Anti-Reflective Coating: What It Does and Who Notices It

Anti-reflective coating is a very thin layer applied to eyeglass lenses to reduce reflections. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, it cuts glare, lets more light through and makes eye contact easier. People notice it most when driving at night and with lenses for a strong prescription.

What does anti-reflective coating do?

It reduces the reflections that form on both surfaces of the lens. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) explains that a coated lens reduces glare and lets more light pass through to the eye.

In its guide to reading glasses, the AAO describes anti-reflective coating as reducing glare and distracting reflections on the surface of your glasses. It is one of the three basic choices it lists when buying glasses, along with the lens type and the lens material.

Does anti-reflective coating help with night driving?

Yes, that is where people notice it most. According to the AAO, anti-reflective coatings are especially helpful for people bothered by the glare of headlights and other lights while driving at night.

The coating does not correct your vision itself. If you see less and less well in the evening, or glare gets worse from year to year, raise it with your optometrist at your eye exam.

Does anti-reflective coating reduce eye strain?

The AAO puts it this way: because it reduces glare, anti-reflective coating helps prevent eye strain. Since the lens lets more light through, it adds that the coating improves your ability to see small patterns and letters.

Eye strain often has several causes, including a prescription that is out of date. A coating is not a substitute for an eye exam. For "blue light" lenses, a different kind of coating, our article do blue light glasses work? sums up the studies.

Why does anti-reflective coating change how glasses look?

Because with fewer reflections, people can see your eyes behind the lenses. The AAO notes that anti-reflective coating makes eye contact easier and improves your appearance.

The difference shows most when light comes from the front or the side: without a coating, it can bounce off the lens and partly hide your eyes.

Who notices the difference most?

People who wear high-index lenses, the ones chosen for a strong prescription. According to the AAO, if you are very nearsighted and need high-index lenses, which are more likely to have glare problems, anti-reflective coating is helpful.

Drivers bothered by headlights at night are the other group the AAO mentions. Our article on choosing a lens material explains what a high-index lens is.

Do you need anti-reflective coating on every pair?

Not necessarily: it depends on your needs. The Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO), in its page on glasses for children, says anti-reflection coatings are provided in some cases, and become more of a necessity as the child gets older or the prescription increases.

The CAO also notes that an anti-reflective lens needs frequent cleaning to keep its full benefit. If you often drive at night, have a strong prescription or are bothered by reflections, it is worth raising with the optician when you choose your lenses.

Anti-reflective or anti-scratch: what is the difference?

They are two different coatings. Anti-reflective coating reduces reflections; anti-scratch coating hardens the surface of the lens. According to the AAO, an anti-scratch coating improves the durability of your glasses, because most plastic lenses, including polycarbonate and Trivex, scratch easily.

The CAO recommends that all children's lenses have a very good quality scratch-resistant coating. A lens can carry both coatings at once: ask the optician what the lenses you are offered include.

Does anti-reflective coating protect against UV?

No. Protection from ultraviolet (UV) light is a separate coating. The AAO explains that UV coatings help protect your eyes from the sun's radiation, but some plastic lenses block UV light without a special coating.

For sun protection there are other options, such as photochromic lenses, which darken in sunlight.

How do you clean anti-reflective lenses?

With mild soapy water or a cleaner made for glasses, then a microfibre cloth. The Community Eye Health journal advises avoiding harsh cleaners, as well as clothing, tissues and paper towels, which can scratch the lens surface.

The CAO points out that many coatings have their own cleaning instructions or products, which the person fitting your glasses should give you. The same journal also advises keeping glasses away from hairspray, perfume and other chemicals.

Can heat damage anti-reflective coating?

Yes. According to the Community Eye Health journal, heat from the sun or the engine may damage the lens coating and make the frame expand. It advises against leaving glasses on a windowsill or on a car dashboard.

Keep them in a hard case instead. If you have to set them down without a case, rest them on the arms with the lenses facing up, to avoid scratches.

Where can you choose anti-reflective lenses in Montréal?

At PrimeVision, 9520 Boulevard de l'Acadie, Suite 222, in Montréal (Ahuntsic), optometrists and a licensed optician work under one roof. The adult eye exam includes vision and prescription tests, a check of the health of both retinas and OCT imaging. In the shop, the licensed optician, Michel Geha, O.O.D., helps choose lenses and their coatings based on the prescription and how the glasses will be used, among more than 4,000 frames across a wide range of prices. RAMQ covers eye exams for children under 18 and adults 65+.

To see the lens and frame options, visit our page on prescription glasses in Montréal. If you are getting new glasses, our article on adjusting to new glasses explains what to expect in the first days.

Sources

• Eyeglasses: How to Choose Glasses for Vision Correction, American Academy of Ophthalmology, June 14, 2023.
• Tips for Choosing the Right Reading Glasses, American Academy of Ophthalmology, October 30, 2017.
• Glasses for Children, Canadian Association of Optometrists, updated March 14, 2023.
• Kennan L. Talking to patients about their new spectacles, Community Eye Health, 2024;37(122):20-21.