Which Eyeglass Coatings are Right for You?
You may be surprised to learn that there are several types of eyeglass coatings available. While most people may choose just one type or none at all, there are advantages to selecting the right type of coating that may help you during the day or night. The most common types of coatings for prescription eyeglasses include, but are not limited to the following:
Anti-Reflective: This popular coating greatly reduces the chance of glare from occurring. The glare generated by reflected light is instead passed through the glasses. This also makes the lenses harder to see.
Scratch Resistant: Rather self-explanatory, but in essence this is a clear coating designed to prevent the lenses from being scratched. The coating instead takes the damage which keeps the lenses intact.
UV: Ultraviolet (UV) coatings are meant to protect your eyes from the harmful light from the sun. UV is known to prematurely age the skin and cause damage to the eyes as well.
Anti-Fog: If you go from a cold or cool place to a hot one, condensation will form on your glasses. The anti-fog coating prevents the condensation from occurring which means that your glasses should not fog up when entering an environment that has a significant temperature difference.
Photochromic: Many of you might know a more familiar term, polarizing. This is a coating that becomes darker in bright light and becomes less dark in softer light. This type of lens coating has been around for decades.
Solving a Problem: If a coating corrects an issue that currently plagues your glasses, such as fogging up repeated or getting scratched, then adding an anti-fog or scratch resistance makes sense. This means the most important tip is finding a coating that corrects an issue you are currently experiencing.
Is It Worth the Price: If you take good care of your glasses, then you will need to ask if adding scratch resistance is worth the extra money? The same is true for all the other coatings.
Appearance: Finally, if you want to add that personal touch, such as tinting or having mirrored glasses, then you may want to pay extra regardless. Just make sure you understand the downsides first.
Plastic lenses are lighter, more durable, offer more color choices, and are less reflective compared to lenses made of glass. These reasons alone would make them more desirable. However, plastic lenses are also easier to scratch, and they are less attractive compared to glass.
Glass lenses are far more scratch resistant and generally more attractive compared to their plastic counterparts. However, while being more scratch resistant, they are also more fragile and heavier, which may cause some pressure points to develop on your nose. It is true that while more fragile, glass lenses do have a certain impact-resistance compared to some plastic lenses.
Which type of lens you should get will depend in large part on you. Having said that, plastic lenses are not only less expensive, but they work in just about every type of frames. The same cannot be said about the more expensive glass lenses which are limited in terms of the type of frames you can use.
Keep in mind that even scratch-resistant coating will fade over time. This is because the wind and other factors will eventually wear away the coating and expose the lenses. However, the extra cost is often well worth the investment because it may mean stretching out the life of your glasses by years as a result.
Aside from scratch-resistance, the next best coating in general terms would be anti-reflective. This is because it considerably reduces the chance of glare which not only makes your glasses less noticeable but may also prevent a sudden appearance of glare during the day or worse, at night from headlights that distracts you.
The other coatings will depend more on your personal needs. This means that while UV coating is always good, it is really more for people who are outside a great deal of the time which exposes them to the ultraviolet light. The same is true for anti-fog and photochromic which are more for those who go from indoors to outdoors several times during the day.
Mirrored and tinted lenses are more affectations, although they offer a practical application as well. Such coatings are more for your personal taste than anything else. This means that the best lens coating for glasses will depend in large part on your own needs.
- Anti-Reflective
- Scratch-Resistant
- UV
- Anti-Fog
- Photochromic
- Mirror
- Tinted
Anti-Reflective: This popular coating greatly reduces the chance of glare from occurring. The glare generated by reflected light is instead passed through the glasses. This also makes the lenses harder to see.
Scratch Resistant: Rather self-explanatory, but in essence this is a clear coating designed to prevent the lenses from being scratched. The coating instead takes the damage which keeps the lenses intact.
UV: Ultraviolet (UV) coatings are meant to protect your eyes from the harmful light from the sun. UV is known to prematurely age the skin and cause damage to the eyes as well.
Anti-Fog: If you go from a cold or cool place to a hot one, condensation will form on your glasses. The anti-fog coating prevents the condensation from occurring which means that your glasses should not fog up when entering an environment that has a significant temperature difference.
Photochromic: Many of you might know a more familiar term, polarizing. This is a coating that becomes darker in bright light and becomes less dark in softer light. This type of lens coating has been around for decades.
Tips for Choosing the Right Lens Coatings
Choosing the best coating will depend on your needs. Keep in mind that some coatings come with the lenses, so you will not have to make that choice. Plus, there are some coatings that cost very little to add, making them worthwhile even if you see little use for them. But in choosing the right ones for your needs, here are a few simple tips.Solving a Problem: If a coating corrects an issue that currently plagues your glasses, such as fogging up repeated or getting scratched, then adding an anti-fog or scratch resistance makes sense. This means the most important tip is finding a coating that corrects an issue you are currently experiencing.
Is It Worth the Price: If you take good care of your glasses, then you will need to ask if adding scratch resistance is worth the extra money? The same is true for all the other coatings.
Appearance: Finally, if you want to add that personal touch, such as tinting or having mirrored glasses, then you may want to pay extra regardless. Just make sure you understand the downsides first.
Which is Better Glass or Plastic Lenses?
Both glass and plastic lenses have their advantages and disadvantages. The one that is better will depend mostly on what you need in terms of lenses.Plastic lenses are lighter, more durable, offer more color choices, and are less reflective compared to lenses made of glass. These reasons alone would make them more desirable. However, plastic lenses are also easier to scratch, and they are less attractive compared to glass.
Glass lenses are far more scratch resistant and generally more attractive compared to their plastic counterparts. However, while being more scratch resistant, they are also more fragile and heavier, which may cause some pressure points to develop on your nose. It is true that while more fragile, glass lenses do have a certain impact-resistance compared to some plastic lenses.
Which type of lens you should get will depend in large part on you. Having said that, plastic lenses are not only less expensive, but they work in just about every type of frames. The same cannot be said about the more expensive glass lenses which are limited in terms of the type of frames you can use.
Should I Get Scratch Resistant Coating on Glasses?
Generally speaking, there is no downside to scratch-resistant coating apart from the extra cost. This type of coating can be quite useful as it reduces the amount of damage to the lens and makes it easier to clean. The result is that you replace your glasses left often due to the typical wear and tear.Keep in mind that even scratch-resistant coating will fade over time. This is because the wind and other factors will eventually wear away the coating and expose the lenses. However, the extra cost is often well worth the investment because it may mean stretching out the life of your glasses by years as a result.
Best Lens Coating for Glasses
If you are going to get a coating for your glasses, then scratch-resistance may be the best. This is because the additional coating will help protect your lenses from being scratched which extends their life. The less often you have to replace your glasses, the more money you keep in your pocket.Aside from scratch-resistance, the next best coating in general terms would be anti-reflective. This is because it considerably reduces the chance of glare which not only makes your glasses less noticeable but may also prevent a sudden appearance of glare during the day or worse, at night from headlights that distracts you.
The other coatings will depend more on your personal needs. This means that while UV coating is always good, it is really more for people who are outside a great deal of the time which exposes them to the ultraviolet light. The same is true for anti-fog and photochromic which are more for those who go from indoors to outdoors several times during the day.
Mirrored and tinted lenses are more affectations, although they offer a practical application as well. Such coatings are more for your personal taste than anything else. This means that the best lens coating for glasses will depend in large part on your own needs.