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Medical Forum / General / Vision / December 2007crizal lenses
Previously, I had eyewear with regular anti-reflective lenses. Since two weeks ago, I have been wearing new glasses, this time with Crizal lenses. I purchased this from Cohen's Fashion Optical. Maybe I missed the point but exactly how is this supposed to be better than my regular old AR lenses? More importantly, is there a way for me to check if my glasses genuinely have Crizal lenses? The opticians added an upward of $200-$250 extra for my Crizal lenses. Given that I'm not really noticing any difference, I can't help but wonder if they accidentally/intentionally forgot to include Crizal coating onto my current lenses. > Previously, I had eyewear with regular anti-reflective lenses. > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > wonder if they accidentally/intentionally forgot to include Crizal > coating onto my current lenses. I think you are confused. Crizal is an AR (anti-reflective) coating not a lens type. AR coating can be applied to most any lens material and it reduces glare, which improves your vision, and makes your glasses look better because people can see your eyes and face instead of reflections. Crizal is more durable than regular AR coatings, which makes it more expensive than regular AR coatings. Crizal Alize is similar to regular Crizal, but is easier to clean than regular Crizal. So the durability and ease of cleaning is what makes Crizal or Crizal Alize better than most regular AR coatings (although there are some other premium AR coatings that are just as good). . If your lenses have AR coating and your optician told you they have Crizal or Crizal Alize, then you probably shouldn't have any reason to doubt them unless they scratch very easily. But Crizal or Crizal Alize do not cost $200-$250 extra (from the same store). You probably have a different lens material than previously (not just a different lens coating), which is a higher index and is thinner than your previous lenses, that also contributes to at least half of the increased price in your lens. You may have polycarb (1.59 index), 1.67 index, etc, that make the lens (irrespective of the AR coating) more expensive than your previous lenses. Perhaps if you ask your optician exactly what lens brand, lens model, lens material, and coating you have, they will tell you. But it may depend on where you purchased your original lenses as to what explains the increase in price you have paid. > But Crizal or Crizal Alize do not cost $200-$250 extra (from the same > store). You probably have a different lens material than previously (not > just a different lens coating), which is a higher index and is thinner than > your previous lenses, that also contributes to at least half of the > increased price in your lens. The initial cost breakdown of my glasses was $330 for Calvin Klein frames + $80 for AR lenses. When I said I wanted Crizal, they added an extra $250 onto the given subtotal. I purchased this at an eyewear chain, called Cohen's Fashion Optical, in NYC. And I don't think these lenses are thinner than the ones I previously had. Lenses from both pair are around ~2.8 mm in thickness. My prescription for both glasses are the same, at -3 for right for -3.25 for the left ( spherical ). Do you think I paid a reasonable price? And is there any way for me to check if they really added Crizal onto my lenses? ( Crizal's website says to hold the lenses underneath light and check for green/yellow hue. I didn't see the yellow on my lenses. I saw mostly a green reflection. Then again, my older pairs also shone green reflections. On top of being unable to verify my lens coatings, I'm not really noticing any difference from these lenses, which are supposedly Crizal ) reflections. On top of being unable to verify my lens coatings, I'm not really noticing any difference from these lenses, which are supposedly Crizal ) Crizal is hydrophobic, meaning water should bead up and run off after rinsing. -MT > Crizal is hydrophobic, meaning water should bead up and run off after > rinsing. I check that out too. Most of the water runs off after rinsing. Few droplets of water always remain on the lenses. Then again, this isn't any different from how water runs off from my previous lenses, for which I requested regular AR coatings. I guess this is one of those things where the products don't perform as advertised. Either that or I possibly have fake Crizals. >The initial cost breakdown of my glasses was $330 for Calvin Klein >frames + $80 for AR lenses. When I said I wanted Crizal, they added an [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >not really noticing any difference from these lenses, which are >supposedly Crizal ) The manufacturing cost of the frames was about $5, so designer frames a gigantic rip-off. Actually all frames are pretty much of a rip-off. I would check this website to see whether you paid over the actual retail for the frames (obviously this place sells below retail, but they don't have a walk-in store in NYC). http://www.framesdirect.com/framesfc/Calvin_Klein-lalgoc-pr-l.html When they added Crizal AR and charged you $250 more, I suspect that they also changed the lens material compared to the $80 lenses. Crizal cannot be added any lens by the in-store lab and it requires that they either use a brand-name pre-finished lens in stock that comes with Crizal already on it (probably from Essilor) or send the order out to a lab that can put Crizal coating on it. This is probably going to cost more than using the same type of generic brand lenses they have for their in-house lab, even if it is the same type of material. How long did it take to get your lenses made ? (this will indicate whether they were made in-store or whether they had to order them from a lab). I think you are being a bit paranoid about the Crizal. Since they have green reelections they are definitely AR coated. The only real benefit of Crizal over other AR coatings is that Crizal is more durable (and easier to clean if you have Crizal Alize). Your vision will not be any different from another type of AR coating. If the lenses are made by Essilor (ask them) and it not made in-store, then they probably are Crizal if that is what you ordered. I would contact the store and ask them for an explanation of the type of material (brand, index, etc) of the $80 lens versus the $250 lens. > Since they have green > reelections they are definitely AR coated. Is it only Crizal coatings that have green reflections? My previous lenses also had green reflections and I don't ever recall ordering premium coatings for them. > If the lenses are made by Essilor (ask them) and it not made in-store, then they probably are Crizal if that is what you ordered I ordered my glasses on a late Friday. I received a phone call on the following Wednesday to pick up my glasses. Not sure if that implies where my lenses were made. > I would contact the store and ask them for an explanation of the type of > material (brand, index, etc) of the $80 lens versus the $250 lens.- It was $250 extra for Crizal, on top of the $80 for regular AR lenses. >Is it only Crizal coatings that have green reflections? >My previous lenses also had green reflections and I don't ever recall >ordering premium coatings for them. No, most AR coatings have green (or other colors) reflections. It partly depends on the type of light in the room. >I ordered my glasses on a late Friday. I received a phone call on the >following Wednesday to pick up my glasses. Not sure if that implies >where my lenses were made. That suggests they were not made in the in-store lab and they had to be sent out to a local lab. They probably ordered an Essilor lens (Essilor also makes Crizal) instead of using the brand of lens they have in stock (which they can get cheaper than the Essilor lens). >It was $250 extra for Crizal, on top of the $80 for regular AR >lenses. As I have already explained in 2 previous posts, that is because not only the AR coating was different, but the lens was probably different than the $80 lens that they have in-stock in the store. It may have been the same index, or a different index lens, but it was probably from a different manufacturer. I would ask them the index (or material) of your new lens. Also, please stop calling it a Crizal lens. The Crizal AR coating can be applied to many different lenses of different indexes and materials (that have different prices). Crizal is just a coating, and there are many other things that determine the price of a lens besides the AR coating.
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