What are your lenses made of? Find the best lens type for your eyes!

Fashion Eyewear aims to ensure that once you have received your prescription glasses or sunglasses you will be happy. We have found that most times, customer satisfaction with regards to the prescription eyewear received lies in the lenses. If your lenses are not comfortable or of a good quality, then the prescription eyewear is virtually useless. To learn more about lens colours and their difference, please refer to our previous article here.

Can you believe in the past lenses for your spectacles were made completely from glass? Although glass is excellent in terms of optics, it is heavy and dangerous as you are more like to hurt or lose an eye! Dramatics aside, modern science and technology have advanced so much since those times, resulting in the multiple lens choices we see on the market today. High tech plastic materials are being used to make lenses that are lighter, more durable and less prone to easy breakage. We have also seen the development of “filters” or “coatings” that help to shield your eyes from UV light.

Just like the camera lens is a way for the light to enter and touch the sensor in order to take high quality images; your optical lens is a way for light to be focused properly on your retina and enhance your vision. Ultimately, this means that whatever lens option you choose should be catered to the areas of your vision you wish to correct.

The listed materials provide lighter and thinner lenses that are scratch resistant and are suitable for even the most outlandish of frames.

Polycarbonate lenses

If you regularly participate in sports or lead an active lifestyle then these are the lenses for you. They are an ideal match for children who have just started to wear glasses as they may not be used to them and drop them frequently. This is mainly because the lenses themselves are scratch resistant; you can save a bit of money as the cost of repairing a cracked or broken lens can be expensive. Polycarbonate lenses also provide adequate protection from UV lights.

Trivex lenses

The trivex lens is a much newer type of lens that is quite similar to lenses made of polycarbonate. This is because it has the same lightweight characteristics; this helps with the quality of vision correction with some people saying they prefer them to polycarbonate lenses as they are much more impact – resistant and offer a better viewing experience.

High Index Plastic Lenses

If you are someone who has a strong prescription and requires glasses 24/7 then the high index plastic lenses will be the most appropriate as they are designed for this exact purpose. Because they are for everyday usage, manufacturers have made sure that they are thinner and lighter than the standard lenses made from other materials more commonly used today.

Aspheric Lenses

The typical optical lenses that are more popular and widely used are spherical in shape. Aspheric lenses, like the name suggests, are not designed to work like your run of the mill spherical lenses. They have different magnitudes of curvature over the lens surface; this means that as a result the lens is actually flatter and thinner. Users of this type of lens are actually able to find that they are able to use more of the lens itself than they would if they had another type.

Photochromic lenses

Photochromic lenses are the best option for people who live in warm and sunny climates. If your country is also accustomed to receiving plenty of direct sunlight then you might want to try these. They are also useful if you are trying to eliminate the need for prescription sunglasses as having to change from opticals to shades can be mildly annoying. This category of lenses are usually made from plastic or galls and will change from clear to tinted when in sunlight. For safety on the road, they are not meant to darken as the windshield can block the UV rays from the sun.

Polarised sunglasses

If you are a regular buyer of sunglasses you may have heard of polarized sunglasses. Being one of the most popular choices for sunglasses, they protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful UV rays. This makes them perfect for sporting and outdoor activities as they reduce glare and thus offer a much more comfortable viewing experience.