Q: My doctor recommended an “anti-reflective coating” for my glasses, but it quickly scratched so badly I had to have it removed. Are they any good?

A: Anti-reflective, or AR coatings, are great for eliminating glare or reflections from lenses. They actually increase the transmission of light through the lens by eliminating internal reflections, making the view seem brighter and clearer. However, like everything else in life there are cheap versions that are so soft they scratch easily, eliminating any advantage by making you look through a haze of lines. Good quality AR coats are warranted to not scratch for a couple of years, and if they do they the lenses are replaced free. This is a great addition to progressive or other expensive lenses since they add a layer of protection and let you get new lenses if you scratch them accidentally. Low-cost AR coats are a poor investment and should be avoided.

Q: I recently bought my first pair of no-line bifocals and was unable to get used to them. Is this common?

A: Progressive multi-focals, also known as no-line bifocals, are by far the most popular form of glasses purchased by patients requiring different prescriptions for distance and reading. Though the vast majority of patients like them very much, there are four general reasons why some patients are unable to adapt to them. The first reason is that the prescription is incorrect. In this case the distance or near vision is blurred. The second and more common reason is that the lenses are not aligned properly on the patient’s face. In this case the patient has to turn his or her face to one side to see clearly, or has to tilt his or her head very far back to read or gets headaches. The third reason is that a cheap, poor quality progressive with too narrow a “clear zone” to be used comfortably is given the patient. With progressive lenses the wider, more comfortable clear zones are more expensive. Finally, some patients with marked motion sickness or carsickness are unable to adapt to progressives. Checking for progressive adaptation problems requires considering all four of these possibilities.

Dr. Ayres provides a FREE e-mail newsletter covering new developments in public health and eye care. To receive this free newsletter, call our office at 317-9747.

Back to Publications