Eyeglasses and AR coatings

[Rain Man]

Interesting topic. I just paid a small fortune a few months ago to replace my lenses and get some with AR and anti-scratch coatings.

I'm very confused about these things. I recalled having a bad experience with AR coatings several years ago where they would scratch easily, so I always turned it down. I've got a couple of pairs of older glasses from LensCrafters that I use for running, and they're like transparent steel. Easy to clean and haven't gotten scratched from years of use. I was thinking that they had anti-scratch but not anti-reflection.

I bought a new dressy pair from a small boutique place a couple of years ago, and they only sold AR and anti-scratch as a package. I said no, and it was the wrong decision. They lasted maybe two years and the lenses were getting scratched up. Also, it seemed like they were really hard to clean, always smearing up. I eventually got a huge scratch right across the middle, and went back to the store. I ended up getting new lenses with the package to my trepidation, but I apparently need the anti-scratch.

I've had the new lenses for a few months now, and no scratches yet, but they're still very hard to clean and I can't figure it out. My LensCrafter glasses are great if I just rinse them and wipe the water off, but with these newer glasses I have to really baby the lenses or they're just cloudy with smears. I really can't figure out what's different.