More like a resin coating to keep it safe. It can make stuff look a bit glossy though, whick can look really nice.

After learning this, I tried the trick myself a few times on late night trips to the bathroom. I can navigate my bedroom fine in the dark, and I'd close one eye before turning on the light.

It worked surprisingly great, though it gave me an oddly unbalanced feeling. I'd compare it to vertigo maybe? The eye that I kept closed/covered could still see perfectly fine when I turned off the lights and opened it again. The other eye couldn't see squat. I think it messed with my depth perception a bunch, because I was basically blind in one eye.