This is a sponsored post by Essilor of America, a supporter of NewGradOptometry & new graduate optometrists!
As Optometrists, when we prescribe spectacle lenses, our goal is to provide our patients with the clearest vision possible, but we are capable of offering so much more than that.
The most common lens option I prescribe in my practice is anti-glare otherwise known as no-glare treatment.
This lens technology applies to virtually every patient that presents in my practice. It is perfect for patients seeking:
- The clearest vision possible
- Reduced glare during night-time driving
- Protection from scratches and smudges
- Reduction of reflections from lights and digital screens
- Protection against damaging light sources
I choose Crizal® No-Glare lenses to meet these needs for my patients.
Crizal® No-Glare lenses were made possible by Essilor's commitment to its consumers and the ability to create industry-leading products that improve the lives of our patients. Crizal® No-Glare lenses serve as an aide to combat modern vision problems and concerns as Essilor has continued to push the boundaries of what is possible in ophthalmic lens technology.
This focus on meeting and exceeding patient needs is evidenced by the bringing together of three innovative lens technologies to create the Ultimate Lens Package.
The Ultimate Lens Package is a combination of Essilor’s newest and most innovative Varilux®, Crizal® and Eyezen™+ lens technologies, along with the proven performance and protection of Transitions® lenses, designed to give every patient Essilor’s ultimate in vision, clarity and protection in a single lens.
In this article, we will highlight the science behind Crizal® No-Glare lenses to understand how they deliver an unmatched visual experience.
Crizal® No-Glare lenses are produced in nine steps:
- Automated lens stripping and cleaning - The process begins with abrasion of the material's surface to ensure the best adhesion of hard coat to the lens.
- Application of scratch resistant hard coat - In this step, a polymer matrix with silica particles scratch resistant coating of equal thickness is applied to both sides for durability.
- Preparation of lens surface in a vacuum coating machine - The surface is cleaned again with an ion bombardment process for maximized adhesion of the Anti-Reflective coat to the hard coat layers.
- Application of SR booster layer – Essilor’s scratch resistance thick silica (glass) layer is added in the vacuum coating chamber between the Anti-Reflective coat and hard coat. This layer provides maximum scratch resistance.
- Application of Anti-Reflective layers – The Anti-Reflective layers are made of multiple layers to minimize glare and enhance the spectacle wearer’s appearance. On the backside of the lens, this layer is maximized to include the UV protection against backside reflections.
- Application of Anti-Particulate layer – This layer is applied between Anti-Reflective layers to give the lens anti-static properties and to repel dust and dirt.
- Application of High Surface Density™ (HSD) Super Hydrophobic layer – This tightly packed layer of fluorinated molecules is applied on the front and back surfaces of the lens. This technology repels water, body oil, and sweat. It also makes the lens very easy to clean.
- Application of Patented Pad Control System™ – This patented temporary layer is applied to aid in blocking and edging the lenses. The lens is so slippery that without this layer, blocking and edging would not be possible
- Systematic Quality Check – One lens (non-patients) from each batch goes through stringent laboratory tests to ensure quality and consistency in Crizal® No-Glare products.
Types of Crizal® Products
There are several Crizal® No-Glare lens products, and it’s important to understand the differences and make appropriate recommendations to your patients. The following is a list of the different options:
1) Crizal Easy UV™
Crizal Easy UV™ is the entry-level product in the Crizal® family. It is known for its durability and ease of cleaning compared to ordinary lenses. It reduces glare, resists scratches, repels water, resists smudges, and has UV protection.
2) Crizal Alize UV™
Crizal Alize UV™ is a superior product by reducing glare and increasing cleanability. It also has the features we know and love like resisting scratches, repealing water, resisting smudges and UV protection.
3) Crizal Avancé UV™
Crizal Avancé UV™ is the first Crizal® product that repels dust and has the SR Booster™ layer, which makes it two times more scratch resistant than Crizal Alize UV™ and Crizal Easy UV™. This is a vital feature! Anything that can contribute to added lens clarity is important for my patients.
4) Crizal Sapphire® 360° UV Lenses
There is no question that patients are exposed to continuous light sources in the modern visual environment. Light from computers, digital devices, and screens is something we are exposed to from multiple sources and more angles than ever before.
New Crizal Sapphire® 360° UV lenses have Multi-Angular Technology™ to reduce reflections from all directions for less distracting glare, better aesthetics and safer nighttime driving. Crizal Sapphire 360° UV No-Glare lenses offer best-in-class transparency and clarity, as well as superior durability and cleanability. The UV protection is also improved with an increased E-SPF® index[1] to E-SPF® 35, providing optimal UV protection in a clear lens.
Specifically, Multi-Angular Technology considers a 360-degree angle in optical calculations. A new patent-pending nanolayer, when combined with the new calculation, results in reduced front, or head-on, reflections by up to 35 percent and reduced side reflections by up to 45 percent.
5) Crizal® Prevencia®
Crizal® Prevencia® is a unique addition and has all the other features of a Crizal lens. It was the first no-glare product on the market that selectively filters Harmful Blue Light. This is an important feature for a spectacle wearer in a digital world. Crizal® Prevencia® lenses selectively filter the blue light around you so your eyes receive good light, while reducing your exposure to bad blue light.2
- Crizal® Prevencia® No-Glare lenses block up to 20% of Harmful Blue Light.
What are the key features of Crizal® No-Glare lenses?
Durability
What makes Crizal® No-Glare lenses more durable than your typical ophthalmic lens?
Crizal Sapphire® 360° UV , Crizal Avancé UV™,and Crizal® Prevencia™ lenses maintain durability due to the 9-step process involved in their creation. This process is vital to the longevity of the lenses. The process ensures the lens will not peel or flake, but maintain absolute clarity.
UV Protection
The characteristic that separates Essilor lenses from most other lenses is their backside UV protection. The backside of many other anti-glare lenses have been shown to reflect UV light from the back and sides of the lenses directly into the eye. This increases UV exposure to the eye.
All Crizal® products have backside UV protection. This technological feature is important for all patients of all ages for ocular health concerns.
Reduced Glare
We live in a technology driven world. Glare is abundant from our digital device screens to the halos from headlights of oncoming cars at night. So many patients complain about distracting and debilitating glare when using digital screens or being exposed to these light sources. Crizal® No-Glare lenses can work to help alleviate this common complaint.
Repels Water
The top layer of Crizal Alizé UV™, Crizal Avancé UV™, Crizal Sapphire® 360° UV and Crizal® Prevencia® lenses is a High Surface Density™ (HSD) Super Hydrophobic layer. This feature is vital when you are caught out in the rain; the drops will roll right off the lenses.
Resists Smudges
Have you ever had lenses that "just won't stay clean"? Essilor's HSD process also repels grease due to high density oleophobic molecules on the surface of the lens.
Harmful Blue-Violet Light Protection
Crizal® Prevencia® is a No-Glare lens treatment that blocks up to 20% of the Harmful Blue Light1 from reaching your patient’s eyes. It is an anti-reflective lens, similar to standard Crizal® No-Glare treatments, except it blocks the narrow band of blue light from 415-455 nanometers (nm) which is specifically the “retinal damaging” light.
- Harmful Blue Light is the blue-violet wavelengths (415-455 nm) on the light spectrum believed most toxic to retinal cells.
Repels Dust
While all Crizal® products are built to reduce smudges, dirt, and water, Crizal Avancé UV™ and Crizal Sapphire® 360° UV and Crizal® Prevencia® lenses also decrease dust deposition. Application of an anti-particulate layer applied between anti-reflective layers gives the lens anti-static properties to repel dust.
Who benefits from Crizal® No-Glare lenses in my practice?
- Computer/Digital device users
- Photographers
- Drivers
- Students
- Professionals
- Sports enthusiasts
- Children
- Essentially, all of your patients!
How do I decide which of the Crizal® No-Glare lenses is best for my patient?
I always offer my patients the best ophthalmic products. I typically decide between Crizal Sapphire® 360 UV, Crizal® Avancé UV™, or Crizal® Prevencia®. If my patient consumes a lot of digital content, I always recommend Crizal® Prevencia® or Crizal Sapphire® 360° UV.
Not every Crizal product is right for every patient. It is your job as the optical professional to inform them which product is best for their visual demands!
They trust you to make the decision.
Tips for Prescribing Anti-Glare Coatings:
- Explain to patients that the lenses in your phoropter have an anti-glare coating, and they will not see as well if they do not have one applied to their glasses.
- Treatment vs. Coating - In my practice, I call them anti-glare treatments not coatings due to the process by which they are created. Educate patients that there are differences in anti-reflective coatings. Those made in an hour will flake and peel. A treatment needs a day or more for completion in a lab. Coatings indicate a separation of layers versus treatments which indicate all are combined like in the case of Crizal® No-Glare lenses.
- Anti-glare treatments cut down glare specifically for night-time driving, TV-viewing, and/or light emitted from electronic devices. Educate patients on how anti-glare treatments are indicated for all of these activities.
- Show patients a visual of lenses with an anti-reflective treatment versus those without. Oftentimes, they’ll understand the concept very quickly.
- Illustrate the cosmetic improvements with an anti-reflective treatment. This is particularly beneficial for patients who are on camera, work in film, or in photography.
Improve your patient’s vision and improve their lives. Always prescribe the best lens technology for them. Providing protection against glare, UV, Harmful Blue Light, and providing resistance against smudges, dust, water, and dirt will help maximize your patient’s visual experience.
[1] E-SPF is an index rating the overall UV protection of a lens. E-SPF was developed by Essilor International and endorsed by third party experts. The E-SPF index relates to lens performance only and excludes direct eye exposure that depends on externals factors (wearer’s morphology, frame shape, position of wear).
