Troubleshooting & Best Practices

Coating Concerns

Use this guide when a patient reports scratches, peeling, crazing, cleaning difficulty, glare, reflections, or a perceived coating failure.

Symptoms

Fine cracks or spider-web marks appear on the lens surface.
Coating appears to peel, spot, haze, or separate from the lens.
Patient says lenses scratch too easily or never look clean.
Patient notices reflections, glare, color shifts, or cosmetic differences from a prior pair.

Heat exposure from dashboards, ovens, grills, saunas, hair dryers, or hot water can craze coatings.
Dry wiping, paper towels, clothing, or household cleaners can scratch or damage AR layers.
Frame stress, overtight eyewire tension, or drill-mount stress can contribute to coating or lens-edge issues.
The patient may be comparing different AR families with different residual color or cosmetic appearance.
Improper cleaning habits can mimic a coating failure even when the lens surface is intact.

Inspect lenses under good light and distinguish scratches, crazing, peeling, residue, and edge stress.
Ask how the patient cleans the lenses and whether they were exposed to heat or chemicals.
Check frame tension, drill mounts, eyewire pressure, and lens seating.
Review the coating ordered and compare it to the patient’s expectations for glare, color, durability, and cleaning.
If the lens is dirty rather than damaged, demonstrate proper cleaning with lens spray and microfiber cloth.

Contact the lab when the coating concern appears to be a warrantable defect or the cause is unclear after inspection.
Provide clear photos, order number, coating name, material, date dispensed, and patient cleaning/exposure history.
Note whether marks are on the front, back, edge, both lenses, or only one lens.

Dispense every AR job with cleaning instructions; do not assume patients know how to clean premium lenses.
Warn patients not to leave eyewear in hot cars or clean lenses with household chemicals.
Check frame stress before sending a coating claim; stress can create repeat failures after remake.
Document the coating family and warranty expectation at dispense.