AR Lense question.....

[pdred1985]

Here's a question for all you Optiboard members out there. I went to Wal-Mart the other day and they showed me a pair of lenses that have the AR coating on them as compared to a pair of regualr ones that don't. I noticed that the AR coated lenses have a pinkish color to them, and that when the tiny part of light does reflect off of them, it reflects in green. This WAS on a pair of clear lenses though. If the lenses were died blue for instance what affect would it have on the AR coating? Would it change the relfection to blue? Thanks for any help!

[Chris Ryser]

If the lenses were died blue for instance what affect would it have on the AR coating? Would it change the relfection to blue? Thanks for any help!

The blue hue comes from a metal oxyde deposition in the AR coating. The AR coating is the last layer added to the lens. The lens is tinted prior to the application of the AR coating, therefore the hue will be the same, but it might appear a bit different depending on the color the lens is tinted.

[rinselberg]

If you would like to have your lenses tinted blue, but are not sure about whether you would like the way the AR reflects over a blue tint, I have a suggestion: See if you could have the lenses tinted blue, and then AR coated on the backside (side closest to your eyes) only. A lot of sunglasses are ordered that way. If they AR coat the backside only, you should not be seeing much of that residual reflection (the green color) from the backside into your eyes, and I doubt that anyone else would be able to see any residual reflection from the AR, because they would be looking at the uncoated front side of your lenses.

This is based only on what I have read online. I haven't gotten my own sunglasses yet.

As to whether blue lenses are a good choice for your purposes - I cannot say. I'm just a customer, not an optician. I do think that if you are going to be driving with these lenses, you may want to consider whether you will be able to see the true colors of traffic lights. I think most would agree that polarized lenses (not just tinted lenses) are probably the best way to go for daytime driving when there's glare from the sun.

[spexmad]

Regardless of the colour of the AR coatings or the tint, just be aware that if you purchase lenses with an AR coating, you WILL NOT be able to have the tint applied afterwards.

We often have customers who are not aware of this but have purchased lenses elsewhere and expect to have glasses made into sunspecs - so be aware and decide on your tint before the AR coating is applied!!

If you need any further info feel free to email us.

email: info@spexmad.com
web: www.spexmad.com

[chip anderson]

Riselburg:

Backside AR stops reflections from light that strikes the lense from behind the lens, not light coming through the front. This is needed on sunglasses because one sees glare from a back lighted situation, such as fishing. The glare from the front is taken care of by the polarisation (the only we should make sunglasses in most situations except for commercial pilots) but the glare from the back can still be blinding or image obscuring. Hense this is not a solution for glasses other than sunglasses.

Chip

[Chris Ryser]

Regardless of the colour of the AR coatings or the tint, just be aware that if you purchase lenses with an AR coating, you WILL NOT be able to have the tint applied afterwards.

Let me correct above statement..................it is actually very easy, like in 5 to 10 seconds to remove the AR coating and bleach out the tint, then re-tint and if needed put an other AR coat on the lens.
http://optochemicals.com/products/info_ar_stripper.htm

[pdred1985]

Thanks but that wasn't what I was asking. the first response it helpful though. The AR coating's I've seen on a clear lense have a pinkish hue to them, and when light reflects off them instead of seeing a white reflection from the lights it's green, although largley reduced from the white glare. What I was asking is if the lenses are tinted blue and then AR coated will the glare reflect blue off the lenses or green with a pink hue?

[spartus]

The residual color of the AR will stay substantially the same, regardless of the tint of the lens. For a really basic example of this, go look at a pair of Maui Jims (or another premium sunglass lens that's AR-coated on the back side).

If you're looking for a specific color AR and just asking in a roundabout way, there's really just green and blue, plus Zeiss makes a gold one. I think that's about it.

[pdred1985]

I was meaning an AR coating on front and backsides, not just the back :)

[OPTIDONN]

This reflex color that you see is the result of certain wavlengths of light. A/R coating is made op of several layers of high and lower index materials. Each one is a quarter of a wavelength thick. This allows the wavelength to 'turn back on its self' neutralizing the reflection. Now white light, natural light, is composed of several wavelengths of light so the A/R thickness needs to be varied to allow for the destructive interference of many wave lengths. What is reflected back will have the color of the wavelength or wavelengths that have not been selected for destructive interference. So the answer is the reflex color caused by the a/r coating is independent of the tint color.


We have a few people here who work with a/r who could probably explain better...Chris Ryser is one of them.:D

[High_Abbe]

Let me correct above statement..................it is actually very easy, like in 5 to 10 seconds to remove the AR coating and bleach out the tint, then re-tint and if needed put an other AR coat on the lens.

http://optochemicals.com/products/info_ar_stripper.htm

You could also ruin the lenses doing this, so make sure you warn the patient before you try it!

[Chris Ryser]

You could also ruin the lenses doing this, so make sure you warn the patient before you try it!

AR Stripper for CR 39
No lenses are being ruined if you do not try to strip Poly or high index with this product.

AR Stripper for Poly, Hig Index and Glass
No lenses will be ruined if you follow instructions and do it the right way.

Of course if you dont follow instructions in anything you do, you can ruin everything in life from your car to your dishwasher. :bbg:

[QDO1]

AR Stripper for CR 39
No lenses are being ruined if you do not try to strip Poly or high index with this product.

AR Stripper for Poly, Hig Index and Glass
No lenses will be ruined if you follow instructions and do it the right way.

Of course if you dont follow instructions in anything you do, you can ruin everything in life from your car to your dishwasher. :bbg:

reminds everyone that not all labs use these products, and experience says that the tint always looks awful, if the job ever got that far... usually the stripping in the lab completley stuffs the lens surface, spoiling the lens and rendering it useles.. and the older (and more marked) the lens, the worse the results

[Chris Ryser]

.. and the older (and more marked) the lens, the worse the results

Actually an older lens lens, if CR39, might have scratch marks on them...............so if you remove the AR coat you will see that the scratches are still there because they marked the hardcoat underneath.

By re-inserting the lens into the stripper you will remove tha hardcoat in one to 2 hours of soaking.

Once the hardcoat is removed you will find out that you have a totally unmarked and clean lens in your hands that does not contain a scratch or a mark.

And dont always blame the lab..............because this is an operation you can easily do in your office.

[QDO1]

Actually an older lens lens, if CR39, might have scratch marks on them...............so if you remove the AR coat you will see that the scratches are still there because they marked the hardcoat underneath.

By re-inserting the lens into the stripper you will remove tha hardcoat in one to 2 hours of soaking.

Once the hardcoat is removed you will find out that you have a totally unmarked and clean lens in your hands that does not contain a scratch or a mark.

And dont always blame the lab..............because this is an operation you can easily do in your office.

i had both my hats on when i made the comments - my lab hat, and my store hat...BTW, who is to say the hardcoat stopped the scratches. I prefer not to muck arround with coatings, once they are on the lens, if there is a issue with them, I do the job properly, and replace the lenses with new ones. I certainly wouldnt entertain stripping off the coatings from a old marked lens to tint it, the final results have always been dissapointing

[Chris Ryser]

I certainly wouldnt entertain stripping off the coatings from a old marked lens to tint it, the final results have always been dissapointing

Now then, ..............we found a new subject an old fox does not know and can not master.............time to start learning again!