PRESENTING AR
I’m Rob Szeliga, O.D., and in 2005, I founded Spring Hill Eyecare in Spring Hill, TN.
My office has always had a high percentage of anti-reflective coating because my team and I believe it is a necessity. On average, 93-95% of our spectacle jobs have an anti-reflective coating because of this strong belief (and we’re constantly striving to get that number to 100%).
We don’t consider it an add on – it’s just about a requirement if you want to purchase your glasses from us. Patients can get glasses with or without glare and when offered like this, most patients will choose without glare.
Another strong emphasis is to be sure that they are not just getting any basic anti-reflective coating. We make sure patients are getting a high quality anti-reflective coating like Shamir Glacier Plus™ UV. When we get any kickback from patients it’s usually because they’ve had a cheap or basic anti-reflective in the past that did not perform up to their expectations.
If they are purchasing glasses in our optical, we want the lenses to look and perform the best as possible, so that the patient associates us with high quality and an excellent experience.
THEN AND NOW
If a patient has had a poor experience with anti-reflective coatings in the past, I explain how technology has greatly improved in the better coatings. Shamir Glacier Plus™ UV’s coating process was developed specifically to match the lens material it is going on. Therefore, the lenses are easy to clean, anti-static, hydrophobic, and resistant to scratching.
I explain that you get what you pay for and the difference is huge. If you touch a lens with anti-reflective coating, no matter how high of a quality coating, they will all smudge or show a fingerprint. One main difference between the higher end vs. basic coatings is how easy that smudge wipes clean.
NOOKS AND CRANNIES
I use an analogy with English muffins since they have ‘nooks and crannies.’ I tell them if they could use a high-powered microscope to see the surface of cheap coatings, they would look like English muffins. Smudges get trapped in these nooks and crannies and just frustratingly smear back and forth. The higher quality coatings are so slippery and flat like ice, so smudges just wipe right off with ease.
Older technology anti-reflective coatings show rainbows and birefringence. Shamir Glacier Plus™ UV has clear appearance giving a much more pleasing look cosmetically. Besides being easier to clean and better looking, Shamir Glacier Plus™ UV offers superior ultraviolet protection. While some lens materials inherently block 100% of ultraviolet (UV) light traveling through the lens, the lens material does not protect the eye from the UV rays that reflect off the back surface of the lens towards the eye. Shamir Glacier Plus™ UV does protect from the eyes from back surface reflected UV rays.
Besides all the above attributes and advantages, the biggest benefit of prescribing a high quality anti-reflective coating is an overall improvement in our patients’ vision which, in our profession, is our ultimate goal! When deciding on what anti-reflective coating to use, keep Shamir Glacier Plus™ UV at the top of your list. Like an actual glacier, it’s as hard and slippery as ice and helps your patients see their sharpest while looking their best!
Erinn Morgan
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