'ribbons' of glare

[doody]

I'm on my 3rd pair of progressives in the last 2 months. The first pair were so bad my doctor shook her head when I asked her if the glasses were really that bad...or was it really that difficult to get used to progressives! I won't say where I got them.

I went to a different place and ended up getting a pair of progressives that made an incredible world of difference.

Problem. I got a pair with no frame on the bottom half. I had terrible glare with the lenses...while standing towards the sun, and it only happens when in the sun facing it. It's as if a couple of 'ribbon's' of sunrays curve down and catch my glasses. Pretty, were it not so annoying. :hammer:

So I went back and the manager was very nice and wondered if it might be the coating on the bottom of the glasses. She could send them back and have the polish removed.

But what happened was we ended up choosing an entiredly different pair of frames which completely surround the lenses.

Oh...these are the Panamic lenses, and I LOVE Panamic. Though, heh, I've never had any others. I have no distortion whatsoever on the sides.

Anyway, they are Panamic.

So the second pair of glasses arrived. Alas...I've been outside in the sun and yes, these lenses are doing it also.

I can only describe it as ribbons of light connecting from the sun to my lenses.

I bought what they called Crizal anti-reflective coating.

I also notice with my clipon sunglasses, I can see like half circles of some kind of reflection. My eyes perhaps? Not sure.

In your opinion. do you think it could be the Panamic lense itself? Or...do all progressives do this? Not a good enough coating? They are fine just standing outside as long as the sun is not facing me.

Guess I could walk away from the sun everywhere I go...or maybe backwards??? :bbg:

Thanks in advance,
Nancy
Age 56 (and workin on a computer all day long, and need progressives, bifocals, trifocals, or whatever badly!!!)

[wombat]

Disclaimer: I'm not an optical professional, just a consumer.

If you can pinpoint what part of the lens the glare is coming from, that should help your optician do something about it. I'm guessing it is coming from the upper or lower edge of the lenses; I get a minor streak of glare off the lines of my trifocals.

as a test, try closing one eye, then hold a pen or pencil horizontally in front of the lens. Move it up or down until the glare disappears. The pen will now be between the sun and whatever is producing the glare.

...about this second pair: are the edges polished on those lenses too?

[doody]

Hi. Thanks for replying. The post had a lot of views so I was hoping someone might help!

I don't know if they are polished. This time I have a complete frame around the lenses. The first pair only had the frame on the top of the lense.

I looked at them and I am guessing they are?

The streams or ribbons of light are very apparent and bright. They curve from the sun right to the lenses on both sides and very distracting.

I'll do that pencil check and see if it helps. Then I'll ask the optician about it. She's very nice and I'm sure will try her best to figure out the problem. Maybe we can send these back and ask them to take the polish off if they are polished.

Thanks very much for responding.

I'll report back when the problem is solved.

[Jubilee]

If the glare is that distracting, you may want to have an edge coat applied. They can basically "paint" the edges of the lens a color matching the frame or complimentary to it. This will effectively block most of the glare from the lens edge.

Cassandra

[Happylady]

You can also get an edge polish removed.

[AWTECH]

This maybe a rare case where chromatic abberations are occuring.

Do you see these only near the edge of the lens and are they yellow and/or blue in color?

Do these move around and change colors but stay close to the edge?

Or do you just see spikes of light, like someone is shinning a bright light at you?

If this is the case, then please advise what material the lens is made of.

How strong is your prescription?

How big are the lenses? (the width of the frame that holds the lens)

[Cindy K]

[QUOTE]I also notice with my clipon sunglasses, I can see like half circles of some kind of reflection. My eyes perhaps? Not sure.

Yes, the reflection you see is indeed that of your eyes; an anti-reflective coating on the backside of clip lenses is in my opinion as necessary as an AR on your lenses themselves. I can't wear clips which don't have AR and many clients complain about this also. The greater the distance that the clip lenses sit away from the rx lenses, the greater the reflection becomes.

In your opinion. do you think it could be the Panamic lense itself? Or...do all progressives do this? Not a good enough coating? They are fine just standing outside as long as the sun is not facing me.

It is most assuredly NOT the brand (design) of lens itself, nor is it the Crizal anti-reflective coating (considered by many to be a premium product) ; all anti-reflective coatings act to reduce glare, not create it. However, uncoated areas (the edges) may produce glare.
-----------------------------------------------
It would appear that there is a) reflection occuring on a part of the lens, likely the bottom, from the sunlight, due to the polished edges. It may also now be that the inside of the eyewire (assuming it is a metal frame) is so shiny that it is creating the reflection. Or, b) the lens material is creating what is known as chromatic abberation. This typically occurs with lens materials higher than 1.56 index and is characterized by fringes of color around , say, a piece of paper, or a light source. It is generally minimized by the use of an anti-reflective coating. It would be most apparent when you are looking through an area of the lens away from the optical center.

Interestingly enough, I have the same thing happen in the sun with one of my pairs of glasses; both are totally rimless frames, both with polished edges, the differences being one is Transitions Airwear and the other is regular CR39, , and they are both essentially the same shape and size and are mounted in the same design of chassis. It is the Airwear product which produces these ribbons of glare. I just for the most part tip my head down when I'm out in the sun and it goes away. Never actually thought about it much until I read this post. In the past, I did have another pair of edge-polished rimless which created a nearly unwearable effect of glare from the edges, even indoors and mainly when I was in the dispensary under the halogen lights.

Just a couple of suggestions: you may want to ask your optician to alter the pantoscopic tilt of the lenses, and also perhaps alter the face form. Perhaps decreasing the distance the lenses are from your eyes may help, if that is practical. One or a combination of these adjustments may relieve you of your irritation.

[doody]

Thank you very much all.

I did check with the 'pencil test' and yes, the ribbons of glare disappeared when I held the pencil right at the top rim. In the afternoon however, the glare goes to the bottom of the glasses. So I suspect it is the polished edges.

I do love the clipon sunglasses, they are handy. Being able to see myself in the sunglasses is annoying however. This is what I see... ... LOL. I'll ask about having Crizal put on those also and ask about my options for the polished edges on the lens.

Nancy

[doody]

I forgot to add. The light reflection I see is not colored at all. Just bright white light. The glare isn't acceptable at all. It's quite annoying.

I don't have my prescription with me. All I know is the seg is 18, they are panamics, and the depth of the lenses is about 1".

[apaul]

If the glare is that distracting, you may want to have an edge coat applied. They can basically "paint" the edges of the lens a color matching the frame or complimentary to it. This will effectively block most of the glare from the lens edge.

Cassandra

Hi Cassandra
What paint is used?
Alan

[Jubilee]

There are several different pens used to color the outside edges of a lens. Hint of Tint, Camophlauge, Lenz Penz, etc.

The most common application I use it on is for the edges of polarized lenses. I have also seen it added to enhance the appearance of 3 piece mounts, and to give additional contrast on bolder frames.

There are colors meant to mimick flesh tones, and jewelry type tones as well.

Cassandra

[doody]

First to AWTECH, yes I just discovered that the ribbons of glare do have a very light bluish color. I would have called them white, but after reading your post again, I checked closely, and they are just barely blue. I don't know what that would have to do with it but...yes, they are tinged blue.

No they aren't straight at the glasses, they curve from the source of the light. When I turn my head from side to side I can actually see more of a curve develop from the streak.

I discovered that the optician ordered plastic lenses because she was hoping those would be even clearer for me after my first bad progressive experience. And with the Panamic. The prescription is really good, I can see pretty well on my computer with them.

I also discovered that these lens do not have a coating on the edges.

The lab that works with the optician I went to said to try what Cindy K said...alter the pantoscopic tilt of the lenses and alter the face form.

She did that to the glasses in addition to the clipons.

I'm still getting the curved streaks of glare.

The lab also said that they can paint them but find that it is useless eventually because the paint wears off.

I may as well just give up and live with the glare. :angry:

Oh, the lab also said they can't put the crizal on the clipon lenses.

[Cindy K]

Doody:

Did your optician indicate whether or not it was possible to reduce the vertex distance (the distance the lenses are before your eyes)?

[doody]

She did that also. At one point my eyelashes were touching so she had to redo them. They are pretty close to my eyes now.