Spectacle lenses have a wide range of available feature, new technologies have improved lens design. However, not all available features are right for every patient. We will discuss with you the best features and their benefits to you.
Materials
Glass was the original lens material. It is very good optically but is heavy and more likely to shatter and cause eye injuries.
- Plastic lenses are lighter in weight, more comfortable and less likely to break.
- Polycarbonate is the most impact resistant material; it is also thinner and light than the others.
- Polarized sun lenses eliminate reflected glare from wet road surfaces, bumpers, windshields and water on the road, lakes and rivers. This is especially useful for drivers, boaters, fishermen, hunters and many other outdoor activities.
- Transitions and Photogray lenses change when exposed to the ultraviolet rays of the sun. This changes the chemistry of the lens, causing them to darken. “Transitions” is a brand name for lightweight plastic lenses. “Photogray” are glass lenses. Both of them block over 95% of the ultraviolet from reaching the eye. This may help prevent certain diseases such as cataracts and macular degeneration. In your car, they will not darken as much because the windshield absorbs a lot of ultraviolet.
- Transition Extra Active is a transition lens that will darken behind the windshield of your car. For added protection against eyestrain and fatigue. (Grey only)
- Drive Wear are polarized lenses that reduce glare and optimize color contrast, continuously adapting to changing daylight and weather conditions, providing ideal color and clarity for driving.
- Hard Coat Finish can be applied to the surfaces of the lenses. It is baked on and resists scratches and nicks. Over a period of time, the hard coat finish will reduce scratches by approximately 75%.
- Anti-Reflective Coating when you look at a high quality camera lens you will note a purplish sheen to the surface of the lens. This is an Anti-Reflection (ARC) Coating which is baked on the lens. This same anti-reflection coating is available in your glasses. This coating reduces reflections and glare from lights by over 80%. This feature is particularly useful when driving at night, when there is a multitude of streetlights and car lights that are reflecting off the surfaces of your lenses. Glare while driving or while on a computer can create a lot of visual discomfort. Another cool feature of ARC is that it is “Hydrophobic”. This means that water beads up on a lens with ARC on it and will roll off the lens when it is raining. Water would normally spread out on an untreated lens and make it impossible to see through it. The final feature of ARC is that it also has the hard coat finish built into it. This gives your lenses the same hard finish as the Hard Coat listed above