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Thread: Transitions and AR

  1. #1
    OptiWizard
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    Transitions and AR

    Here is a preview of a new release, the graphics are not in this post but you get a good taste of what is in the paper.
    enjoy,
    Jim

    EDITORIAL BACKGROUND
    GLARE AND VISION-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE

    The overall visual experience is affected by more than visual acuity. Visual comfort and long-term vision protection also contribute to patients’ overall vision-related quality of life. As an education leader in the optical industry, Transitions Optical, Inc. is committed to providing eyecare professionals with the information they need to make the best possible decisions about eyewear and eye health for each patient. An important aspect of this is ensuring that eyecare professionals are aware of the impact of environmental conditions such as ultra-violet light and glare that can impact vision, and the eyewear solutions that can best address these phenomena.

    While most eyecare professionals are aware of lens options that provide 100 percent UVA and UVB protection – essential to blocking UV light and helping provide long-term vision protection – the many facets of glare and the lens options that provide protection are not as widely known. As lens technology continues to advance, more options are available in everyday eyewear to block glare and enhance patients’ vision-related quality of life, making an understanding of glare protection important to aid eyecare professionals in offering the most comprehensive eyewear solutions to patients.

    Glare and How it Affects Vision
    Glare is the loss of visual performance or visibility produced by a luminance in the visual field greater than that to which the eyes are adapted.

    There are two levels of glare: discomfort glare and disabling glare. Both may result from either direct light or light reflected off another surface.
    • Discomfort glare is glare at a level that causes annoyance or inconvenience (starting at approximately 3,000 lumens). It can occur in any weather, including overcast days, and can cause squinting or eye fatigue.
    • Disabling glare is glare strong enough to block vision (when light reaches the intensity of about 10,000 lumens). With this type of glare, the light that normally contributes to the brightness of the retinal image is instead scattered to adjacent parts of the retina, so the object appears to have lower contrast than if glare were not present. This can occur in situations such as looking toward the sun at sunrise or sunset, or toward automobile headlights at night.


    How well patients “see” is affected by more than their visual acuity. For example, patients suffering from various eye diseases may have reduced contrast sensitivity, and may not perceive their sight to be 100 percent, despite having vision corrected to 20/20. Similarly, patients’ vision is affected by glare, since glare can reduce contrast sensitivity. Additionally, lenses that reduce glare help patients see more comfortably. Because patients see more comfortably, without squinting or eye fatigue, they actually perceive that they see better and are more likely to be satisfied with their lenses.

    Sources of Glare and Lenses That Offer Protection
    Glare from different sources is reduced by different lens features.

    Source of Glare Source(s) of Glare Protection
    Intense ambient light
    • Bright light outdoors Fixed tint or photochromic lenses
    Reflections
    • The light reflected off the front, back or within lenses
    Mirror effect
    • Light reflected off the front surface of lenses – obscuring view of the wearer’s eyes
    Ghost images
    • From headlights or streetlights at night via double reflection within lens
    Backside reflection
    • Light source behind the wearer can obscure viewed scene Anti-reflective coating
    Specular reflection glare
    • Light reflected off a surface such as water Polarized lenses

    While fixed tint lenses can block intense ambient light, photochromic lenses darken in response to UV light to provide the appropriate amount of light filtration in various light conditions. Because of this, photochromic lenses can be worn in more situations than fixed tint lenses, which may remain too dark to be worn comfortably on a cloudy day or, of course, indoors.

    Anti-reflective (AR) coatings function by reflecting light. The reflected light from the AR coating destructively interferes with the light being reflected from the lens substrate or underlying layer, minimizing reflections and maximizing light transmission. AR coatings may be applied to clear, fixed tint or photochromic lenses.

    Polarized lenses filter light in a way that eliminates reflected light from water, snow, metallic or other horizontal, low emitting surfaces. They are an excellent choice for a special-purpose pair of sunglasses for patients whose hobbies or occupations place them in situations in which they are likely to encounter specular reflection glare, such as boaters or snow skiers.

    Ultimate Glare Control With a Clear Lens
    Photochromic lenses with an anti-reflective coating remove more kinds of glare than any other type of lens that can be worn both indoors and outdoors, day and night, making them the ideal lenses for everyday wear. Patients’ fashion preferences made this recommendation unlikely until recently, when photochromic lens technology enabled these lenses to be clear indoors.

    The cosmetics of a “barely there” lens is one of the main reasons patients desire an AR coating. The elimination of reflections off the surface of the lens enables them to appear almost invisible, so it’s easier for onlookers to see the eyes through the lenses.
    Photochromic lenses with older technology exhibited a residual tint indoors, so were not appealing to many patients. In 2002, Transitions Optical introduced a new generation of photochromic lenses, which are as clear as regular lenses indoors, and adjust to changing light conditions, becoming as dark as sunglasses outdoors. The addition of an AR coating to the lens enhances the indoor clarity further by increasing light transmittance from 89 percent to approximately 95 percent. (See Figure 1.) Allowing more light to reach the eyes increases contrast and clarity, enabling wearers to actually see better, particularly in low light situations. Figure 1.

    Now, the ultimate lens for glare control to help patients see better can also offer them the fashionable look they desire – a clear lens indoors, and a dark lens outdoors.

    Effects of AR on Photochromic Perfomance
    Transitions® Lenses are compatible with all premium AR coatings. As Transitions Optical develops new products, the company works closely with AR providers and labs to ensure chemical and real-world compatibility.

    The activation rate, darkening, fade rate and color of Transitions Lenses with AR are all virtually the same as Transitions Lenses without AR. With AR coatings, Transitions Lenses are clearer in the unactivated state and may have an increased lifetime of performance. The differences in darkening performance are so small that instrumentation would be needed to measure them.

    Intuitively, eyecare professionals may believe that the same AR coating that increases light transmission indoors would increase light transmission outdoors, reducing the darkening ability of the lens. This is not true. The addition of an AR coating does not significantly affect the darkening performance of Transitions Lenses.

    This can be proven mathematically by comparing a Transitions 1.50 lens with and without an AR coating in the activated state1. (See Figure 2.)
















    1 NOTE: There is some attenuation of the photochromic performance due to absorption of the UV by the materials in the AR coating.
    Figure 2.

    In an activated photochromic lens without AR coating, the front surface of the lens reflects 4 percent of incoming light, and 96 percent passes through the front surface. Photochromic molecules then filter out 83.6 percent of remaining light, and 15.7 percent of the original amount of light passes through the middle of the lens. The back surface of the lens reflects 4 percent of remaining light, so that 15.1 percent of the original amount of light reaches the eye.

    In an activated photochromic lens with AR coating, the front surface of the lens reflects only 1 percent of incoming light, and 99 percent passes through the front surface. Photochromic molecules then filter out 83.6 percent of remaining light, and 16.2 percent of the original amount of light passes through the middle of the lens. The back surface of the lens reflects 1 percent of remaining light, so that 16 percent of the original amount of light reaches the eye.

    The difference of .9 percent between light transmission with AR coating (16 percent) and without AR coating (15.1 percent) is negligible, and would not be discernable in a real-world setting.

    A Growing Category
    Today’s AR coatings are more durable and easier to clean than older coatings, which has greatly increased their popularity. The number of patients wearing lenses with AR coating is currently approaching 20 percent and growing rapidly, according to the AR Council. It can be assumed that this trend is likely to continue because of the even higher percentage of patients wearing lenses with AR coating in other countries, such as Germany (about 80 percent) and Japan (90 percent).

    Now that photochromic lenses can be offered to clear lens wearers, this category is also experiencing strong growth. The percent of plastic photochromic lenses sold grew more than 20 percent from 2001 to 2002, according to the Vision Council of America.

    Recommending Transitions Lenses with AR coatings is one way eyecare professionals can seize these growth opportunities while offering their patients the most complete glare protection available in an everyday lens for enhanced visual comfort and patient satisfaction.

    Implications for Eyecare Professionals
    To offer the most comprehensive eyewear solutions to patients, eyecare professionals must consider visual comfort and long-term vision protection in addition to visual acuity. Transitions Lenses with AR coating remove more kinds of glare than any other type of lens that can be worn both indoors and outdoors, so are the ideal everyday lenses for providing glare protection and visual comfort. Transitions Lenses also have built-in 100 percent automatic UVA and UVB protection to address patients’ long-term vision protection needs.

    Now that Transitions Lenses are virtually indistinguishable from regular, clear lenses indoors, eyecare professionals can recommend these lenses with AR coating to patients that desire the look of a clear lens indoors. With indoor light transmission of approximately 95 percent, these lenses offer the uncompromised visual acuity eyecare professionals want for their patients.

    With these advancements in lens technologies, it is easier than ever for eyecare professionals to prescribe everyday lenses to patients that address visual acuity, visual comfort and long-term vision protection for a better overall visual experience and enhanced vision-related quality of life.


    # # #
    Jim Schafer
    Retired From PPG Industries/
    Transitions Optical, Inc.

    When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say even less.
    Paul Brown

  2. #2
    Cape Codger OptiBoard Gold Supporter hcjilson's Avatar
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    Perhaps I missed it....

    Jim,
    when you last gave me a lesson in transitions and AR you told me that an AR coating will protect the lens from the "Transitions 'fatigue' factor". I recall you had just gotten a pair of trivex trans/ar and were quite taken.

    After reading the above I didn't notice any mention of this added benefit. I made up a couple of pair for myself and think they're terrific. I hope that ARing the lenses will stave off the fatigue factor because that's what I've been telling the folks I've sold. I hate it when I get egg on my face! :D It definitely helps sales to have a pair to demo.

    best from harry:D
    "Always laugh when you can. It is a cheap medicine"
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  3. #3
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    Question

    Do emetropes have more catracts than hyperopes and myopes who wear glasses full time. As we all know all eyeglass materials filter out most of UV light with or without coatings. Hense it should follow that emetropes who do not wear glasses except occasionally sunglasses should have a much higher incidence of catarac and macular degeneration. Do they? If not our theories are shot.

    Chip

  4. #4
    Master OptiBoarder Texas Ranger's Avatar
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    Smilie

    Chip, my thought is that there are no emmetropes over 45, and you don't see many cataract patients under 60+, so that has to be a factor in this theory. and, I didn't think that crown glass had any uv absorbsion??

  5. #5
    OptiWizard
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    Hi Harry,
    AR does extend the life of the product but this release is focusing on improving quality of life and vision by reducing glare.
    The lifetime improvements over Transitions III technology without AR is substantial. There is less than 8% fatigue after 2 years (average person will not pick up the loss until it is about 20% loss) Transitions III lost about 15-18% after 2 years of normal use.
    The Quantum Technology products released in 2000 started this improvement trend and it carried over into the 1.50 NG launch.
    regards,
    Jim

    ps ...I still love my Transitions Trivex with AR, They are a year old now and look like new.
    Jim Schafer
    Retired From PPG Industries/
    Transitions Optical, Inc.

    When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say even less.
    Paul Brown

  6. #6
    OptiBoardaholic
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    Transitions and AR

    Hi Jim, is it better recommend the Transitions applied with AR? Thanks.

  7. #7
    OptiWizard
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    Hello Samuel,

    I am not sure what is your question.

    We promote Transitions with AR as the ultimate lens. Transitions lenses are created compatible with premium AR technologies.

    best regards,
    Jim
    Jim Schafer
    Retired From PPG Industries/
    Transitions Optical, Inc.

    When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say even less.
    Paul Brown

  8. #8
    OptiBoardaholic
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Schafer
    Hello Samuel,

    I am not sure what is your question.

    We promote Transitions with AR as the ultimate lens. Transitions lenses are created compatible with premium AR technologies.

    best regards,
    Jim
    Hello Jim,

    My question is, if the customers buy the Transitions, is it better we recommend the lenses applied with AR?

    Best regards,
    Samuel

  9. #9
    OptiWizard
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    The only patient I would not recommend AR to would be one that spends most of their time in environments that may damage the top coats.
    Jim
    Jim Schafer
    Retired From PPG Industries/
    Transitions Optical, Inc.

    When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say even less.
    Paul Brown

  10. #10
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    Transitions and AR

    Hi Jim, Putting AR on Transitions will it make slower change of the lens?

  11. #11
    OptiWizard
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    No, AR will not affect Transitions activation and fade performance.
    Jim
    Jim Schafer
    Retired From PPG Industries/
    Transitions Optical, Inc.

    When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say even less.
    Paul Brown

  12. #12
    OptiBoardaholic
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Schafer
    No, AR will not affect Transitions activation and fade performance.
    Jim
    Thanks Jim.

  13. #13
    OptiBoard Novice @ndrew's Avatar
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    So what is a useful range of UV radiation for activating a photochromic event in transitions lenses ?
    Because if an AR is designed for 550 nm , it`s designed also for 275 nm wavelenght of light . It means that AR doesn`t transmit part of the UV .

  14. #14
    OptiWizard
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    Hello @ndrew,
    The current premium AR stacks do not interfere with the UV band that is needed to activate Transitions. Since the mid 1990's Transitions has worked with AR suppliers to validate products before they reach the market place. That is why we promote Transitions Lenses and AR as a perfect pair of everyday eyewear.
    best regards,
    Jim
    Jim Schafer
    Retired From PPG Industries/
    Transitions Optical, Inc.

    When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say even less.
    Paul Brown

  15. #15
    OptiBoard Novice @ndrew's Avatar
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    I agree with activation , but i mean a total energy of UV , that could be lost by AR . It`s hard to believe , that only one wavelenght of UV affect transitions efficiency :finger: .

    I`m waiting for more arguments .

    best regards
    andrew
    Better vision is a better life !

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