ABSORPTIVE LENSES AND COATINGS

INTRODUCTION: -
The human eye has evolved in the presence of solar radiation, which includes not only the
visible spectrum, extending from approximately from 400 to 700 nm, but also the
ultraviolet and infrared region of the spectrum. Radiation in both ultraviolet and infrared
region has been found to be more harmful effects in the ocular tissues: fortunately, these
effects can be controlled, to greater extent, if absorptive lenses are worn. Lenses made of
clear ophthalmic crown glass or CR-39, transmit only about 92% of incident visible light due
to loss by reflection and absorption at the front and back surfaces of lenses; due to
absorption of ultraviolet and infrared region of spectrum ( even in the visible spectrum),
which can however be increased[1].Absorptive lenses, also known as tinted lenses, can be
classified in to two types[2]:-

a) Tint of the lens itself

b) Lens transmission.

OPTICS: -
Reflection, absorption and transmission: -

When a light is incident upon a lens, some of it is reflected on each of the surfaces of lens,
some amount of light is absorbed by the lens and remaining material is transmitted . The the
percentage of the incident light that leaves the lens after passing through it (the transmitted
light) is found by calculating the percentage light lost by reflection at the front surface, the
percentage lost by absorption, and the percentage lost by reflection at the back surface .

The amount of light reflected by a lens surface, in air, is given by FRENSEL EQUATION:-
' 2
(n −n)
I R= (I)
(n' −n)2

1 SAYOKI GHOSH
VIDYASAGAR COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY AND VISION SCIENCE
 ABSORPTIVE LENSES AND COATINGS

The amount of light absorbed by a lens is given by Lambert's law of absorption, which states
that for an absorptive material such as a tinted lens layers of equal thickness absorb equal
quantities (or percentages) of light regardless of the intensity.

The following figure shows a lens divided into several layers

of equal thickness. The intensity of light incident upon the
front surface (the first "layer" or "unit") of the lens is
designated as /; the intensity continuing past the front
surface is designated as I 0(which is equal to I—R).
While passing through the first layer, the light is Transmitted
by the amount indicated by a factor, q, the transmission
factor. For example, if q = 0.5 unit, the intensity of
light leaving the first unit will be 0.5 of the intensity at
the front surface of the lens (after reflection). If we call the second layer of the lens as I 1 and
the third I , and so forth,
I 1= I 0(q)
I 2= I 1(q) = I 0 (q)2
I 3 = I 2(q) = I 0 (q)3
Therefore I x = I o (q) x

The total transmission of lens, T, will be,

T=T x - R B

R B designating the light lost at the back surface of the lens.

The total electromagnetic spectrum extends from the extremely short gamma rays having a
wavelength of 10−12to the extremely long radio waves having a wavelength of 106 [1].The
visible spectrum constitutes a very small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the
region between 10−4 to 10−6 ( from approximately 390 to 760nm).The sun is the source of
the electromagnetic radiation occurring naturally in the atmosphere, on the surface of earth
we are subjected to only a small portion of the sun’s radiation because much of it is filtered
out by water particles, ozone, oxygen and carbon dioxide.[1]Exposure to radiation bordering
on the visible spectrum does not give rise to the sensation of vision, these bands of
radiation are worthy of our attention because they can exert harmful effects on the eyes.

2 SAYOKI GHOSH
VIDYASAGAR COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY AND VISION SCIENCE