With eyeglasses, you can correct your vision, protect your eyes, and even enhance your natural vision. Two ways you can enhance your vision with eyeglasses are anti-reflective lenses, and polarized lenses. But how exactly are these two technologies different?
Today, we’ll take a closer look at these technologies, and how to pick the right technology for your eyewear.
How Sight Works
To better understand anti-reflective and polarized lenses, we need to first understand the science of sight.
Your eye is a complex organ, and how it converts light into an image is a complex process. The process begins when light enters the eye through the cornea at the front of the eye. Some of this light then goes through the pupil and then the lens, which helps to focus light onto the retina. The retina are light sensitive cells at the back of the eye, which converts light into an electrical signal that then goes to the brain via the optic nerve. Finally, the brain interprets the information, creating the image you see.
When you wear eyeglasses, they adjust the way light enters your eye, allowing you to correct vision problems and enhance clarity. Now that we know how our eyes work, let’s take a closer look at how anti-reflective and polarized lenses work.
Anti-Reflective Lenses
How Anti-Reflective Lenses Work
Eyeglasses often suffer from “back-glare,” where light hits the back of the lenses and bounces into the eyes.
Anti-reflective lenses have a special coating on them which reduces how much light is reflected off of the surface of the lens. By interfering with reflected light, the wavelengths of light hitting each side of the lens essentially cancel each other out. This allows more light to pass through, improving visual clarity.
Anti-Reflective Lenses: Benefits
- Reducing Glare: The main benefit of anti-reflective lenses is significantly reducing glare. This is especially beneficial in situations such as night driving.
- Improving Visual Clarity: Because they allow more light to pass through, anti-reflective lenses can give sharper, clearer vision.
- Visual Appeal: Anti-reflective lens coatings are virtually invisible, meaning people will still be able to see your eyes clearly, enhancing aesthetic appeal.
- Comfort: Because reduced glare also means reduced eyestrain, anti-reflective coatings will give you a more comfortable experience.
- Durability: Anti-reflective coatings will also resist scratches and smudges, increasing the long-term durability of your glasses.
Polarized Lenses
How Polarized Lenses Work
By default, light waves move in many different directions, including vertically and horizontally. It is horizontal light waves that cause most glare, and polarized eyeglasses work to remove these waves and the glare they create.
Polarized lenses feature a special chemical coating that only allows light to pass through in one direction, namely, vertically. So, when light passes through this coating, all non-vertical light waves are canceled out, and only vertical light waves are allowed through, getting rid of glare.
Polarized Lenses: Benefits
Polarized lenses have the biggest benefit for those who spend a lot of time outdoors. Surfaces such as water, snow, and pavement create large amounts of glare, so if you frequently enjoy activities such as fishing, biking, and skiing, you’ll greatly enhance performance with polarized lenses.
Polarized lenses also reduce eyestrain, ensuring your eyeglasses provide a comfortable experience. Plus, they enhance clarity and contrast, so you can perceive fine details even in very bright conditions.
Anti-Reflective vs. Polarized Lenses
Both anti-reflective lenses and polarized lenses reduce glare and enhance visual clarity, but they serve slightly different purposes. Crystal Smith, the Content Editor at Medical Assistant Guide, emphasizes, “When selecting eyewear, it’s crucial to appreciate these nuances. Both technologies offer clear advantages, but understanding their distinct applications can be the difference between satisfactory and optimal vision.
Anti-reflective coatings reduce glare that occurs from light hitting the surface of the lens, improving overall visual clarity. They’re more effective at reducing glare in dim lighting, indoors, and at night. They’re especially recommended for:
- Everyday wear
- Night driving
- Computer usage
Polarized Lenses, meanwhile, reduce glare coming from reflective surfaces, such as the surface of a lake. This makes them especially effective in outdoor settings and for sports uses. Polarized lenses are best for:
- Any outdoor activity, such as fishing or skiing
- Daytime driving
Keep in mind that because computer screens emit polarized light, polarized lenses are not recommended for use with computers orLCD screens. This is because they’ll block some of the light, making it hard to look at the screen.
Online retailers like GlassesUSA will offer a wide range of eyeglasses with both polarized and anti-reflective lenses. So, whatever your needs, you’ll be sure to find the right pair for you.
Whether You Choose Anti-Reflective Lenses or Polarized Lenses, Your Eyes Will Thank You
Lens technologies like anti-reflective and polarized coatings mean eyeglasses can do way more than just correct your vision. They can also reduce glare and increase comfort and visual clarity, so you can take on the task at hand. Now that you know how these two technologies work, and how to use them, you’re fully equipped to pick out a great pair that’s just right for your needs.
