LENSES FOR YOUR GLASSES

Did you know that the human brain collects 90 percent of its information with the eyes? Since your understanding of the world depends on how you see things, perfect vision is critical. Whether you need glasses for reading, driving, working, or playing, we offer a range of exceptional products that will help you see better. You have many options when it comes to the lens in your glasses.

A common mistake people often make when buying eyeglasses is not spending enough time considering their choices of eyeglass lens materials, designs, and coatings. In the early days of vision correction, all eyeglass lenses were made of glass. Although glass lenses offer exceptional optics, they are heavy and can break easily. Now there are so many better options on the market. We can help you choose the right ones.

What Kind of Eyewear Are You Looking For?

Plastic Lenses

Because of its lightweight (about half the weight of glass), low cost, and excellent optical qualities CR-39 plastic remains a popular material for eyeglass lenses even today. Standard plastic lenses offer value and found in most eyewear today.

Polycarbonate

A newer lightweight eyeglass lens material with similar impact-resistant properties as polycarbonate is called Trivex. Trivex was introduced for eyewear in 2001. A potential visual advantage of Trivex is its clarity value.

High-index Plastic

In the past 20 years, in response to the demand for thinner, lighter eyeglasses, a number of lens manufacturers have introduced high-index plastic lenses. These are thinner and lighter than CR-39 plastic, polycarbonate, and Trivex lenses at higher powers.

Materials

Around the age of 40, most people start to have difficulty focusing at close range. Single vision lenses can no longer be used for the entire range of vision from near to far. Traditional bifocals provide a clear vision of objects in the distance and near ranges, but everything in between is blurred. And, the visible dividing line is a telltale sign to everyone that you are wearing bifocals!

A premium progressive lens is the solution. New lens technology reduces the need to change your eyeglasses. No matter what you use your progressives for, reading, computer work, gardening, home projects or hobbies lenses from Looking Glass Optical will give you crisper, more comfortable vision than you’ve ever thought possible.

Does the glare of the sun cause you to squint and strain your eyes? Do your eyes sometimes get tired when you’re outside? Do you sometimes have trouble seeing objects when the bright sun is shining? Transitions lenses are the most convenient way to enjoy better vision, indoors and out, today and tomorrow.

These are clear indoors and at night but automatically adjust their level of tint to changing light conditions outdoors. They provide visual comfort and quality at any and every moment, helping you to see well. And just like sunblock protects your skin, transitions lenses help preserve the health and wellness of your eyes for the future by blocking 100% of harmful UV rays, so you can see better tomorrow too.

Unlike when they were introduced transitionals now offer a wide variety of lens colors and materials. Transitions Signature, Vantage, Drivewear, and Extractive are the four styles available at Looking Glass Optical.

Polarized lenses are used to reduce glare from reflective surfaces such as the surface of a lake or the hood of a car. They accomplish this feat through a process called polarization, much like a Venetian blind controls sunlight through a window.

On the water or in the car is the ideal environment for a polarized lens because they deal with mostly horizontal surfaces. Fishermen wearing polarized sunglasses can see below the surface of the water to search for schools of fish or hidden obstacles. Drivers are no longer affected by a constant reflection of light from their hoods or the road ahead.

At Looking Glass Optical you’ll find polarized sunglasses in every custom lens style and from manufacturers like Maui Jim, Ray-Ban, and Serengeti. Maui Jim’s Polarized Plus® 2 Solution absorbs 99.9% of reflected glare, maximizing the amount of usable light reaching the eyes, so you can see detail and interpret color with maximum impact.

Coatings

No eyeglass lenses — not even glass ones — are scratch-proof. However, they can be treated front and back with a clear, scratch-resistant coating have a much harder surface that is more resistant to scratching, whether from dropping your glasses on the floor or occasionally cleaning them with a paper towel. Kids’ glasses, especially, benefit from a scratch-resistant hard coat for greater durability.

Most eyeglasses, including high-index lenses and ones made of polycarbonate and Trivex, have a built-in scratch-resistant coating. Since scratch-resistant coatings are sometimes optional, make sure to ask that you want your eyeglass to include a hard coating for extra durability. Also, ask about the warranty on eyeglasses that are treated with scratch-resistant coating versus those without the coating.

In a cold climate, nothing is more frustrating than having your eyeglasses fog up when you come in from the cold. This also can be a safety issue, since it limits your ability to see until the fog clears. Lens fogging can be especially dangerous for police officers and other first responders to emergency situations.

This factory-applied coating called Fog Free eliminates the condensation of moisture on lenses. This prevents fogging and makes sure your vision stay clear when you make the transition from a cold environment to a warm one. It may also keep your glasses from fogging up during sports and other times you are hot and perspiring. Fog Free can be applied to plastic, polycarbonate, and other lenses, including high-index and Transitions photochromic lenses.

An anti-reflective coating (also called AR coating or anti-glare coating) is a microscopically thin multilayer coating that eliminates reflections from the front and back surface of eyeglass lenses. By doing so, AR coating makes the lens nearly invisible so people can focus on your eyes, not distracting reflections from your eyeglasses.

The anti-reflective coating also eliminates glare caused by light reflecting from your glasses. With reflections eliminated, the AR coating provides better vision for night driving and more comfortable vision for reading and computer use.

AR coating is highly recommended for all eyeglasses, but particularly for polycarbonate and high-index lenses. These reflect more light than regular glass or a plastic lens if an anti-reflective coating is not applied.

Also, aspheric lenses, which have flatter curves, often cause more noticeable reflections, so AR coating is highly recommended for these too. And AR coating is beneficial when applied to the back surface of sunglasses to eliminate “bounce-back” reflections when you are facing away from the sun.

YOUR VISION HEALTH IS OUR PRIORITY

Don’t wait until it’s too late. Your eyes are an important aspect of your overall health. Give us a call today or book an appointment online.