A Dynamic Duo
Why AR on sunwear is a now a must
By Erinn Morgan

There is no doubt that sales of anti-reflective coatings in general are increasing in the U.S. The AR Council had the coating pegged at 19 percent nationwide last year. "We have a high level of confidence that it will exceed 22 percent this year," says Nick Mileti, AR Council president and manager for technical support at Cole Vision. "There is a steep slope of growth."

At the same time, sales of AR coatings on sunwear are also on the rise. While the AR Council does not offer any formal projections on the amount of anti-reflective coatings done on sunwear yet, Mileti shares, "Intuition says that it is somewhere around 15 percent for sunwear and AR. As far as the consumer is concerned, this is new technology. They are just now understanding the benefits of it. I think we'll see that change significantly."

A major focus of this niche appears to be AR coating on polarized lenses. Adding a premium coating to a premium lens seems to agree with consumers, especially if the option is presented correctly.

	The anti-reflective coating market is on the upswing and industry experts anticipate that it will hit 22 percent usage in the U.S. this year PHOTO COURTESY ESSILOR

"Everybody's looking for a niche, and polarized AR-coated lenses are it," says Lloyd Yazbek, owner of Central Optical, a wholesale lab in Youngstown, Ohio, that serves the Midwest U.S. and beyond. "I found this niche, and shame on me if I don't promote it." Central Optical is doing just that with packages, incentives, promotions, and extensive training.

But there are other areas where AR coating sunwear makes perfect sense. It can enhance the features of photo-chromics, tinted lenses, and even clip-on eyewear.

The bottom line is that the business of AR and sunwear is growing. It's partly because the coating has the capability to enhance the visual acuity and comfort of most any sunwear lens and partly because improvements in areas like cleanability have greatly improved with recent introductions. "We present the AR and sunwear combination to everyone," says Jim Walicki, optical operations supervisor with Eyecare Associates in Youngstown, Ohio.

This dispensary even presents the option to kids. "We have a pediatric specialist here and we have been selling a new line of sunglasses for children that is doing very well," he says. "We recommend AR-coated photochromics for kids for UV protection."

THE BENEFITS

One of the most important benefits that AR-coated sunwear provides is improved light transmittance, which translates to increased visual comfort and acuity. "Whenever we are able to increase the maximum amount of light to the retina that helps," says Mileti.

In addition, reduction of reflections off the backside of the lens (which can enter from the side or back) will also enhance vision and comfort. Sunlenses with a frontside AR coating can enhance the wearer's appearance by reducing unsightly (and distracting) reflections off the front of the lens.

AR coating can even increase the performance of photochromic lenses. "AR speeds up the process with photo-chromics because it lets more light in," says Gregory Granrath, ABOC, manager of Medical Eye Associates and Main Optical, a four-office ophthalmology practice with locations in Waukesha and Mukwonago, Wisc.

"On photochromics, coat both sides," says Mileti. "If these lenses start out at 88 percent of light transmittance in a clear state, then AR will bring it up to 98 to 99 percent of light transmittance. AR and photochromics work well together."

Photo courtesy Transitions Optical	PHOTO COURTESY ZEISS OPTICAL
AR coatings on sunwear can enhance the visual acuity and comfort of sunwear lenses for many activities and age groups

CHOOSING SIDES

There is some debate on whether to coat front side and/or backside sunlenses. Generally, however, dispensers, lab owners, and industry experts agree on some rules of thumb. "If I had to speak from the purest perspective, then having AR on the backside of sunwear is the first choice," says Mileti. "There is a material in the lens that is blocking close to 80 percent of the light so back reflectance is extremely high and noticeable. Thus, having backside AR is the best choice."

Most agree that polarized sunlenses should only be backside coated. "By coating the backside only, you are breaking down the glare that comes in from the back or side of the lenses. If you coat the front, it reduces the effect of the polarization to a degree," says Yazbek.

Adds Jay Graber, owner of Tri-Supreme Optical, a lab in Farmingdale, N.Y., "When you put AR on front you can decrease the effects of the polarization. On regular plano sunwear, however, we usually do both sides."

In fact, many recommend coating the following with AR on both sides: plano and prescription sunwear, photochromics, and light- to medium-tinted lenses (see sidebar). "We probably coat about 40 percent of our sunwear with AR, and often we do both front- and backside," says Granrath. "Brown and amber tones are some of the most popular tints to which we add AR on both sides."

Says Yazbek, "On photochromics and plano sunlenses you can coat both the front and back with AR. There are a lot of people who want a mirrored sunlens and we don't do AR on these."

One other sunwear option that most choose not to coat is dark sunlenses. "With the very dark lenses, you don't really get the glare on the frontside," says Walicki. "And if you do coat it, you can get a rainbow look to the dark lens."

Finally, the other sunwear-related product to remember is clip-ons. "The lenses underneath clip-ons should always be AR coated because they pick up reflections," says Walicki.

A PROPER EDUCATION

Many labs and dispensers are taking the time to train their customers and staff to better understand the features and benefits of AR and sunwear. "We have created training programs, and we work with offices that would benefit and profit from these programs," says Yazbek. "We teach them about the FAB (features, advantages, and benefits) of using AR and polarization. We provide in-office training and give them goals and objectives for 30-, 60-, and 90-day periods. If they are happy with the results, we try to take it to the next level."

Staff education has also taken on increased importance at Eyecare Associates. "We've gotten into more staff training with the manufacturers' reps and educating them on new products and their advantages," says Walicki. "We show them how to present it to the patient. We have many in-services and it works out well for staff. If they don't have the proper product knowledge, they cannot sell it."

The final tactic to increased AR-and-sunwear combo sales is proper presentation and pricing. Many choose to package price the duo. "We've worked on a lot of nice packages that are good for the presentation," says Walicki. "We have worked on the pricing with Central Optical so we do not appear to be the used car salesmen of optical."

The other part of the equation is the presentation. "We use Smart Mirror, and we let them see what things look like with AR and without," Granrath observers.

"We also make sure to tell them that all the lenses they looked through in the exam were AR coated and that all telescopes and camera lenses have AR. I will also say, 'I can give you all the glare at no extra charge,'" he notes.

It appears from all accounts that the dynamic duo of sunwear and AR will only increase in importance and sales moving forward. "AR on sunwear has grown dramatically," says Mileti.

And, he adds, "As polarized products come in to the marketplace, we see that consumers are willing to spend extra for the AR on the polarized features. They are not looking for the budget buy, and we have seen a lot of growth in the category."

Just the Facts

The drum for Satis Vacuum's Satis FET 150 drum coating system PHOTO COURTESY SATIS VACUUM Here are a few tidbits on this specialized coating, courtesy of Satis Vacuum. How is AR coating applied? An AR coat consists of several layers of transparent materials (usually metal oxides) which are evaporated by a very high energy evaporator and electron beam gun. The process cannot be done under atmospheric pressure. High vacuum chambers are necessary for such processes. Can AR coating be applied on all lenses? Generally yes. All known plastic and mineral lenses can be AR coated. How do I rate the quality of an AR coating? AR coating criteria are: Adhesion--Do the layers remain on the lens for a few years? Stability--Does the layer change its optical properties over time? Transmission--How much light do the layers absorb? Residual reflection--What is the remaining reflection? What information will the coating lab need to do a proper AR coat? If you send lenses to a coating lab for AR or other kind of coating, you should give the lab the following Information: Manufacturer of lens, exact trade name, and index If the lens is hard coated already, brand and/or type of lacquer Type of tint, if any