Glasses Lens Materials: Your Ultimate Guide
There is much more to choosing a new pair of eyeglasses than looks–it’s not just about frame styles, cool shapes, or funky colors.
Choosing the right glasses lens material also plays an important role in selecting the right eyewear for you and your vision.
Glass, plastic, polycarbonate, and trivex are the lens materials available for eyeglass lenses. Learn all you need to know about each to find the most suitable choice for your needs.
What does the refractive index mean?
There are four main lens materials for eyeglasses and sunglasses. Each can help correct refractive errors such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, or presbyopia.
As this is how they are often categorized, to understand lens materials, it’s important to first understand what a refractive index is.
The index of refraction indicates how fast light travels through a given material. Essentially, the higher the refractive index of a material, the slower light moves through it, which results in a more significant bending (refracting) of light rays.
With a higher refractive index, less lens material is required to bend light to the same degree as a lens with a lower refractive index.
In other words, for any eyeglass prescription, a lens made of a material with a high refractive index will be thinner than a lens made of a material with a lower refractive index.
Main glasses lens materials
Glass
Glass lenses provide visual clarity and are highly scratch-resistant due to their hard surface. However, glass lenses are heavy, thick, and have lower impact resistance.
Glass is the most complicated to handle of all the lens materials, and to comply with impact-resistant regulations, it can’t be used with all frame designs. In addition, glass lenses are also more expensive.
SmartBuyGlasses currently does not offer this type of lens.
Plastic
Plastic (CR-39) is the standard glasses lens material. Plastic lenses offer great optics and vision correction for refractive errors. They also block out 80% of UV light.
These lenses are lighter and less likely to shatter than glass lenses. They are available in different lens indexes, meaning the customer can have plastic lens from 1.5 index to 1.6, 1.67 and 1.74.
High-index
High-index is not a lens material but a feature of certain plastic lenses. These lenses are great for individuals with strong prescriptions, as they are thinner, which many find to look more aesthetically pleasing.
High-index lenses bend light more efficiently as they have a higher index of refraction. They also generally have superior optics and are very impact-resistant, though these factors will ultimately depend on the type of high-index material used – glass or plastic.
Like many other lens types, high-index lenses provide quality UV protection.
Polycarbonate
Polycarbonate lenses are a popular material for eyewear, especially among active individuals and those who seek additional durability. They are thin, lightweight and impact-resistant, so they’re great lenses for all-day wear.
Their high-impact resistance makes them ideal for children, athletes, or anyone who needs safety glasses. They also offer built-in UV protection that blocks 100% of harmful UV rays without additional coatings.
That said, they can be more prone to scratches than other materials, so pairing them with an anti-scratch coating is best.
Trivex
Trivex lenses are lightweight and durable, offering exceptional comfort and performance. Known for their sharp visual clarity, trivex lenses reduce distortions better than many alternatives, making them a top choice.
Like polycarbonate lenses, Trivex is highly impact-resistant, making it ideal for children, athletes, and anyone with an active lifestyle. Additionally, these lenses provide built-in UV protection and are more scratch-resistant than many other materials, ensuring long-lasting wear.
Compared to polycarbonate, Trivex lenses are lighter and offer better optical clarity, though they are slightly more expensive.
Lens coatings and add-ons
Lens materials are important, but they’re not the only factor to remember when choosing lens materials for your glasses: lens coatings also matter and can complement the chosen material.
Anti-reflective
With high-index or polycarbonate lenses, you’ll want to add an anti-reflective coating to avoid the lenses reflecting too much light– especially when driving.
zFORT® Blue light blocking
zFort® is an add-on that acts as a ‘fort-like’ protection for the eyes by limiting the reach of the harmful blue light wavelengths from digital screens. With this additional protection, you experience less glare, eye strain, headaches, and improved sleep.
Blue light blocking coating is a useful addition for everyone who spends time looking at screens, regardless of the material of your glasses lens.
Photochromic filters
Photochromic filters allow the lens tint to adapt to the lighting of your environment. When you move from indoors to outdoors, your glasses will transition to sunglasses– and vice versa.
This filter can be applied to all glasses lens materials.
Polarizations
Polarized lenses protect against UV light and boost visibility by filtering out the horizontal glare that reflects off reflective surfaces, protecting the eyes from the discomfort caused by it.
As a result, they significantly reduce squinting, making activities such as driving and performing sports in bright outdoor environments more comfortable.
DID YOU KNOW?
Lens materials should be chosen based on your prescription, frames and lifestyle. If you think your lens is missing something, add a coating such as zFORT® Blue light blocking.
To summarize your options
- Plastic lenses (CR-39) are the most affordable lens material and work best with a lower Rx.
- Glass lenses are higher priced and difficult to pair with certain frame designs and sizes.
- High index lenses work best for those who want thinner lenses but come at a higher cost.
- Polycarbonate lenses and Trivex lenses are similar but do present some differences.
Which lens material is the best for me?
To determine what lens material is best for you, you should have an eye test to determine your vision correction requirements. You should also always first consult your eye doctor on what they think is the best lens material for your needs.
Once you have consulted your optician and have your prescription, you should consider the following factors before purchasing: comfort, aesthetics, optics, safety, and cost.
If you wear glasses every day, you’ll want them to fit comfortably, look good and not weigh heavily on your face. Thinner lenses can tick all those boxes.
On the other hand, though they are more noticeable in the frame and tend to be heavier, thicker lenses are more affordable and work fine with lower prescriptions.
Still in doubt? Don’t fret, you can check out our Optical Center for more information or speak to one of our opticians to clear any doubts about lenses and materials.
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