Living in a modern world has its perks and its downsides.
The perks include that you can work from home, communicate with all kinds of people from different places, and have mountains of information right under your fingertips.
Despite all of this, of course, there are a lot – and I mean a LOT – of downfalls as well.
But if you’re going to boil them all down, it will all circle back to health issues.
Now, what you’re going to learn more about is how using these technologies can affect your eyesight.
Since we use our eyes every single day, accessing these technologies will take up most of your time because of our “new normal.”
Because of this changing way of life, your eyes have become all the more important nowadays.
And this results in it being much more vulnerable.
We’re already all too familiar with our eyesight degrading because of how long we keep staring at our screens.
So, now, it’s time for you to look for something that can protect your eyes from what the digital world has to offer!
And wearing a pair of eyeglasses is your best bet!
But not just any plain, old eyeglasses. No, what you’ll need on top of that is a coating.
Specifically, an Anti Reflective Coating!
What is Anti-Reflective Coating?
This is one of the more special types of coating available for you to apply to your lenses (depending on your optometrist’s recommendation, of course).
If it’s not so obvious yet, the anti-reflective (or anti-glare) coating is designed to lock on the reflective light or the glare you get when a source of light lands on your lenses.
Because it concentrates on this aspect of light, it’s explicitly made to lessen them!
The best example of this would be the Crizal lenses.
Advantages
Less Glare
Anti-reflective (AR) lenses’ number one priority is to lessen the reflection and glare you get from your surroundings.
This makes it ideal for any reflective surfaces (for obvious reasons), such as snow or water.
That way, the annoying glare you see when you’re out fishing or just about to ski down the mountain won’t get in the way!
UV Rays and Blue Light Begone!
Alongside the glare, you can protect your eyes from ultraviolet (UV) rays AND blue light!
Both of these come from common sources, which give them all the more reason for you to be wary of them.
So, first off, UV rays.
There are three kinds of this light: UVA, UVB, and UVC.
The UVC’s already crossed out from what the AR coating can handle, though, because this kind reaches way up there in the “life-threatening”-meter!
Since this is the shortest wavelength out of the three, it makes it far more dangerous with how concentrated it is.
Luckily for you, this can only be seen from man-made sources, so it means lesser chances of being in contact with it!
As for the UVB and UVA, both of these kinds are seen – or more correctly, felt – from the sunlight with how they’re the usual culprits behind many sunburns and skin tans out there.
Polarized lenses have the same purpose as AR coating when it comes to blocking UV radiation, but with one key difference.
While polarized lenses are only created for darker hues that make it perfect for sunglasses, the AR coating is available for both dark AND clear lenses!
Meanwhile, blue light is somewhat similar to UV rays, but it’s EXTREMELY toned down.
Actually, you come into contact with blue light most of the time, even more so now in 2021!
Light-emitting diode (LED) technology like your computer screens, cell phones, and flat-screen TVs generate blue light.
Heck, even light bulbs emit blue light, too!
Prolonged exposure to it causes your eyes to strain, and this strain results in tired eyes and headaches for how much you’re looking at your devices.
This rumor spread around the internet long ago that too much blue light can lead to permanent eye damage, but that’s not the case!
Although, it still does affect your health somehow.
Because of how much blue light resembles daylight, it does leave a nasty dent in your circadian rhythm, which is better called your “sleeping pattern.”
Those late-night binge-watching sessions? The late chats you have with friends? Those times you’ve worked overtime?
All of these together ruin your nightly sleep because blue light stimulates your brain into thinking it’s still daylight.
But having AR coating on your glasses helps block that out!
In turn, it maintains your regular sleeping hours!
Snap a Pic!
In taking a photo, camera flashes help in heightening the lighting of your subject.
So, in this case, that would be you!
However, this effect can be ruined if you’re a glasses wearer.
Since a camera flash is light-emitted, it would directly reflect against a reflective surface (which is your glasses) and make you look like you’re from an anime when the light ultimately gets reflected by your lenses!
Don’t be surprised if you can’t see your eyes in the photo afterward!
But with the AR coating, that problem’s no longer an issue with how much it reduces the glare and reflective light to no more!
From now on, you can pose and slay as much as you want in a dimly lit room without ruining the ambiance.
Admirable Durability!
The AR coating is a prime example of how far lens technology has come because this guy has the best features, from scratch-resistance to polarized coatings all rolled into one!
Disadvantages
A Bit Pricey
UV and blue light protection, glare-resistant, scratch-resistant—all of these perks come with a price, of course.
But that depends on what you’ll get.
If you’re planning on getting AR lenses, then you’ll be making quite an investment worth its weight in gold as you enjoy all of its benefits to the fullest!
AR coating only, on the other hand, still has those benefits, so you don’t have to worry about that.
However, since it’s just a coating, eventually, it’ll come off in time, but this is a cheaper option compared to the lens.
Not only that, but you can also re-apply a fresh coat of the good, old AR if your lenses are too worn, so that’s still on the table for your consideration.
Perpetually Dirty
As much as it’s durable, you can never see it without any speck that came from unknown sources staining your lenses.
Don’t worry, this only happens once you’ve had a good, long run with your AR coating already. Maybe it’s from age, but smudges pop up more and more frequently the longer you keep this coating on!
Even though this is a small detail that can easily be overlooked, there’s no harm in giving you a heads-up.
Final Thoughts
The anti-reflective coating is one of the many impressive feats in lens technology.
Protection from daylight and man-made daylight, from scratches, with a promise for quality vision all rolled into this special coating, makes for a great bargain.
Sure, there’s a couple of downsides for it, but they don’t affect its overall performance, so you’ll STILL get the one-up over this deal!
