Eyeglasses: anti-reflective glare coating worth it?

[slightlyhuman]

First time getting a pair of eye glasses after realizing I no longer have my vision from being a youth. I will benefit from glasses mainly from driving at night and at work behind a monitor for 10 hours a day.

The AR coating was an additional $80 and I'm beginning to wonder if it's a waste. She said it should help at night and also help people see my eyes. I honestly don't give a shit about people seeing my eyes better and am having second thoughts on canceling the extra fee.

Can any one that has had both comment on the difference?

 

[CrackRabbit]

YES!
My optician screwed up the order on my current pair of glasses and ordered the lenses without anti-glare coating.
It was awful, glare from florescent lights, glare from the sun, glare from car headlights. It was very very distracting.

 

[JEDI]

woah?! $80?! CANCEL!
I had AR and didnt notice a diff but it only costs me $10 more. ordered my glasses online.

goto zennioptical.com and compare prices

edit:
I guess it depends on how bad your eyesight is.
mine's isn't that bad. I can still pass the eye exam at the DMV w/o glasses

 

[ss284]

The decent antiglare technologies are usually built into the lens plastic itself, rather than a coating over the lens. $80 is really pretty high. Does the office have a side by side comparison between a lens with and without the coating? Also check to see if you can upgrade the lens itself.

 

[Viper GTS]

Have you checked out any of the cheaper options?

I have two pairs now from Warby Parker, and at $95 (or $125 with high index) paying $80 for AR coating (which is standard on Warby Parker lenses) seems outrageous.

I'm not sure the lenses are quite as nice as the last few pairs I've had through VSP labs but those cost me $400-600 after insurance discounts/frame allowances/etc. Hell putting new high index/AR coated/etc lenses in traditionally sourced glasses costs far more than anything Warby Parker will sell you.

And they're not the only ones in this game, just arguably the best known.

Viper GTS

 

[mmntech]

I've had the coating done on my glasses. It does wear off over time. Which is really reinforcing why I'll need to get a new pair come January. I think it's definitely worth it though.

 

[slightlyhuman]

i canceled it.. i might regret it but just couldn't justify $80 for something that may or may not help. she did show me a comparison and i did see the difference but i guess i'll just have to see. i can justify buying another pair of glasses in the future and adding it so i can properly compare the differences, however, for my first pair of glasses, i figured i'd just go without for the first time.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Not too long ago I got glasses for the first time and way overpaid for them at the doc's. I recently got a pair from goggles4u.com with all the coatings for about $15 and like them better. Walmart has decent prices as well. The doc should give you a copy of your Rx if you ask.

 

[Imp]

Paid $320 for the lenses alone once (damn down the street store), they wanted an extra $50 for the AR coating, so I said no. Big mistake.

I'm blind and use hi-index lenses, which are especially reflective. Everything was reflecting on my lens and made wearing the glasses unbearable. I went back and paid the $50 for the AR coating. Luckily they could apply the coating after and did not have to start over.

That store went out of business shortly after (surprise...) I bought my glasses. Found another local place that only charged $200.

 

[Mark R]

I find not having the anti-reflective coating unbelievably distracting. You get glare from everything, especially things behind you.

Work in an office with someone behind you, their screen will reflect off the back side of your glasses.

Drive at night, the car behind's headlights will reflect and dazzle you.

Even with my basic low-index lenses, it's really distracting to me. If you need high-index or very high-index lenses, then they reflect like crazy. Without an AR coating on these, the reflections will almost certainly drive you crazy.

 

[NoTine42]

I went all out for the AR and Teflon coating on my glasses, it was great going without glasses 7 months later, because the coating failed and it took the lab 3 weeks to re-coat. Now the coating has failed again (all hazy) and I'll have to pay $20 to get it removed because its out of warranty. (And be without, again for a few weeks)

Service would be much faster...if I had no coating. Never, again will I pay more for worse results

 

[ponyo]

I don't get any coatings because all those coatings will come off. I prefer plain.

 

[blackangst1]

There are different grades oif AR coatings. For $80 I would expect Crizal, the BEST AR coating on the market.

As to your question...ABSOLUTELY get AR coating, Crizal if you can.

 

[OutHouse]

before lasik and wore glasses, i got the anti-glare once and didnt notice a difference. maybe i got scammed?

 

[Six]

Anti-glare is worth it. Glasses will look more sophisticated too, instead of cheap.

 

[Imp]

How much are you people, the ones with the coatings coming off, paying? Or doing...

I have never had an AR coating come off and I wear the same glasses for 3 years at a time usually.

 

[rudeguy]

I bought the nicest lenses I could because I didn't want scratches. They still scratched.

I'm going back to contacts.

 

[blackangst1]

I bought the nicest lenses I could because I didn't want scratches. They still scratched.

I'm going back to contacts.

The only lenses that wont scratch are glass.

 

[IEC]

I've bought 2 pairs from this place:
http://www.39dollarglasses.com/

I HIGHLY recommend the anti-reflective coating. Was a cheap bastard on my first pair and regretted it, causing me to order a second WITH the anti-reflective coating. Night and day difference.

 

[NoTine42]

How much are you people, the ones with the coatings coming off, paying? Or doing...

I have never had an AR coating come off and I wear the same glasses for 3 years at a time usually.

Paid way too much. Employer was changing vision benefits, so I bought frames in December and did the exam/lenses at the beginning of Jan to get $400 total in paid benefits (2 benefit cycles ) and I still paid about $80 or so OOP.

 

[Leyawiin]

It is absolutely worth it. One of the best things you can do for your vision if you were glasses. I haven't been without it for about twenty years - it helps with staring at a screen all day long and really helps with night driving. Do not cancel it - find a better deal somewhere else.

 

[zerocool84]

www.glasses.com

The people who own 1800contacts run that site and they offer awesome customer service. They're not the cheapest online site but still cheap, and ship faster, great and actually speak real English. I got my glasses within three days.

 

[smackababy]

How much are you people, the ones with the coatings coming off, paying? Or doing...

I have never had an AR coating come off and I wear the same glasses for 3 years at a time usually.

I usually pay like $150-200 for just lenses and I've never had my AR come off. I've only had one chip and on the past 3 pair I've had.

I generally wear contacts though.

I wish I could qualify for PRK. =( Damn prescription keeps changing.

 

[bononos]

First time getting a pair of eye glasses after realizing I no longer have my vision from being a youth. I will benefit from glasses mainly from driving at night and at work behind a monitor for 10 hours a day.

The AR coating was an additional $80 and I'm beginning to wonder if it's a waste. She said it should help at night and also help people see my eyes. I honestly don't give a shit about people seeing my eyes better and am having second thoughts on canceling the extra fee.

Can any one that has had both comment on the difference?

$80 difference seems high since eyeglasses from the big reputable manufacturers should come multicoated nowadays instead of being an extra. Extra is for things like transitions or maybe your eyeglass prescription is non-standard. You can look up lens prices on internet shops which sell eyeglass lenses.

 

[Red Squirrel]

If you are getting new frames try to get something that does not stick out from the side of your face as much. That is the biggest issue I think, because it catches stuff from behind you. I've tried several anti glare coatings and none seem to completely remove reflections. I almost bit the bullet and picked another frame but at $400+ bucks for a frame these days I did not want to spend that kind of money. I just have to avoid sitting anywhere where there is a source of light behind me, or it will drive me insane.

Next time I'm due for frames I will make sure to get something that wraps around the head better like sun glasses.

I really want to get laser treatment though... I have to stop being chicken and just go. I think it only takes like 15 minutes per eye, that's less than a dentist checkup.