Undeniably, anti-reflection coating can bring a lot of benefits to users. One of its biggest uses is helping the wearer see about 8% better than regular plastic glasses. It can even improve the owners' appearance, protect their eyes from UV rays, blue light and defend their glasses from scratches as well.
With so many outstanding benefits, many people who care about their eyes health invest in an AR layer. So, how much does anti-glare coating cost? Why does it cost that much, then?
Let's find out together in this blog now!
How Much Does Anti-Glare Coating Cost?
Anti-glare coatings are not that expensive. Manufacturers always try to diversify prices to suit different customer segments. Hence, the price of this cover usually fluctuates quite a lot, depending on the brand, the quality, and accompanying features such as anti-blue light.
It usually costs between $20 and $150. However, it's best to go for coatings that cost $70 or more, as the quality of those in this price range is usually better.
Some companies even provide AR covers that come with glasses, so you don't have to pay extra when buying these products.
If you buy a lens already equipped with an AR cover, the price will be only about 20-30 dollars more expensive than ones without the layer (or even no different). Yet, you will not be able to use your old glasses - you are required to purchase a whole new pair.
Why Is Anti-Glare Coating So Expensive?
It can be seen that the price of an AR coating is often quite high, not to mention some people cover it on both the front and back of the lens. Then, why is it so expensive?
#1. Special Structure
There is no denying that each manufacturer has its own proprietary formula. However, anti-reflection coatings generally have many tiny layers of metal oxide applied to the front and back of lenses.
These metal oxide layers have alternating high & low refractive indices, which affect different wavelengths of light. Thus, the more layers of oxide, the higher the anti-glare capacity of your overlay.
A high-grade one usually has up to 7 layers of oxide. Although there are many layers, the coatings all need to be made extremely thin so as not to affect the thickness of the lens.
#2. Production Technology
To create an AR overlay, the manufacturers need to go through quite a few steps. First, they need to clean their lenses meticulously. During this process, they needed to remove surface imperfections through a microscope. Even the slightest scratch or stain can damage the layer!
The next step is ultrasonic cleaning to avoid the surface contaminants' presence. Once contaminant removal is complete, these lenses need to be air-dried and heated in specialized ovens.
After that, they need to take a few more preparatory steps before placing the lenses into the coating chamber. When the chamber door is sealed, the air will start to draw out to create a vacuum.
The power sources in the chamber will focus the electromagnetic power on the metal oxides in the machine immediately after the deoxidation is complete. Once the materials are bombarded with electrons, they vaporize and adhere to the lens, creating an anti-glare overlay for us.
From the explanation above, it must be clear how meticulous and hard it is to make such coatings.
#3. Outstanding Use
Anti-glare lenses offer a variety of benefits to the wearer.
It is impossible not to mention the ability to improve eyesight. This technology helps the short-sighted eyes see 99.5% as clearly as a normal person. In comparison, this index for regular plastic lenses is only 92%. That is, in the absence of any special external forces, the no-glare layer will help the owner see nearly 8% more clearly than ordinary plastic lenses.
In addition to visibility benefits, this cover also helps the glass have a longer life - it helps limit scratches, the adhesion of dirty water and oils.
It also assists in protecting the eyes from harmful external influences such as UV rays and blue light. Wearing lenses with this layer, you will have less trouble looking since you can easily see without squinting.
#4. Prestigious Brand
Obviously, coatings from reputable brands will cost more. These brands will usually have more reliable, quality products and provide better service. Hence, the lifespan of these products will be longer. There will also be money-back guarantee programs and customer services helping you when the product has any problem.
Investing money in a costly but high-quality product is surely better than investing in a cheap but low-quality one.
Is Anti-Glare Coating Worth The Money?
Whether the anti-glare application is worth the money or not depends on your lifestyle and work demands.
This investment is surely completely justified if you need to be exposed to blue light or go out regularly. As revealed, this cover will help protect your eyes from the sun's UV rays and blue light from electronics.
What about those who need to wear glasses while traveling at night? You should also own it because it will limit glare from vehicles on the road.
Conclusion
As mentioned above, this technology has many benefits, from protecting eyes to increasing the wearer's vision. We hope you can answer your question "How much does anti-glare coating cost?" now.
The reason why its price is not so affordable lies in its quality and reliability. You surely have to pay more if you want an effective overlay without thickening the glass. Moreover, a reputable brand can ensure you won’t have to change your glass so frequently, resulting in a lot of money saved in the long run.
Trust us, investing in such layers would only be beneficial for you. It’s truly worth your money!
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