Have you ever been bothered by glare from headlights while driving at night, or struggled to sleep after using your phone or computer? If so, your everyday glasses might not be giving you the best protection. In today’s world, where many of us spend a lot of time in front of screens, there are a variety of lens coatings available to enhance your vision and comfort.
When choosing eyeglasses, you might encounter terms like “anti-glare” and “blue light filter” coatings. Both enhance your glasses’ functionality, but they address different needs. Let’s understand how both these coatings work and which one should you select.
What are Anti-reflective lenses?Â
Ever noticed annoying headlights or reflections bouncing off your glasses at night? Anti-glare, also known as anti-reflective (AR) coatings, can significantly improve your vision in these situations.
Now talking about how anti-glare coatings work, there is a thin layer of metal oxides like a microscopic shield applied to your lenses. This coating reduces glare and reflections from light sources, allowing more light to pass through the lens and reach your eyes.
Benefits of Anti-glare glasses:
- An anti-glare coating allows maximum light to pass through the lens. It provides a clearer vision as light reflections and glares are reduced.
- Capturing photos gets easier with anti-reflective coatings. An ideal anti-reflective lens allows 99.5% of light to pass through it, which reduces reflections while capturing photos.
- Anti-reflective glasses reduce the glares preventing eye strain which promotes clarity in all the activities.
What are Blue light blocking lenses?
Ever notice yourself glued to your phone or computer screen late at night, only to struggle falling asleep later? The culprit might be blue light.
Digital devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops emit a high amount of blue light. While blue light is naturally present in sunlight, prolonged exposure in the evening can disrupt our sleep cycle.
Blue light exposure suppresses the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates our sleep-wake cycle. This can lead to difficulty falling asleep, restless nights, and daytime fatigue.
Blue light-blocking glasses block and filter the blue light that enters our eyes. It can cause eye damage. The blue light from the screen is high in energy and is harmful to our eyes and our health. Blue light disturbs the sleep pattern and can lead to various health conditions such as unwanted headaches. Also, blue light reduces the natural production of melatonin, which disturbs the circadian rhythm disturbing our sleep-wake cycle.
Blue light-blocking lenses protect you from harmful blue light. They come with a special coating on the lenses to prevent blue light from reaching your eyes.
Benefits of blue-light-blocking glasses
- Reducing Eye Strain: Blue light exposure has been linked to eye fatigue. Blue light blocking glasses block the blue light which may help alleviate these symptoms, especially for heavy screen users.
- Promoting Better Sleep: As mentioned earlier, blue light exposure in the evening can disrupt your sleep cycle. Blue light-blocking lenses may help you fall asleep faster and enjoy a more restful night’s sleep by reducing blue light exposure before bed.
Differences between Anti-Reflective and Blue-Light lenses
- Anti-Glare Lenses: These lenses reduce glare and reflections from light sources, allowing for clearer vision, especially at night or in bright environments. They’re ideal for drivers and anyone bothered by glare.
- Blue Light Blocking Lenses: These lenses filter out blue light emitted from digital devices. This may help reduce eye strain and improve sleep for people who use screens extensively in the evening.
Here’s a table summarising the key differences:
| Feature | Anti-Glare Lenses | Blue Light Blocking Lenses |
| Function | Reduces glare and reflections | Filters high-energy blue light |
| Benefits | Clearer vision, especially at night or in bright conditions | Reduced eye strain, potentially better sleep |
| Ideal for | Drivers, people bothered by glare | Heavy screen users, those with sleep issues |
Which one is best for you?
Choosing the right lens coating depends on your needs. Anti-reflective coatings are ideal for night drivers, outdoor workers, or anyone bothered by glare. They enhance clarity and comfort, especially in low light.
If you spend a lot of time on screens, consider blue light-blocking lenses. These may reduce eye strain and potentially improve sleep by filtering some blue light.
Ultimately, the best choice depends on your individual situation. But the best part is that you can also get both these coatings in your glasses to get the best of both worlds. Brands like Specscart offer free anti-glare coating on all their glasses. It is a great thing considering anti-glare glasses should not be optional as it is a basic necessity for the current generation users. The same is true for blue light-blocking glasses considering the modern lifestyle. So the ideal option is to go with both these coatings with your glasses.
Also Read: How To Choose The Right Optical Alignment Tool For Your NeedsÂ
