Eyeglasses have a purple reflection? Here's why (don't get these coatings!) 

Oh my gosh FINALLY someone who’s saying what I’ve been so infuriated about!!!!!

Today I am on my second day of experiencing the anti-glare add on that i put on my glasses. So far I am actually enjoying it. It makes the world around me feel more warm. Colors are great, my monitor is a whole new experience.. feels nice. I definitely get color correctness, especially if your job revolves around that. I am only on my second day, but I feel like my brain is adjusting to it.

That reflection it’s actually super cool 😂

I really like that purple reflection. It's a pretty cool 😎 color 😊!!!

But seriously it's a nice shade of purple.

I drive semi for a living and have to say, adding AR was the best choice I’ve ever made to my lenses. Zeiss Drivesafe Trivex progressives with AR and dark grey transitions. Stunning views.

i have the blue light filter on mine too but mines the clear one, so colours look the same and just white reflections, but my opinion the purple reflection looks sick

This year I started wearing glasses and I never paid attention to glasses prior to needing them. Once I had mine, I was happy with them, they are nice and clear, but then I went to a restaurant and I saw a lady with glasses and she caught my eye because her lenses looked purple. They looked so nice and pretty and I told myself I had to have those!!! That’s how I ended up here 🙄 I like the color. So now I’m indecisive 🤔🤔🤔

I've just finished watching a show on Netflix where someone's glasses constantly had a purple glare, and it annoyed my so much I had to know why it was happening! Thank you!

Not sure if anyone told you but it looks like you have a blue blocker anti glare coating. These types of coatings are designed to reduce eye fatigue by reducing blue light transmission. The blue light damages the back of your eyes and is also know to disturb sleep wake patterns. There are other anti reflective coatings that are clearer and more attractive. There's about 30 plus years of research on this. Look it up. There are other types of blue blockers that have a clearer AR Coat but the lens may tinted a bit. Since you're a photographer you should think of these as a tool. I hope this clears things up for you a bit.

No this is a great help . Because I do lighting at work so . I wouldn’t want that color correction . And you just saved me 40.09 bucks .

I appreciate this video. My old "blue light" blocking glasses didn't have this weird purple glare, though they did have a yellow tint. Just got a new pair and the coating is terrible! I get light reflections/glare all the time which is very distracting. There was an npr interview with an expert that said the coating hasn't shown to solve eye fatigue in the studies they've done.

The benefit of the glasses that have the purple and yellow hue is that they block all ultraviolet radiation below 450 nm. The other ones while not having the purple hue will not and so you’re actually doing more damage to your eyes because you’re letting more ultraviolet radiation into your eyes to damage to the cornea and lens.

Your concerns is just the color. Why Im watching

The blue colour is probably coming from a coating of tin oxide which is used to reduce surface reflections particularly from the rear of the lens to reduce the mirroring effect under subdued ambient light conditions. The tin oxide is sandwiched between what could be described as primer coatings and protective coatings such as silicon nitride which are essential for lens surface preparation for coating and also to provide scratch resistance. Silicon nitride reflects a yellow hue. If the coating has more than one tin oxide (blue) layer it also has correspondingly more layers of silicon nitride (yellow) hence the shift toward a greener colour in reflection. On reflection (deliberate pun) I just want my glasses to work for me, be durable and scratch resistant so I have no concern about these outward reflections which can also be seen today in high performance glazing for homes and commercial buildings which uses similar technology. Having said that, I do understand that some people may not be happy if they perceive that their glasses look like windows!!

I totally agree with you, I don't like that glare. I just received my new glasses and really like them except for this blue reflection. Going to send them back and order them without the blue

Sad part is that a lot of places don't show you what the "Premium AR Coating" looks like but rather just automatically check the box that says it, they may mention "i put down the best AR Coating" etc but you have no idea until you are excited one day to go pick up your new glasses and then you look in the mirror and see these purple reflections and are like "what in the world" .. it happened to me and i made them take the coating off and just put regular AR coating on .. was very aggravating because they never explained the "premium AR coating will have a purplish reflection to lenses if you look in mirror or to someone looking at you"

If you have 1.74 high index lenses, you definitely want at least anti reflect coating, otherwise they reflect way too much. I skipped any other coatings though.

Thank you so much for posting! I 100% agree I am an instructor (on zoom these days) it really bugged me and was distracting! You did help me figure it out! Asked them to replace the lenses, as I did not ask for this . It is also bad outside as it reflects back in your eyes from behind your lenses too.

The lenses are just fine. Someone works in the field that needs colour accuracy is probably gonna have problems but trust me, I am into IT, and I have seen a difference b/w normal and blue cut lenses. End of the day, eyestrain is not totally cut off but there is a difference. I dont have as much dry eyes, I used to get.

The purple reflection is very attractive, can’t explain it. It’s almost like looking at a person with a nice wrist watch or a pretty pair of earrings. That purple reflect is VERY charming I think. Sounds silly but it actually helps create great eye contact as well.

The yellow tint you see is for the filtering of Blue Light.

When you have a work wich involve color accuracy first you need perfectly balanced and accurate display as well as certified books of color samples and no filters in glasses .. But for poeoples who dont need color accuracy bluelight filters are great especially for gaming QA jobs etc..

Thank you for making me feel better about complaining! Hate mine to.

What I disliked the most about the AR coating is how it makes the lens grease prone. If an eyelash slightly rubs against the lens, it smudges up my lens and I'm constantly having to clean it. I have the green reflection on mine, but it doesn't bother me too much compared to the smudging. I'm never letting anyone convince me to get anti-glare ever again. The cons are MUCH more annoying to my daily life than the pros of having it.

This video should have been 30 seconds.

I too am a photographer and honestly have to disagree with this opinion realizing that he is experiencing the bluish coatings. In my case I have top-of-the-line AR coatings with the bluish reflection on my eye glasses, but it does not affect my workflow in post production or white balance. I guess everyone has their personal experiences and in my case it’s a positive one. Also food for thought… most high-end camera lenses have multi band AR coatings that are either green or blue, or both coatings regardless of who the manufacture of the glass is. Just my 2 cents.

I think it all depends on individual preferences.....I like the purple reflection.

This is the blue cut coating. you are absolutely right. i have just made my first multifocal glasses and I fill that the blue cut coating is blocking too much light. it is good for office glasses not multifocal

To mee that reflection in your glasses look very nice, to be honest with you. It makes you look younger and very modern. Indeed I am impressed with the nice purple reflection of your glasses - very stylish. Just for fotos it isnt good but otherwise it shows the blue light is really blocked out. Dont be so sad about it - other people like it. It actually looks very nice.

To be fair, this video is a bit dramatic. However, I would put blame on both parties, you and the dispenser. The dispenser should have shown you a lens demo of this type of coating and explained everything to you, particularly how they filter blue light and alter colour (I would never dispense these to anyone who works with colour), but you also should have told them what your expectations were for your finished glasses and questioned what lenses they were dispensing you with, AND what YOU were paying for.

Lens coatings, and lenses in general, are like tyres (tires for The USA). The more you pay, the better they perform. This is even more prevalent with progressive (varifocal) lenses.

I have a green and purple reflection simultaneously. Mostly green but if you turn them the right way you'll see a purple reflection.

They're supposed to ask you if you want blue light blocking, so if i were you i wouldnt continue to buy your glasses from that place. I have blue light blocking coating on my glasses but I don't see any color distortion while wearing them. My glasses have a pinkish reflection on them and to me they look pretty cool

Thats a Blue Light filter on your lenses. Every light filter will glare that particular light off and thats showing as reflections - in your case the blue light. You have computer glasses. I have UV filter built in and antireflection as well which is called "driving glasses". Thats the best option since modern monitors have an blue light filter built in you can switch on (I have mine to 50% blue light filtering). The UV filter and antireflective show a green dot in the lens when an LED is shining on it.

So It makes sense to wear these eyeglasses only at night but it irritates me that they try to offer you these coating knowing you will be wearing them all day. I just got mine and I was never told that I would have to walk around with a hue or blue and purple. Now I’m returning them and getting them redone. This video was really helpful

Thank you for making this video. This year I added the blue light filter coating option on my glassess and I HATE IT. I see a blue reflection ALL the time. It's sooo annoying.

If you have hyper sensitive eyes you'd be lost without the coating. 58 years I lived with very light sensitive eyes. 3rd grade sucked for me when they put florescent lights in classrooms.

That doesn’t bother me ?? I’d rather have that with being on the computer and devices regularly with work. But everyone has different preferences:) nice glasses though

I just got these two days ago and it is driving me nuts. I am getting a refection from the inside of my glasses and this is giving me a headache. I am so unhappy with this purchase 😭😭😭😭

To be honest , that purple isn't bad at all , usually when people get older they are not that crazy about their looks lol

I mean, apart from the coat color that might or might not be likeable, by using those Blue light filters u are actively caring by the health of eyevision. There´s a whole technical study behind so it´s not smoke only. If you care more about the benefits on using it then you should try and afford it or in the case you just DGAF about that and you are willing to pay only for a clear view vision then get rid of the color coats. What i agree with you and i disagree about, is the insistance on Optics Store to use those expensive coats. They are not doing you a favor, they are just there to offer you what´s best or most suitable for you.

Just so you know, I got new lenses with the better 9 layer coating and my lenses only have a slight green reflection now. The purple is gone. :) 6:45 Funny how you can totally lose track of time. It was 23 minutes remaining, not 23 minutes elapsed ;-)

I'm having the same problem! I just got mine today. It's driving me nuts.

Same thing just happened to me. In theory the slight blue blocking sounded nice, to reduce the fatigue on my eyes. I didn’t realize how distracting and stupid it would look though. I just got mine yesterday and the violet reflection looks exactly like yours. I think I’m gonna have to go in and talk to the clinic.

Thanks for the very scientific non-biased video

Thank you! I moved to a small town and tried to get new glasses and all I get is purple glare and I also noticed that colors were not true to form. One of my preschoolers pointed it out to me first. He pointed to my face and said "purple." No thanks, I don't need people to think purple every time they look at me. I remember the Dr. asking me about my computer use...now I'm mad! So they can't fix it? I have to pay big bucks and start over? Shoot!

That purple anti glare with blue light filter is called crizal prevencia

Thanks!!! I also just got 2 new pair & my insurance allowed the “best” AR coating. My old ones never looked this bad on video conferencing. I’m on MS Teams & Zoom everyday & can’t get a light angle that does not show reflection on my glasses. My old glasses with “middle-of-the-road” AR looked crystal clear on camera. Not these new ones. Thanks for the post!

bluelight filter glases are NOT supposed to be a daily driver ....just for working at the computer specialy for working in the late afternoon or night...just think, would you have the bluelight filter in your phone on for the whole day? No!!! I got such glasses and i wear them when its late but i have to work still but i want to signal my body its almost time to sleep. They blocking out the blue light whats makes you tired. Your body will think its dawn when you wear them.

The yellow tint is the most infuriating part for me. I just want to see colors normally, and even when I look in the mirror my eyes look slightly yellow from the tint.

That purple reflection and slight yellow tint tells me that these are probably Zeiss DriveSafe lenses. These are functional coatings designed for combating a specific visual need. I’m sure the Duravision Platinum AR coating is much less prominent.

Thank you. I can’t stand this and needed to know because I’m shopping for new glasses now and I do not want this again. I like tot ale pictures as well and it drives me bonkers because you can’t see the eyes in portrait type pictures unless you remove the glasses.

I hate mine as well. White is no longer white. All of the glare that it is supposed to help with looks exactly the same. And when I look at some lights there are 2 purple lines for every light. That in a parking lot full of lights is the most aggravating!!!

Unless the lenses & coatings are made by a cheap/very budget quality manufacturer, lenses usually have the AR coating on BOTH the front and backside of the lens and not just the front side. Most people don't realize this. Degradation of the AR coating to where it's actually noticeable by the eyeglass wearer (even if it's extremely minimal/almost undetectable) is mainly always on the front side of the lens. This is due to the front side being more prone to microscopic scratching on it's surface, as well as thermal-expansion/contraction of the lens over time by various means, ie. water/air temp etc. Since the outer surface of the lens is convex, and the inner surface is concave, thermal expansion is not proportional to the lens surface. The outer convex surface is exponentially more prone to microscopic cracking of the AR coating than the inner surface, and thus degradation over time leading to the perceived vision problems through the lens. Repeated rounds of pouring boiling water on the lens, along with scraping off the AR coating with a hard/razor-flat plastic object can take most AR coatings off. This should NEVER be done with the lens still in the frame, as the thermal expansion of the lens can lead to cracking it if it's constricted within the frame. After this, several rounds of polishing out any scratches of the lens is needed. Turtle wax 'safe for clear-coat' scratch remover/fine metal polish/microfiber cloths, all in very small circular motions. The thermal-shock method (boiling water) is only recommended for Polycarbonate Plastic lenses. Other plastic material lenses may be cracked/shattered by thermal-shock. The AR coating on glass lenses can be removed pretty easy with 70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol and scraping, then polishing with the above-mentioned polishes, and no thermal expansion is needed or recommended for glass lenses. Extreme thermal expansion can shatter glass upon first contact.

I think it just comes down to quality of product. I have a pair of warby Parker glasses that I got blue light filters on them and I don’t have the annoying purple reflecting back into my eyeballs like a Kickstarter pair I got is giving me. Thought I was going crazy.

I bought a pair of high end spectacles (Kio Yamato titanium) with if I recall correctly Crizal lenses. They had a green reflection but I saw things clear as a bell with the anti reflection properties

Thank you people dont realize it but at night in dark areas it makes seeing even dimmer

For some time I used glasses with no anti reflection coatings. Gave me eye strain but on the positive side they would not need cleaning anywhere near as often. Coatings are like a magnet for finger or face oils. Now I have two different glasses from different companies. The premium pair (Crizal Sapphire UV) gives a warm cast of about 250k warmer than reality, good glasses and fine for reading but for editing I want a more accurate image. The slightly poorer pair (Specsavers standard anti reflection coating) have a more accurate cast, just a very slight touch of redness, so I use those ones mostly for editing. I later learned that when the optometrist shows you the lens samples they are showing you a sample with no prescription in it, once a prescription is added it accentuates a colour cast. The Crizal Sapphire UV sample had zero colour cast. The stronger the prescription the stronger the cast. My script is not very strong so I would imagine other people would see an even greater cast. I think for anything other than photo editing the warmth of the Crizal Sapphire is nice and easy on the eyes, but not if you want to edit accurately. Though I guess you could calibrate your screen to compensate for this. A very first world problem though a problem none the less 🤓

i mean... srsly? ok, i understand that's annoying and might be even hindering if your job is related to it and money stuff, but actually the stuff about tiring your eyes is some real stuff and that's there for a reason, which is to prevent your eyes from hurting after prolonged computer usage and prevent you from being unable to sleep for some time after using that computer. you could just take off your glasses for a profile picture, unless showing yourself without them means getting out of your comfort zone. maybe also if you're actually a photographer. and i find that purple tint quite pretty. one fair point might be that yellow, if you're a photographer. otherwise you're just rationalizing your decision that was made only because of the amount of money spent. but that's understandable, everyone is biased

Before you take this advice of not getting blue filtering lenses. I would do your own research and weigh the pros and cons. This person is a photographer, not an eye doctor or eye specialist.

I think the reflection is cool, my new glasses have the pink but my old glasses had a green reflection. I think you are being silly

My goodness, you’re long winded.

Thank you for sharing your experience. The folks at costco optical were trying to convince me to add this blue light filter to my lenses. I'm glad I didn't get it!

I got the coating on mine and the front wouldn’t bother me at all. But for me the inside of the lenses would reflect that horrible purple back into my eyes.

I think the tint looks good

he is a photographer not the average person. not the standard person using the pc for long periods of time.

I have crizal sapphire with eyezen and this is very clear, no blue reflection and no yellow tint..very worth for me

thanx sir 👍🏻... you read my mind i have same thought... first i like purple reflection but later i just hate it's useless

Dude if u wanna take a photo remove the specs and take the photo dats it simple🙄 that isn't a big deal at all

Lord Wayleigh had smudged lenses so he thought I wonder how much smudgin reduces the efficiency of the lens and discovered that it makes the lenses more efficient.

Glad this fellow figured out his problem. Blue light inhibits melatonin production. If you can't deal with lenses with these treatments at lease turn off devices well ahead of bed time. As for A/R, I have loved my A/R lenses. They allow the pure light to pass through the lenses and remove the milky look so many of todays lenses that that comes with non A/R polycarbonate and high index lenses. The more lifestyle information you provide your vision care professional the more solutions they can offer. As in this fellows situation, sometime the "solution" does not work out. Also, as with this fellow's situation, legitimate vision care professionals will not abandon your problem and wort things out.

I got my first pair of glasses yesterday. I paid 350 euros only to realise they have a blue/purple tint. Im walking down there on monday. Im pissed. Who the hell wants a tint. Like you said, it's impossible to get a decent looking picture. The tint totally steals the attention in the picture.

It's a scam. Was just at the optometrist and they told me I can't order glasses without the coatings, they implied the lenses just come with it on already, which makes no sense to me! They always scratch (planned obsolescence) and they cost more than the lenses themselves! Never had this problem with the older glasses in the 80s when they were still actually made of glass (unless you were a sportsman in which case you could get plastic). Time to start petitions for laws against this practice.

I returned the prevencia lenses because of the yellow tint and strong purple reflection. It's not a good option for those who make zoom calls, facetime, skype, etc.

This video takes forever to complete

Man, you made me laugh. I hope you enjoy your new glasses without the blue reflective color 😅

Have you tried to remove the film? Unfortunately, I have to purchase those very expensive lightweight plastic lenses to avoid having to wear those heavy, thick, coke bottle glass lenses. (I'm darn near blind.) So for that much money, I want my glasses to last as many years as possible! My previous pair had a "protective" coating of some kind, which ended up peeling off only after a few years, ruining my glasses. So when offered to purchase it as an add-on for my next pair I said, "No way!". But a few years later, I was surprised when, yet again, my glasses started to peel! Apparently, I've been told (but I'm not sure if it's true) that the plastic they use to make your lenses with, comes with a film already on it! So whether you pay for it or not, you're getting it! (Yet another example of planned obsolescence?) Needless to say, I ordered a bottle of Etchall to remove the remaining "protective" coating. (Etchall is a brand of Glass etching cream. ) I test tried it on another old pair of glasses I had first. It would have worked perfectly had I not used an old debit card to remove the paste from my lenses after the allotted time. (Etchall can be reused) I should have just rinsed it off instead of trying to save the cream. I was really surprised that it scratched so easily! (I guess that's why they offer a protective coating! Lol) Note: Unless you want to ruin your lenses, Glass etching cream should be used on plastic lenses only. I've heard that soaking in rubbing alcohol or using an abrasive toothpaste works to remove coatings on glass lenses.

You could use a CPL filter on the camera lens to remove the reflection

I LOVE PURPLE BLUE reflection lens.I can't wear the greens as they distort my vision

I fell for that as well. Terrible for videoconferences, where you have to see and to be seen.

They literally make this so as people age they don’t develop cataracts as soon. Blue light is the leading cause to macular degeneration Especially for ppl who often work on electronics. I’d take the purple or green sheen over cataracts ... just saying

Uv protection based on research. Perhaps people in less developed countries would appreciate the eye protection needed with high index uv and sun exposure. Industry is taking the lead in optical performance wear more protection than cosmetic the Uv protection is integral to reduce eye disease.

I 100% agree with you I hated it i took it off it was hurting my eyes

I think the purple hue on my glasses look awesome (I have clear glasses so it looks kinda aesthetic) and colors actually look pretty normal. If anything, with-ought my glasses (that have the purple reflection) colors kinda look dull to me. Color looks better to me. And also the I can only see the purple reflection irl, when I take pictures it’s barley noticeable. Am I weird for that? Is it so bad to have them?

Thank you so much for this! I'm getting new glasses. The AR coating is reported to help at night but I don't want color reflections. It would be really helpful if you could find out what AR you had on the older glasses. Thanks again!

Yes, green tint on my glasses. I feel suffocated.

if they added that blue blockers thing, that is the tint, or should be. the AR shouldn't have any of that, though that is a pretty pronounced reflection, usually its green. i'm hoping mine will be fine, the eye doctor changed companies.

I just got my new glasses yesterday, and they have the purple coating. I can see it in the camera when I'm teaching online. I'll have to use my old glasses for teaching when my eyes need a rest from contacts. It's so disconcerting.

Awesome video, thank you!

I personally love the color look on the lens. It's actually making me finally want my well needed glasses. But at you saying when you look thru the lens you see a yellow tint??

I’m ordering lingo classes and I was curious to know what it was . And if it would help me .

I use to think I was color blind. It was the coating on my glasses.

just saw your comment and came to check ur channel, not bad : ) keep uploading

I jst bought one and it reflects purplish /greenish light gosh i hate it😩

I just got new glasses and am getting the same purple, but also in the form of back glare. Which makes it hard to do anything when all im seeing is purple glare. My last blue light filter ones did not do this. Im houng bavk today to get ones with just a regular AR coating (no blue light filter), making sure they put it on both the front and back.

I just came from the eye doctor and saw the yellow tint. Now I'm hearing they have a clear blue. What company did you get yours from?

is sucks that it tints slightly yellow, but the blue light from led monitors will give you demacular degeneration.

I totay have same problem like you now. Its unbelievable and I hate the blue reflection. Damn.

Agreed! The LCD protection coating gimmick is trash. Makes me look like Bret the Hitman Hart when I show up for zoom meetings. Pink reflective crap once added to the lens cannot be removed either! What a joke