What Do All of These Options Mean!?

Do you ever go to your local eye care provider and when ordering your new glasses, you have no idea what anything is that they’re asking you to order? Well I can tell you from personal experience that before I was educated about what all of the different options were, I would always just order the cheapest thing possible. I didn’t think that the other upgrades were really worth paying the extra money for.

In some cases, I was right, it was not worth it for me, but there are others that think the same way that I always did, when in fact, they would really benefit from some of the options that are available to them.

As a result, I figured that it would be a good idea for me to post about some of the options that are offered at most eye care providers, so that our readers can feel more confident the next time they order a new pair of glasses.

Pros Cons
Glass Lenses
  • Exceptional Optics
  • Heavy
  • Breaks easily, which could easily harm the eyes
Plastic Lenses
  • Lightweight
  • Low Cost
  • Good Optics
  • Scratches Easily
  • Thicker than Polycarbonate or Hi-Index Lenses
Polycarbonate Lenses
  • Lighter than HI-Index
  • Impact resistant
  • Used widely for children, safety and sports
  • Blocks Ultra Violet light
  • Contains Scratch Coating
  • More expensive than plastic.
Trivex Lenses
  • Lightweight (lightest available)
  • Premium impact resistance
  • Higher Abb Value
  • More expensive than the other materials
Hi-Index 1.67
  • Lighter than plastic
  • Used for higher prescriptions
  • Blocks 100% of U.V light
  • More expensive
  • Not necessary for lower prescriptions
Anti-Scratch Coating
  • Protects against scratches
Anti-Reflective Coating
  • Eliminates reflections
  • Lenses become nearly invisible
  • Less glare from glasses in photos
  • Reduces eyestrain
  • Improves vision
  • Need for Hi-Index lenses
  • Premium A/R Coating has hard coating in it and usually comes with a warranty
  • Can be harder to keep clean
Transitions
  • Blocks out U.V light
  • Automattically tints
  • No need for spare prescription sunglasses
  • Un-tints automatically
  • Does not work in a car
  • Takes several minutes to return to clear once inside.
Tints
  • Used for visual comfort or fashion
  • Yellow tints are generally used for shooting
  • Green, Brown, and Grey tints are usually used for  sunglasses.
  • Red is generally used for a bold fashion statement.
  • Not always necessary
Mirror Coating
  • Used for sunglasses
  • Decreases the amount of light passing through the tinted lense by a further 10-60%
  • Very useful in sand, water, snow, and high altitudes
  • Gives the wearer a brown or grey tint to everything that they see
  • Easy to scratch
Anti-fog
  • Keeps lenses from fogging up
  • Can be applied to any lense material

 

So there you have it, friends. And if you’re ever unsure about what options to get, but do not want to be forced into getting something that you don’t need, come on in to Hi-Tech Optical, where our opticians do NOT work on salary, so you’re sure to get an honest opinion every time!

Remember, Hi-Tech Optical. Savings, Service, Selection