Materials of Eyeglass Lenses

Materials, Corrective Types, and Coatings

When you have impaired vision, or any of the variety of related conditions beyond not being able to see far away or close up. For some the moment of panic sets in when you take time to get the right prescription lenses and order frames, and you still are having problems. Whether it is a mild inconvenience or a huge issue, sometimes you don’t have to simply accept that your fate is to have bad vision. Some of us need bifocals (or even trifocals), some of us can’t help but scratch our glasses, some find the light being too intense in the day or night, and everything in between and related to these problems. But the reality is there is a lot more to treating poor vision than just getting some frames and some normal lenses with your prescription. And a large part of dealing with your unique problems is finding the right set of lenses for you. There is a lot more than 2 or 3 types, and more than just what it’s made of that you have as options. There is the plethora of materials lenses are made of (with each type having a unique set of pros and cons).

A big choice is the different types of materials. Sometimes you may not have a choice, because you may require a curved, thick or thin type of lenses. But even for strong prescriptions, there are a few choices you may have. For very strong prescriptions, we all have this expectation that you will be wearing coke bottle glasses, but there have been some recent advances in design. If you’d like to avoid the overly thick ones, you should ask to receive “high-index” lenses, which are far thinner and lighter and can still provide the high strength needed for some. For those who are active, or have a job that requires you to be physically active, you may want something that is impact resistant. Poly-carbonate is the usual choice, as they are also slightly UV resistant as well and impact resistant, and while they are thin, they are not exceptionally so. If you want something thin and light that is still resistant (as well as resistant to scratching), you should ask for trivex. They won’t be as resistant to impact or offer any UV protection, but are much lighter. For maximum UV protection, you’ll want photochromic material. For those who don’t want any difference in sight for the different areas of the lenses, aspheric will allow you to utilize all edges of your glasses and minimize any distortions, so you see a realistic a picture as possible, which is great for some professions.

In our next article we will be covering the different corrective designs to treat various diagnoses, and the coatings that can be put on to customize your glasses to you. We will also be going over the material in bifocals, trifocals, and progressive lenses (which are essentially bifocals without the visible split for the style-conscious wearer).

The post Materials of Eyeglass Lenses appeared first on Blue Moon Optical San Marcos TX.