Eyeglasses.com Blog

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Anti-reflective coating or AR coating for that matter is a shield that is used on eyewear for offering protection as well as for vision enhancements. Moreover they make your eyeglasses look all the more stylish. Anti-reflective coating on eyeglasses is capable of eliminating the reflection of light from the surface of the lens.

These coatings are especially useful when being used in high-index lenses that are known for reflecting more light than any regular lenses. High index plastic lenses are capable of reflecting up to 50 percent more light than one can expect regular plastic lenses to reflect. The kind of anti-reflective coating that we have got access to today can easily eliminate the reflection of light from the lenses of the eyeglass. This allows for 99.5 percent of available light to get through the lens without any problem.

These coatings come with the benefit of not only diminishing the glare but also of sharpening the vision. Glasses that are coated with anti-reflective coating can be used during evening and night time with much more vision clarity than any other glasses offer. These glasses are also nearly invisible and using them makes your facial expressions clearly visible even while wearing them. Eyeglasses with anti reflective coating are voted as much more classier and attractive over the other types and therefore adding one to your eyewear accessories wouldn’t be a mad idea. Anti-reflective coating is also a nice concept in sunglasses. The coating, when used in sunglasses or glares, lends them a fantastic ray blocking ability. The sunglasses also get properties of tint that help them absorb the glare, if they have made use of anti-reflective coating.

Since the purpose of anti-reflective coating is to reduce the reflection of lenses, the principle that anti reflective coating works on something much similar to the scratch resistant coating. Anti reflective coating is made of an extremely thin and hard film that is layered on the lens. Also the coating is made up of material that has a refractive index of somewhere between air and glass. Anti-reflective coatings in eyeglass lenses cut back the glare through the principle of destructive interference.

The application of this coating to eyeglass lenses is an extremely difficult and technical process requiring precision. A technology known as vacuum deposition is utilized in its application. The first step in applying anti-reflective coating to the lenses is to inspect them and look for contaminants. The next step would obviously be to remove these minor defects that can lead to serious faults in the final product. Multiple washing and rinsing, ultrasonic cleaning etc., are only a few ways to remove these contaminants from the lens. The remaining process ends with transformation of metal oxides into vapours that adhere to the lenses that have been kept in the coating chamber. Caring for anti-reflective lenses also requires much care and attention. One must never clean these lenses with a dry cloth and always clean those with a slightly wet cloth for a dry cloth can cause scratches on the glasses.

With eyeglass frames towing the line between function and fashion, it’s no surprise that the shape of eyeglass frames is changing in some dramatic ways. Some of the new options have vintage qualities to them with rounded, cat-eye, aviator and wayfarer shapes; while others have a more ultramodern approach with spikes, curves, and shapes that are more avant-garde than everyday. Round eyeglasses are scaling up in size and offering more complex shapes such as hexagons and octagons. This new strain of oversized eyeglasses and sunglasses are great for anonymity, and are on trend with celebrity style eyewar. However, these larger scale eyeglass frames can be quite tricky to wear as this style doesn’t necessarily work with most facial shapes. Be sure to carefully select a frame that does not engulf your entire face.

Even square frames make an appearance this season alongside oval and 70s glam rock throwbacks. But on a whole, the current availability of eyeglass and sunglass frames range from retro to futuristic.

Speaking of futuristic eyeglasses, Oakley and Google are both working on glasses that will project information directly on to the lenses. Oakley with it's Smart Glasses, and Google with Project Glass. The smart glasses use a technology called augmented reality which gives users information about real life objects or places. Oakley is targeting athletes for its line of "smart glasses". The company is also looking to incorporate augmented reality in its military subsidiary, Eye Safety Systems. These latest developments in eyewear technology have truly turned wearing eyeglasses into a multimedia experience.

And while Oakley and Google look towards the future, Lafont Eyewear harkens back to the past with the classic shapes and colors of Lafont Babel glasses with horned rim, cateye, and other retro styles.

For those interested in serious vintage eyeglasses, as opposed to retro eyeglasses that just appear to be vintage, there is always unique vintage eyewear available online and in excellent condition. Many vintage frames provide the perfect touch of old Hollywood glamour. An elegant pair of Schiaparelli catseye frame with rhinestones and flower design may just be the frame for you. However, if rhinestones piqued your interest or you prefer a more modern, urban chic pair of glasses, then you'll love the Swarovski crystals collection. Swarovski designer sunglasses feature an assortment of frames in metal and acetate with their signature color and clear crystal accents. Other stylish models come in black, gold and blush and include a strong silhouette that is softened by the Swanflower motif on the temple arms. Delicate frames, pinks and pastels, amber and honey hues, and frosted tortoise frames breathe new life into these classic eyeglass frame styles.

This season, designer eyewear collection range fancy to futuristic, rock 'n' roll to demur, and everything in between. No matter if you decide to go vintage or retro, you'll love what the designer collections have in store for you this season.