Updated on  November 3, 2022
4 min read

Crizal Lenses

9 sources cited
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What are Crizal Lenses?

Crizal is an anti-reflective (AR) coating applied to the back, front, or both sides of eyeglass lenses to reduce glare and provide protection against:

  • Scratches 
  • Dust 
  • Smudges
  • Water
  • Harmful effects of UV rays and blue light

Crizal coating is a brand name developed by Essilor, which specializes in creating lens innovation solutions for eye health. 

Who Needs Them?

Crizal lenses reduce the amount of light reflected on eyeglasses, improving visual clarity, comfort, and transparency. 

Anti-reflective glasses can benefit people who:

  • Work long hours in front of a computer
  • Have trouble with night driving
  • Are photographed often
  • Work under bright lights
  • Spend long hours doing outdoor activities 
  • Have undergone laser eye surgery 

Types of Crizal Lenses

Depending on consumer needs and desired protection, there are several types of Crizal lenses. They range from enhanced, best-in-class protection to standard anti-glare reduction.

Types of Crizal lenses include:

  • Crizal Sapphire. Provides enhanced glare and UV protection but not blue light protection
  • Crizal Prevencia. Selectively filters blue-violet light from computers, tablets, and smartphones
  • Crizal Rock. Uses High Resistance Technology to reduce scratches and smudges from dust and water
  • Crizal Easy Pro. Is designed to be smudge resistant and stay clean longer
  • Crizal Easy. Ideal for smudge, glare, and scratch resistance

Where to Buy Glasses + Contacts

Best Overall: Warby Parker

Fastest Delivery: EyeBuyDirect

Also Great: Liingo

Best Place to Buy Contacts: 1800 Contacts

How Do Crizal Lenses Work?

Crizal coating uses 360° Multi-Angular Technology to reduce the amount of reflective light hitting the lenses resulting in less:4

  • Backside reflections
  • Optical diffusion caused by scratches and smudges 
  • Ghost images induced by multi-reflections 

The 360° Multi-Angular Technology changes the way light interacts with eyeglass lenses. It manipulates light’s wavelengths, intensity, and direction to create less glare and protect the eyes from UV rays and blue light.4 

How to Clean Crizal Lenses

Because Crizal lenses are transparent, they are more likely to look dirty than regular eyeglass lenses and require more frequent cleaning. 

The steps to clean Crizal lenses include the following:

  1. Rinse the lenses under warm water to remove dirt and debris
  2. Clean with mild dishwashing soap to remove facial oils
  3. Rinse with water
  4. Dry with a soft cotton cloth
  5. Polish with the provided Crizal microfiber cleaning cloth (can also be used to touch up lenses throughout the day

How Much Do Crizal Lenses Cost?

The price of Crizal lenses ranges from $92 to $160, which is above the cost of regular eyeglass lenses.6 

Pros and Cons of Crizal Lenses

Crizal lenses are a good option if you want to reduce glare and minimize the effects of harmful blue light. However, there are also a few drawbacks to using anti-reflective lenses. 

Pros of Crizal Lenses

Depending on your lifestyle and activity level, Crizal lenses provide complete protection and the most precise vision by offering the following:

  • Best-in-class blue light and glare reduction 
  • Smudge resistance and scratch protection 
  • Overall UV protection 
  • AR coatings that make your eyes look clearer with less glare
  • More durability than regular lenses
  • Reduced eye fatigue at work
  • Improved night vision 

Cons of Crizal Lenses 

Negative aspects of anti-glare Crizal lenses include:

  • Price 
  • The need for frequent cleaning
  • Inability to be used as reading glasses
  • Lenses that can’t be repaired if damaged

Where to Buy Crizal Lenses

Crizal lenses are sold by various chain and independent optometry offices worldwide. 

Enter your zip code on the Essilor website to find a location near you.

Alternative Treatments

There are not any current studies showing that blue light coming from computer screens or smartphones is damaging to the eyes.8 

Furthermore, a recent study concluded that blue light-blocking lenses do not reduce eye strain from extensive screen time.9 

Alternative ways to treat eye strain from computer use include:

  • Sit arm’s length away from the computer screen
  • Look away from your computer screen every 20 minutes
  • Use artificial eye drops to treat dry eyes
  • Brighten the room lighting
  • Increase the contrast on your computer screen
  • Use a matte computer screen filter

Summary

Crizal is an anti-reflective coating added to eyeglass lenses to reduce glare, protect against UV rays and blue light, and resist scratches and smudges. They are an additional cost for regular eyeglass lenses. 

The benefits of Crizal lenses include improved night vision, reduced glare for outdoor activities and photographs, and more durability than regular lenses. The drawbacks of Crizal lenses include their need for frequent cleaning, their price, and that they can’t be used as reading glasses.

Best Places to Buy Glasses

Best Overall

Warby Parker has stylish, high-quality frames at affordable prices.

Also Great

Liingo Eyewear is another great option to buy glasses online.

Best on a Budget

EyeBuyDirect has a wide variety of budget frames starting at $6.

Best Places to Buy Contacts

Best Overall

1-800 Contacts is our #1 recommendation to buy contacts online.

glasses usa logo
Also Great

GlassesUSA has a huge selection of contacts, glasses, & sunglasses.

Updated on  November 3, 2022
9 sources cited
Updated on  November 3, 2022
  1. Essilor. “Crizal,” n.d.
  2. Essilor. “Our mission,” n.d.
  3. Essilor. “Crizal products,” n.d.
  4. Essilor International. “Crizal Sapphire 360 UV white paper,” 2017. 
  5. Essilor. “Frequently asked questions,” n.d.
  6. RX Frames N Lenses. “Crizal AR coatings,” n.d.
  7. RX Safety. “Benefits and disadvantages of anti-reflective coating glasses,” n.d.
  8. Vimont, C. “Are blue light-blocking glasses worth it?” American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2021.
  9. Singh, S., et al. “Do blue-blocking lenses reduce eye strain from extended screen time? a double-masked randomized controlled trial.” American Journal of Ophthalmology, 2021.
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