Does Anti Glare Glasses Causing Headaches?

Posted by Mitch Gantman on

Have you ever noticed a glare or a reflection coming from someone's eyeglass lens? Although it is not evident to the person wearing it, about 8% of the regular lenses' reflected rays cause irritation and eye fatigue. Such reflected rays and glare not only cause eye-related pain but also can seriously damage the vision in the long run.

Several anti-reflective coatings such as magnesium fluoride and fluoropolymers can be used on the glasses' surface to remove almost all unwanted reflections and glare, giving relief to all accompanying symptoms. The coating applied to eyeglasses to stop unwanted reflection and glare is called AR or anti-reflective coatings. This coating consists of a thin transparent film that changes the properties of the coming rays.


History

 

The anti-reflective coating was invented by Alexander Smakula in 1935 when he was working for Carl Zeiss optics. It is said that Anti-reflective coatings were kept as a military secret during World War 2 by the Germans. Later in 1938, Katharine Burr Blodgett and Irving Langmuir patented the organic anti-reflection coatings which are used today.


Use of Anti Glare Lens

 

Especially today, when everyone is glued to computer and mobile screens for one reason or the other, the importance of eliminating such glares has grown even higher. The rising incidence of Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) and exposure to indoor lightings make this issue even more concerning. In this scenario, it is essential to wear anti-reflective coatings, which modifies the lenses' physics and improves the contrast of the image we are looking at. Its use allows eyes receive even more light by reducing the amount of stray light, thereby relieving problems such as double and unclear vision. It also removes the unwanted "halo" effect during the night, which disturbs vision while driving. Also, the anti-glare treatment enhances the eyewear's appearance, which is observed to increase confidence in the people wearing it. These coatings are water repulsive, which makes them easier to clean. All of these features significantly improve the quality of our vision. 

 

Ocular Causes of Headache


An ocular cause for headache is a result of excessive stress in the eyeball muscles. There are various muscles that help coordinate the eyeball movement as we fix our gaze from one object to the other. Because of prolonged fixation at the computer screens in modern times, there is hardly any moment where eyeballs can get rest. This is one of the significant causes of headache in general. Glares produced during working hours in offices and indoors consists of a mix of unnatural lights, which causes fatigue in the eye muscles and can cause double vision and subsequent headache. Other causes of headache include the following:

 

  • Uncorrected refractory errors
  • Overcorrected eye powers
  • Problems with accommodation
  • Undue glares 
  • Squint eyes
  • Referred pain from other regions
  • Problems related to neural pathways, etc.

These are some common causes of ocular headache involving fatigue of the extraocular muscles. Myopic or hypermetropic eyes have tensed small muscles in the eyes that interfere with accommodation. This increased tension is also one of the most typical reasons for headaches. Hence, the cause of headaches can be multidimensional. It is important to note that the headache accompanying ocular cause is preventable and therefore needs to be addressed in time.


Role of Anti Glare Glasses in Headache


Headache is one of the most common symptoms experienced by many users in today's world. The compulsion to sustain focus in a single object or screen for a large amount of time has increased the eyes' workload, making this symptom even more common. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to relax our eyes repeatedly, taking breaks between the works. But these may not be feasible for everyone. So, one should find a more sustainable solution that takes care of the core issue, i.e., providing adequate relaxation of eyes even while working. This is exactly where anti-glare glasses come into play.

Regular glasses, including blue-ray filter glasses, lack the ability to cut off reflections causing eye strain and visual disturbance. The anti-reflective coating used in the anti-glare glasses reduces all the reflections coming from the glasses' front and back. These glasses thus help reduce fatigue and stress upon the muscles that cause the movement of the eyeball. And when the eyeball muscles suffer less strain, the headache produced as a result also is minimized. Also, their role has been demonstrated in augmenting the amount of light falling in the eyes, thereby creating a clearer vision with finer focusing ability. The lens with such coating makes our eyes visible with ease and is also seen to increase eye contact with people. All these combined features reduce the symptoms of eye strain experienced after long working hours and improve the quality of life. People who have to spend a great deal of their time on the computer or mobile screens are therefore recommended to use anti-glare glasses. 


Considerations 

  • The AR coating applied at the surface of the glasses can easily wear off, and so, it is difficult for starters to make comfort with the product. However, in the long run, the benefits outweigh the problem.
  • These coatings make even a speck of tiny dirt more noticeable, so the user has to experience the occasional hassle of cleansing the eyewear time and again.
  • We should be careful while taking the eyewear to extremes of condition, such as near fire or ice. 
  • They are somewhat more expensive than regular lenses and thus may not be of choice to some users.
Anti-reflective Coatings

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