Anti-Reflection Coating
Overview of AR Coating

An AR coating is so thin it is measured in angstroms because it is less than a wave length of light in thickness. An angstrom unit is one-tenth of a billionth of a meter. A simple analogy may work better in understanding a �thin film� coating: Although this is an extreme example, imagine a wall 150 feet with a covering of wallpaper. That proportion would equal the thin film of AR coating on the front of a lens 2 mm thick.

Here are results of this thin AR coating. Figure A below is a photograph taken with a pre WWII camera in which the lenses were not treated with AR coating. There are many halos and a lot of glare on the picture. Figure B shows the same picture, taken with the same camera body. But this time the old lens has been replaced by a modern day coated lens.

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The image on the left is a photograph taken with a camera in which the lenses are not AR coated.
The image on the right is the same photograph, only the lenses were AR coated.

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AR coated lenses can also significantly improve night driving vision. The contrast of bright lights from oncoming cars against the blackness of night increases the incidence of noticeable reflections for the wearer which can effect visual acuity.

       

Reflective (left), Anti-Reflective (right)