One of the most asked questions at the shop is “what is AR” ? AR stands for Anti-Reflection coating. This is an optical coating applied to the surface of a lens to reduce reflection. This greatly improves the optics of the lens. Simply put your eyeglasses work better. You also will look much better with AR lenses in your eyeglasses. This is because you can see the wearers eyes through the lens especially when being photographed. Invented in 1935 by the Carl Zeiss Optics Company. The first Anti-Reflection coatings were a military secret during World War II. No longer a secret AR coated lenses are recommended.