Anti Reflective coating after the fact

My girlfriend just received her new pair of glasses the other day sans the anti reflective coating that I can distinctly remember asking for when we ordered them. After making our concerns known to the optician we ordered the glasses from, he agreed to send the lenses back to get coated though he said there could be a problem or two when doing the coating because the lenses had already been cut.

My questions are:
1. Can anyone tell me the process of coating the lenses?
2. Why would coating the lenses after the fact create issues, and what sort off issues would they be?

Thanks alot!

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Sorry, I can't help you with this one. Any opticians out there?
JCH III MD

[JodieJ]

I was in exactly the same situation as your girlfriend.  Apparently, there is a range in the quality of anti-reflective coatings.  The cheaper stuff is supposed to be more prone to smudges and is reportedly less durable.  The better quality coatings are applied to the lenses before they are cut; cheaper coatings can be sprayed on after the fact.  No coating can be applied if a lens is scratched.  In any case, I had the coating sprayed on after the fact, and the results were fine by me.

There are some discussions about AR coatings in the archives of the google group sci.med.vision, if you're interested.  I've learned a lot about different types of lenses/coatings by reading that news group.  (As a result, I'm not getting glasses at Lenscrafters or Pearle Vision anymore.)  There are some expert opticians who sometimes post there.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

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[Kryose]

Thanks for your help, that eases my apprehensions a little bit. I will be sure to check out the link you mentioned.

Again, Thanks!

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

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