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Study shows AR coating improves acuity, comfort, clarity

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LAS VEGAS – Patients involved in a study comparing spectacle lenses with and without antireflective coating consistently ranked the AR lenses higher for comfort and clarity and saw an average of one line better.

Janice McMahon, OD, an associate professor of optometry at Illinois College of Optometry, shared these study results at Vision Expo West.

McMahon said that this study involving 46 patients was twice as large as any similar previous studies. She said the healthy adult subjects were chosen to match the demographics of the U.S. regarding age, sex and vision correction, and all wore glasses full-time.

The patients and the researchers were unaware of the purpose of the study, McMahon said. On the initial visit, subjects were evaluated for visual acuity and administered a survey asking questions such as how they wore their glasses. Those chose from two pairs of glasses, one with polycarbonate scratch coat and one with polycarbonate scratch coat and AR, and wore that pair for 2 weeks.

At the second visit, visual acuity was again checked, and another survey was given, which included questions on how they felt wearing the glasses while performing certain tasks. McMahon said the patients were then given the other pair of glasses to wear.

Upon return for the third visit after 2 weeks, visual acuity was checked and another survey was given, which included additional questions comparing their vision with the two different pairs of glasses.

The patients were then given back the original glasses to wear for another 2 weeks, and the process was repeated upon their return.

At the last visit, patients were told they could keep whichever glasses they liked best, and 36 of the 46 subjects (78.3%) chose to keep the AR-coated lenses as their preferred pair, McMahon said.

“One patient who did not choose the AR lenses said they did not like the clarity of the glasses,” she said.

“AR lenses were ranked higher than non-AR lenses consistently for comfort and clarity,” McMahon said. “Even the subjects who chose the non-AR lenses to keep ranked the AR higher.

“They said they were very likely to choose AR again and recommend it to family and friends,” she continued.

She also noted that researchers saw a statistically significant improvement in acuity with AR lenses.

“Subjects read an additional line of text in moderate glare using AR lenses,” she added, “but it wasn’t enough to be statistically significant.”

McMahon said that the college is doing another study involving different types of filters, coatings and lenses, looking at contrast sensitivity in low vision patients.

“I hope a study is done on early cataract and dry eye patients to see how they would benefit from AR lenses,” she added. – Nancy Hemphill, ELS

Disclosure: The study was sponsored by the Vision Council.