What Are Crizal No-Glare Lenses, and Should You Get Them?
Crizal lenses are anti-reflective coatings made by Essilor that reduce glare, repel smudges, resist scratches, and block UV light. If you've ever struggled with reflections on your glasses while driving at night or staring at a screen all day, Crizal may make a noticeable difference. At Vision Palace Optical on Avenue U in Brooklyn, our doctors can help you decide whether Crizal is the right upgrade for your lenses.
Why Glare Actually Matters for Your Eyes
Most people don't realize how much lens glare affects their daily comfort. Every time light bounces off the surface of an uncoated lens, it creates a reflection that your brain has to work around. Over time, that extra effort can lead to eye strain, headaches, and fatigue, especially if you're on a screen for hours or driving after dark through Brooklyn's busy streets.
Standard lenses without an anti-reflective coating can reflect up to 8% of available light. Crizal coatings reduce that to less than 1%. That difference is real and visible, not just a sales pitch.
It also matters for how you look to others. Uncoated lenses create distracting reflections in photos and video calls, which is more relevant than ever for anyone working from home or on Zoom meetings.
What Makes Crizal Different From Generic AR Coatings
There are plenty of anti-reflective coatings out there, including basic options that come cheap and wear down fast. Crizal is Essilor's premium line, and it comes in several versions depending on your lifestyle and what you need most.
Crizal Sapphire offers wide-angle anti-glare coverage, including from the sides. Crizal Forte UV adds extra UV protection on both the front and back surfaces of the lens. Crizal Prevencia is designed for people who want to filter out harmful blue-violet light along with glare. Each version goes through serious durability testing for smudge resistance, scratch resistance, and ease of cleaning.
If you're already investing in quality frames from our designer eyewear collection, it makes sense to protect your lenses with a coating that will last. A great frame with a degraded, peeling coating looks worse than a simple pair treated with care.
Crizal Pairs Well With Other Lens Technologies
One of the best things about Crizal is that it works on top of your existing prescription lenses. You can add it to single-vision lenses, progressive lenses, or even Transitions photochromic lenses. It doesn't change your prescription, it just makes the lens perform better in real-world conditions.
If you spend long hours at a screen, pairing Crizal with blue light blocking glasses gives you protection from multiple directions at once. For patients who wear Transitions lenses and move between indoor and outdoor environments throughout the day, Crizal reduces the reflections that would otherwise come through as the lens adapts to changing light.
Our doctors at Vision Palace Optical will look at how you use your glasses and recommend the combination that makes the most sense for you.
Does Insurance Cover Crizal Lenses?
Many vision insurance plans include some level of lens coating coverage, though Crizal specifically may be treated as an upgrade depending on your plan. Plans like EyeMed, MetroPlus, 1199SEIU, and Fidelis Care often include allowances for lens enhancements. Coverage varies by plan, so call us at (718) 998-8400 or book through Zocdoc to verify your benefits before your visit.
If you're on Medicaid or Medicare, you can check what's covered for your eye care in Brooklyn before you come in. Our front desk speaks English, Russian, and Spanish, so don't hesitate to ask questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly does Crizal protect against?
Crizal anti-reflective coatings reduce reflections and glare, repel water and oil smudges, resist scratches, and block UV light from both the front and back surfaces of your lenses. The specific benefits depend on which Crizal version you choose.
Are Crizal lenses worth the upgrade in Brooklyn's conditions?
Brooklyn's mix of night driving, fluorescent-lit offices, subway rides, and outdoor time makes Crizal a genuinely useful upgrade for most adults. If you're commuting on the Q or BQ trains, driving along Ocean Parkway after dark, or working at a screen all day, reduced glare adds up to noticeably more comfortable vision.
Can I add Crizal to my current frames or prescription?
Crizal is a coating applied during lens manufacturing, so it can't be added to lenses you already own. You'd get it when ordering new lenses, whether that's with a new frame or a lens replacement in your current frame. Your optometrist can advise you during your annual eye exam.
How do I clean Crizal-coated lenses without damaging them?
Use a clean microfiber cloth and lens-safe spray. Avoid paper towels, tissues, or your shirt, which can create micro-scratches over time. Crizal coatings are built to resist smudges, but proper cleaning habits will help them last longer.
Does Crizal work on progressive lenses?
Yes. Crizal is actually a very common pairing with progressive lenses because progressives already have a lot going on optically, and reducing surface reflections helps your eyes transition more smoothly between distance and near zones. Ask about this combination when you visit us on Avenue U.
Come See Us on Avenue U
If you're ready to upgrade your lenses or just want to understand your options, Vision Palace Optical has been helping Brooklyn families make smart eyewear choices since 1995. Dr. Sheyko and Dr. Shlivko will walk you through the right lens combination for your prescription, your lifestyle, and your budget.
Book your eye exam at Vision Palace Optical, book through Zocdoc or call us at (718) 998-8400. We're at 1723 Avenue U in Brooklyn, open Monday through Saturday. Patients from Sheepshead Bay, Gravesend, Midwood, and Brighton Beach are always welcome.