Essilor claims to offer new levels of clarity with its Crizal Sapphire UV lens which reduces reflections across a wide range of incident angles offering improved protection and better aesthetics.
Andy Hepworth, professional relations manager, said lenses had traditionally been designed to reduce reflections hitting the lens at or around five degrees from the perpendicular. Sapphire UV is designed to reflect at angles at 45 degrees to 45 degrees across the perpendicular, 90 degrees in total he said.
The lens uses a stack of coating chemicals designed to do away with the compromise between anti-reflective (AR) performance and UV protection. This results in a lens which offers ESPF 36 UV protection and reduces tiring and distracting unwanted reflections, said Essilor.
Hepworth added the front and back coated lens showed dramatic improvements for the wearer while the bloom on the lens was very transparent offering aesthetic benefits for others looking at the wearer.
Trials showed 91% of patients preferred Sapphire UV to their previous eyewear and 70% judged it more efficient on reflections than even Crizal Forte UV – which will now be discontinued.
Hepworth went on to praise the technical team that created Sapphire UV and introduced a patented nano layer for the back surface multi anti-reflective stack. Sapphire UV’s performance ‘blows Crizal Forte out of the water,’ offers a wide range of benefits and high levels of manufacturing repeatability.
The new lenses will be available from May 29.
