1-year old Transitions with Crizal starting to craze

[jkane1979]

Hello,
The transition lens (high index) with crizal AR coating has shown slight crazing on both lens. It is along the top and bottom edges and can be seen easily when holding it up to a light at an angle.

It has not gotten bad enough to make a difference in my vision, so i was wondering a few things:
- Is this likely to get much worse, to a point where it will impair my vision?
- If so, can AR coating be easily removed?
- Finally, what is likely the cause of this? I do not work near any high heat. I have been in the sun a fair amount, but not for extended periods. I wash my lens with water (slightly warm, definitely not hot) and whatever soap or handsoap is available. This can be hotel soap, bar soap (rubbed onto my fingers and applied to the lens lightly), or hand soap (typical hand soap from a pump that might be moisturizing).

Thanks for any insight or advice on this!

[For-Life]

I just want to ask one thing first. Have you talked to the store that you bought these from? They might have a warranty.

[jkane1979]

Hello,

they had a 1 year warranty, and these are already past the 1 year, unfortunately. Also, I am no longer living in a different city right now, and I would probably have to ship it and deal with it over mail. Do you think it's worth getting it fixed? If it won't get worse, i think it is ok for me not to worry about it.

[Chris Ryser]

Hello,
Do you think it's worth getting it fixed? If it won't get worse, i think it is ok for me not to worry about it.

Once it start bethering you..............have a wll equiped optician remove the AR coating and continue wearing them that way until you get new lenses.

The process to remove the AR coating is about 5 to 10 seconds in a special stripper liquid. Fast and easy.

[Jim Schafer]

Once it start bethering you..............have a wll equiped optician remove the AR coating and continue wearing them that way until you get new lenses.

The process to remove the AR coating is about 5 to 10 seconds in a special stripper liquid. Fast and easy.

Make sure the practice understands that you have Transitions High Index, if it is not Transitions V, and probably is not because that was released in March 2005, the stripper may get into the photochromic layer and make a mess of the equipment...and your lenses.

[Chris Ryser]

Make sure the practice understands that you have Transitions High Index, if it is not Transitions V, and probably is not because that was released in March 2005, the stripper may get into the photochromic layer and make a mess of the equipment...and your lenses.

Thank you Jim, I just learned something new............did not know about that.

(Been accused on other threads that I do not want to learn new things...........at least I can prove them wrong)

[C-10]

I found this is a little upsetting. I have sold crizals for years with only a few crazing, which were replaced by essilor with no problem. I have spoke to my Essilor rep about the product and he said to first make sure that they are crizals If they are Crizals then contact Essilor USA or Canada ( I don’t know where your from). My rep felt that they would help you.

Chris, I am familiar that the stripper is your product and is superior to older strippers; however, the store that the member may go to may have an older stripper that may remove the front surface.

[jkane1979]

Thanks guys. I will see how it is when I return to the US. If it is getting worse, I will contact Essilor and see what they can do :)

I'm still wondering, though... do these crazing problems get much worse, and does it start getting real bad to a point that it affects my vision? I haven't learned enough about crazing to know what to expect.

[jbiggs114]

Not only Essilor, but I have heard other A/R companies say they have had a few problems with crazing on transition lenses. Also on Signet Armolite lenses. I have seen these returns coming in to the lab for redos.

[Henry]

In addition to avoid heat, ceramic AR should not be flexed during washing and cleaning. There are a lot of discussion already that avoiding flexing during edging these ceramic AR coated lenses will minimize the AR crazing.

[Cherry Optical]

Once it start bethering you..............have a wll equiped optician remove the AR coating and continue wearing them that way until you get new lenses.

The process to remove the AR coating is about 5 to 10 seconds in a special stripper liquid. Fast and easy.

Chris:

Are you sure that you can strip Crizal? I think we have tried with some very horriable results....

As far as what is causing the problem, my guess is face sweat... yum!

Adam

[Chris Ryser]

Are you sure that you can strip Crizal? I think we have tried with some very horriable results....

As far as what is causing the problem, my guess is face sweat... yum!
Adam

No problem to strip just about anything.......................problem lies elsewhere.

High index lenses and poly can have hard coats that will turn white opaque and that is not reversible...........and the lens is lost.

If you are not sure what kind of lens it is, you insert the lens at one corner only for about 1mm for 20 seconds. If it turns white you can easily remove the 1mm on your hand edger and tell customer it can not be done. If thjere is no reaction you should be able to strip the lens.

We recently came up with a stripper for glass lenses which can be used for poly and high index, but some cautions is still indicated.

[Chris Ryser]

Chris, I am familiar that the stripper is your product and is superior to older strippers; however, the store that the member may go to may have an older stripper that may remove the front surface.

This has nothing to do with younger or older stripper. The product works so fast that if you do not check after 10 seconds when the AR coating is usually gone it starts to dissolve the hard coat underneath. At that stage you have to leave it in the solution for about an hours and the hrad coat is also stripped.

Actually on older AR coated lenses that often also are scratched you can remove the AR plus the hard coat and you will find that the scratches were only on the hard coat. The lenses will appear like new and could be tinted as a sunglasses or re-coated.

[egbert]

Hi Jkane -

I've seen lenses come in crazed that have been left in the glove-box of a car on a hot day. ....noticed you were in California....

egbert

[Chris Ryser]

I've seen lenses come in crazed that have been left in the glove-box of a car on a hot day. ....noticed you were in California....[/b]
egbert

This can happen in extreme cases of hot and cold. The expansion coefficient at high temperatures is not the same between lens .............hard coat.............and SIO2 (silicone dioxide) AR layer.

[Dpareynolds]

[QUOTE
I'm still wondering, though... do these crazing problems get much worse, and does it start getting real bad to a point that it affects my vision? I haven't learned enough about crazing to know what to expect.[/QUOTE]

You can expect the crazing to eventually cover the entire lens once it has started, as it is due to expansion and contraction of the lens which to a certain extent is unavoidable. Sweat will damage a poor quality ar, but not cause crazing. Removing the ar from any lens other than cr39 is tricky and dependent on the age and brand of the ar as well. 75% of the time when I strip a high index lens I have to remove the milky white hard coat as well, and boy is that a job of soaking and rubbing and soaking. You don't want to go there.
It is my opinion that heat causes 1.67 and poly t0 craze more, particularly in Transitions lenses. I would like to here from a southern optician if they experience a lot of crazing.

[Golfnorth]

So why are we entertaining any questions from consumers?

[Plausible]

So why are we entertaining any questions from consumers?

I bet these glasses are long gone.............. original post 10-30-2005 08:23pm