Lens coating

There are different types of corrective lens coatings, all corresponding to very specific needs: aesthetic appearance on your face, improved vision quality, protection of your eyes, longevity of corrective lenses, ease of maintenance, and so on. Of course, for optimum vision quality, treatments can be combined. The same lens can contain different coatings. Here are the different coatings available.

Anti-reflective

An anti-reflective coating is applied directly to the surface of a corrective or neutral lens. Highly recommended for prescription glasses, this treatment eliminates all light halos (such as the mirror effect) that can be disturbing to vision.

Ridding vision of blinding reflections that can be caused by the sun's reflection off the sea, car headlights, snow or luminous screens such as computers, smartphones and other touch-screen tablets, the anti-reflective coating serves to improve vision quality. As a result, vision is sharper and more precise, and even the slightest contrasts can be discerned.

Anti-reflective coating is also highly effective in all situations, whether in artificial or natural light.

In addition to these qualities, anti-reflective coating also makes lenses more transparent. So you can see better and be seen better.

Hardened (scratch-resistant)

Over 90% of frames sold in France, whether sunglasses or optics, are made from organic lenses. These are more resistant to impact, but more vulnerable to scratches. Indeed, in addition to being unsightly, scratches generally dull the quality of the lenses and produce a rather annoying diffuse light effect. In most cases, it is therefore necessary to apply a hardened coating to the lenses to protect their surface from scratches.

Adaptable to all types of lenses (progressive and single vision), this coating enhances their quality and extends their lifespan. Easy to care for and preserving the quality of your lenses, the hardened coating minimizes daily wear and tear. However, even with this treatment, you still need to take good care of your glasses.

Hydrophobic

Hydrophobic treatment is designed to help water droplets run off the lens surface. This treatment facilitates maintenance and cleaning, while preventing small stains from remaining on the lens surface. This coating is particularly effective for people in constant contact with a humid environment.

Photochromic/Transition

Photochromic lenses, also known as transition lenses, are white corrective lenses that have the advantage of tinting according to light intensity. Perfectly clear on the inside, photochromic lenses are designed to rapidly change to a darker tint when the light level is high.

So, the greater the amount of ultraviolet, the darker the lens becomes. Conversely, when the amount of UV decreases, the lenses gradually return to their original tint. So your eyes receive just the right amount of light, whatever the situation.

Having undergone a special treatment that enables them to darken naturally in the sun, transition lenses offer a considerable advantage over traditional white lenses, since they combine both corrective and sun lenses.

Made from mineral glass or plastic (organic glass or polycarbonate), transition lenses adapt to your every move. So you don't have to change glasses as soon as the light intensity increases.

However, when you're in the car, most photochromic lenses barely darken at all. This is because car windscreens block almost 99% of UV rays.

Polarizing

Polarization is an optical process that blocks light reflected from all shiny surfaces. Light waves travel through the atmosphere in all directions. When they come into contact with flat surfaces and are reflected (on water, snow, oil stains etc.), they cause glare, which is rather uncomfortable.

Improving comfort and visual protection, polarized lenses represent a real anti-reverberation barrier, ridding the eyes of all kinds of stray reflections. Shapes, colors and contrasts are therefore more precise. Visual fatigue is reduced and visual acuity improved.

Applied directly to the surface of sunglasses, polarizing filters are highly recommended for people practising sports where there is constant contact with water and/or snow, as well as for people who generally come into contact with reflective surfaces.

On the road, polarized lenses are also an ideal solution, as they help to avoid potentially dangerous sources of light (light reflecting off another vehicle or back onto the road, which can create glare).

Glacier shades

A veritable fashion phenomenon for this year 2014, glacier tint lenses are sunglasses that adapt to all frame shapes. Category 4, they are prohibited for driving.

Glacier tints are available for both single vision and progressive corrective lenses, and come in a wide range of colors: mirror effect, lagoon brown, fire brown, Olympus green, ocean gray and more. You can find these lens tints at the Ray Ban eyewear brand or at lens manufacturer Mega Optic, a subsidiary of the Essilor group.