking or work in customer-facing roles.

The other bonus for your looks is that anti-reflective coatings will stop the light from bouncing off your glasses when you’re having your photo taken. That’s right; you’ll be able to see your eyes in photos rather than that annoying glare of light!

Anti-reflective coatings can make your lenses nearly invisible and have the visual effect of thinning your lenses. If you’re conscious of thick lenses, anti-reflective coatings can help trick people to perceive your lenses as slimmer than they actually are.

Eliminates eye strain

Anti-reflective coatings can eliminate virtually all reflections from both the front and back surfaces of your lenses. The result of this is that your eyes no longer need to strain to work against the glare. If you spend a long time working at a computer, this will likely have a great impact on your eyes, which this coating can neutralise.

Computers are not the only culprit for eye strain either – excessive amounts of time spent on tablets or watching TV will have a similar effect. Although eye strain won’t lead to any permanent damage to your eyes, it can leave eyes feeling tired, dry, watery or extra sensitive.

More comfortable driving

A study on the benefits of anti-reflective coatings concludes that drivers should wear glasses enhanced with an anti-reflective coating for nighttime trips. The research determined that this significantly cut down visual problems associated with glare, and found that people involved in the study saw noticeably fewer reflections this way.

So, when it comes to being on the road at night, an anti-reflective coating can drastically improve your vision.

Choosing the right anti-reflective coating

The real beauty of anti-reflective coatings is that they can be applied to nearly every type of lens and used in your chosen frames, whether you opt for men’s near-frameless styles or trendy cat-eye frames for women.

Our team of ocular experts is available to help ensure that you select the frame, lenses and coatings that are right for you. Using state-of-the-art equipment, our laboratory technicians manufacture all of our prescription glasses on-site in Cambridge. You can browse our men’s or our women’s range from the comfort of your own home. Our online guide to ordering will walk you through every step of the process. If you have questions at any point,  reach out to our experts for advice and guidance.