At my office, our capture rate on anti-glare treatment is nearly 100%.
We achieve this success by discussing the benefits of anti-glare with every patient, and we present it as not just an add-on, but a necessary component of their lenses. One that will provide an optimal visual experience.
Here are several reasons why every pair of glasses can benefit from anti-glare treatment:
1. Anti-Glare Treatment Offers the Sharpest Vision
Anti-glare treatment is often a go-to solution for patients that regularly find themselves in high glare situations like sitting at a computer or driving at night.
While anti-glare is extremely helpful in these particular situations, the reality is that’s useful all of the time! Our lenses are constantly exposed to light from all kinds of sources throughout the day. Anti-glare treatment allows visible light to move through the lens while simultaneously reducing reflections from these light sources, providing more comfortable vision while performing everyday activities.
2. Anti-Glare Treatment Offers Better Aesthetics
Anti-glare treatment improves the appearance of lenses when they are exposed to light.
In the absence of anti-glare treatment, we know that light striking your lenses is reflected instead of transmitted. These reflections can be quite distracting to anyone looking at you while you’re wearing your glasses and can create an unfavorable appearance.
With the amount of time patients spend on frame selection, searching for the perfect color and design to match their style, why would they ever skip out on anti-glare treatment? It’s an essential element for providing eyewear that will provide the best visual appearance.
3. Anti-Glare Treatment Offers Added Protection
Anti-glare treatments, like Crizal Sapphire® 360° UV, have upped the ante on increasing UV protection with an increased E-SPF®index to E-SPF®35, providing optimal UV protection in a clear lens.1
UV protection is extremely important; 90% of skin cancer occurs on the face and neck with 5-10% on the eyelids alone.2,3 Additionally, there are other anti-glare treatments like Essilor’s Crizal® Prevencia® that even selectively filter Harmful Blue Light.4 I make sure to educate my patients on the important, added protection and benefits that come from different types of anti-glare treatments and find the one that works to meet their needs.
Check out this complete guide to understanding Crizal® No-Glare Lenses.
4. Anti-Glare Treatment Contributes to Increased Durability
Anti-glare treatment can also strengthen lenses by improving their durability and protecting the glass against unwanted scratches.
“But what if it starts to peel off?” I’m sure we’ve all heard something similar to this. I know that I’ve had patients express concerns about anti-glare coating peeling and flaking. They might ask if it’s worth the cost if it’ll wear off anyway. Maybe they had a poor experience in the past or they’ve heard from a friend who heard from their friend’s uncle. With this in mind, it’s important to educate patients that with today’s technology, anti-glare products are built into the lens rather than applied as an additional top layer.
For this reason, I always refer to anti-glare as a treatment instead of a coating.
Today’s treatments even go beyond just preventing glare. Premium anti-glare treatments like Crizal® have also done an excellent job of leveraging technology to provide additional benefits, such as better cleanability and smudge protection. We know that keeping lenses clean is frustrating; these added benefits are just icing on the cake!
With the benefits of sharper vision, improved cosmetics, reduced UV and blue light exposure, and improved durability, the question shouldn’t be “why would you prescribe anti-glare treatment?” It should be “why wouldn’t you?”
Sources:
- E-SPF is an index rating the overall UV protection of a lens. E-SPF was developed by Essilor International and endorsed by third party experts. The E-SPF index relates to lens performance only and excludes direct eye exposure that depends on externals factors (wearer’s morphology, frame shape, position of wear).
- Results of International Communication Research (ICR) study of USA, 1002 respondents, 2002.
- Myers M, Gurwood AS. Periocular malignancies and primary eye care. Optometry. 2011;72(11):705-12.
- Arnault E, Barrau C, Nanteau C, Gondouin P, Bigot K, et al. (2013). Phototoxic Action Spectrum on a Retinal Pigment Epithelium Model of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Exposed to Sunlight Normalized Conditions. PLoS ONE 8(8): e71398. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0071398 (August 23, 2013). Identified Harmful Blue Light through in vitro experiment on swine retinal cells, where the most toxic wavelengths are high energy visible light falling between 415-455nm on the light spectrum (blue-violet light).
