Coatings and Tints
Anti Reflection coatings
Anti reflection coatings, as the name suggests, is a coating on the spectacle lens surface that greatly reduces the annoying reflections ‘bouncing’ from the surface of the lens. Such coatings are ideal for night driving as it cuts down on the reflections from oncoming headlights. It also reduces annoying reflections coming from behind you, if you are sitting with a window to your back. These coatings can also cosmetically improve the appearance of the lenses by reducing reflections on the lens, a persons eyes can be seen more clearly almost appearing to make the lenses disappear when worn on the face. Lenses generally will give off a deep Blue/green reflection. Anti reflection coatings can be found on all sorts of optical instruments, such as binocular lenses, camera lenses as well as prescription spectacles. These coatings are highly recommended as an aid to better vision.
Hard Coat
A hard coat is applied to the surface of the lenses to protect the lenses from day to day wear reducing the likelihood of scratching the lens surface. Scratches on the surface of your glasses lenses will impair the visual quality provided by your eye wear.
Photochromatic Lenses
Lenses that change colour in different light conditions can come in many different guises, such as Transitions, Reactions, and Colormatics. Different manufactures will have different trade names. Generally they come in grey and brown but other colours are available. This range of lens enhancement help protect from glare as they automatically adapt to outside conditions, meaning that you can see more clearly and comfortably. They will help protect from eye fatigue as they constantly even out light variations and block harmful UV light rays helping to preserve eye health. As you walk indoors from outside they quickly loose their tint colour therefore there is no need to keep taking them on and off like traditional sunglasses.
Polarized lenses
Polarized sunglasses take the glare off the water surface allowing you to see below the water line. Extremely advantageous when fishing. Polarized lenses also protect and rest your eyes from the extra ultraviolet radiation that is reflected off the water surface, making your eyes feel less tried at the end of the day. Spectacles with polarized lenses are ideal for those taking part in water sports such as windsurfing, sailing and fishing. Polarized lenses can also be combined with photochromatic lenses.
Standard tints
Tints can be applied to plastic lenses in virtually any colour and density, the most common colours are grey and brown, available from light tints to dark tints. With the use of dark tints the prescription spectacle wearer can create their own customised pair of prescription sunglasses or even have their favourite frames ‘converted’ into a pair of summer reading glasses.