Southern California
Building Your Lenses
The lenses are the most important part of your eyewear. After all, without the lenses, who needs a frame? Your finished lenses will be made of three components, lens materials, lens design and lens treatments. By understanding you choices you can make the most appropriate decision for you new eyewear.
Lens Designs: Most of the time, your prescription will determine the lens design - single vision, bifocal, trifocal. You can also opt for progressive addition lenses instead of bifocals. These lenses provide distance, reading and intermediate vision without a bifocal line. Photochromatic lenses offer comfort to light-sensitive eyes. These lenses adjust from light to dark depending on the intensity of sunlight.
Lens Materials: Choices include glass, plastic and high-index. Plastic and glass lenses are similar in optical quality and both must meet minimum federal impact-resistant standards. A special material called polycarbonate is the most impact-resistant lens available. High-index lenses come in both glass and plastic, and include polycarbonate. These lenses are lighter and thinner at the edges than regular glass or plastic.
Lens Treatments: Scratch-resistant coatings are a good choice for all plastic and polycarbonate lenses. Kaiser Permanente includes a scratch-resistant coating on all lenses. An ultra violet (UV) coating is recommended on all plastic lenses. Polycarbonate and high-index lenses already provide UV protection. Anti-reflective (AR) coatings reduce reflections on the lenses helping you to see more clearly and improve night vision.