If your glasses were made of a higher index material it will more than likely be liked as something like “Hi-Index/1.67” or “Hi-Index/1.74”. I generally recommended people with prescriptions anywhere between +/-0.50 to +/-4.00 to go with polycarbonate lenses. These glasses are light as a feather and comfortable. Labs choose lens materials because of ECP demand and product sales opportunities but require in-lab processing efficiency and superior surface quality. In addition, heat resistance for tinting capability was also significantly improved. Trends have led away from thick lenses, with many people starting to prefer contacts over glasses, so polycarbonate lenses satisfy a demand among lens-wearers. Ask a Plastics Expert. Thanks for stopping by. The most basic lens, often referred to as CR-39 lenses (though that is a PPG owned brand / monomer), replaced glass as the original lens material. They are considered a high index plastic. Retailers such as Warby Parker offers an upgrade from their polycarbonate to high-index for only an additional $30 for single vision, which is by far one of the most affordable high-index upgrades available out there. Trivex lenses are composed of a urethane-based monomer that has lower specific gravity than polycarbonate and is 10% lighter as a result. That also means use of index matched hard and AR coats. MR Lenses stock lenses range serves as your warehouse and you can save time and money when we consolidate your finished stock lenses orders with your Digital Rx orders. With an index of 1.594, Abbe of 36 and specific gravity of 1.43gms/ cc3, it made for a thinner and lighter lens. In Table 2, high-index lenses deliver to the wearer about 22 to 34 percent thinner and about 25 percent lighter lenses. High-index lenses have an index of refraction that starts at around 1.61 and can go as high as 1.74. Subscribe to the Print and/or Digital Magazine. Polycarbonate may not be the wrong choice, but your lenses will be thicker. Hi there Paul, thanks for stopping by. Therefore if you have two lenses with the same power, the lens material that has a higher index of refraction will always be thinner. This new product is branded, DoGreen and replaced the original 1.74 to add value to the use of these lenses for both the ECP and consumer, all without additional cost to the casting company. ECPs choose lens materials because they are the foundation of the final lens that delivers patient satisfaction and saleable benefits. Rimless was to become very popular through the election in 2008 when consumers and news media commented on vice president candidate Sarah Palin’s Kazuo Kawasaki eyewear. With the right scratch resistant or digital protection coating, their potential increases even more. Polycarbonate lenses conform to EN166 F and are thinner and lighter than other materials and naturally block out 100% of the sun’s UV rays. Glasses become a burden if you are … Polarized lenses block out glare from the sun, enabling people to see more clearly. Lens manufacturers choose lens materials and their raw chemical suppliers because of the products that they can manufacture that deliver superior lens attributes in final lens form. All are 100 percent UVA and UVB absorptive. And there are many series of finished stock lenses where index has been combined with asphericity, double asphericity, index matched coatings, AR and photochromics. That means that upon impact, the primer layer will help manage a crack that may be propagating through the lens by diverting through the coating horizontally rather than vertically and slowing it to a stop. UV+420cut: The MR UV+420cut monomer creates a lens to absorb blue light radiation inherent in the material. And much like a poor quality camera lens translates into a poor quality photograph, that poly lens transfers an image … Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us mortals. There are a lot of great eyeglass lenses in the market, but before you buy a pair, it is imperative to consider both their pros and cons. . Whenever you go to purchase your prescription glasses whether it be online at the local optical retailer you are often faced with the decision on what kind of lenses you should get. Then, of course there is that person who is especially sensitive to the visibility of the lens edge or how thick the lens center is and how much it magnifies. The improvements to computing power, machine control, measuring instruments and surfacing equipment provides us an option today where the entire lens surface can be reconstructed addressing all aspects of lens power and fit. A lot of patients that go to our website, they see that we offer Plastic Lenses, Polycarbonate Lenses and Hi-Index Lenses. Many kinds of lenses are manufactured from polycarbonate, including automotive headlamp lenses, lighting lenses, sunglass/eyeglass lenses, swimming goggles and SCUBA masks, and safety glasses/goggles/visors including visors in sporting helmets/masks and police riot gear (helmet visors, riot shields, etc.). They cost a little more but our patients prefer the latest in technologies at a reasonable cost.”. This post was most recently updated on November 7th, 2019. That is absolutely not true, there is no reason why polycarbonate would be damaging to your eyes in any way. I’d go for Polycarbonate Lenses due to its ability to protect the eyes from 100% of the harmful UV rays from the sun because I walk alot. If the coating and lens have the same index of refraction, the light passing through “sees” the two as one continuous substrate and the reflections at the interface are minimized. In 1991, Mitsui introduced MR-7, a 1.67 high-index monomer (Index 1.67, Sp. Full Name * Job title Company Email * Phone number * Postcode * We collect, store and use your data solely to process your request. Acquired by Mitsui in 2008, SDC continues to provide premium high quality thermal and UV-cure hard coatings to improve the scratch and abrasion resistance of lenses under the CrystalCoat brand. At this time polycarbonate lens manufacture was challenging. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. 1.59 Everest Polycarbonate UV420 18 1.60 Superior MR-8 Hi-Index UV420 20 1.61 Eco Aspheric Hi-Index UV420 20 1.67 Excalibur MR-7 Aspheric Hi-Index UV420 20 2019 SEMI-FINISHED UV420 BLANKS 22 1.56 Campus Mid-Index UV420 22 1.59 Everest Polycarbonate UV420 22 1.60 Superior MR-8 Hi-Index UV420 22 1.67 Excalibur MR-7 Hi-Index UV420 22 SUN LENSES 2019 FINISHED POWER SUN LENSES 1.50 … Birefringence appears as a rainbow pattern on the lens surface. Always remember that lenses with a higher index of refraction are thinner, lighter, and have less distortion (thicker lenses tend to have more distortion). It is also not easily scratched. When AR coating is applied on a lens the surface has to be perfect, any little scratch even fine ones or dust will cause defects in the coating. Today polycarbonate is the standard lens material for many online eyeglass retailers, and they are standard in all children’s glasses, safety glasses, and sports goggles. However, tinting was a problem as lenses tinted quickly but deformed at high tint bath temperatures. While they’re not the thinnest kind of lens out there, they still retain their position as the swiss-army-knife of eyewear lenses. AR coating is also listed with a 2 year warantee. This allowed opticians a material with an Abbe of over 40 to produce prescription lenses with superior clarity across the entire lens surface. Polycarbonate lenses are ultra-durable, ultra-lightweight lenses. Trivex NXT lenses, however, are composed of a urethane-based monomer and are made from a proprietary process which means … That would make for even thinner edges. Hi my glasses have standard Anti-Reflective coating. Sunglass Underground presents: How to Choose the Right Lens Material for Your Sunglasses. Those are the reflections that get in the way of seeing someone’s beautiful eyes or them seeing the entire world that’s intended through their glasses. What are the other things we need to know about the MR Series of high-index lenses? Polycarbonate has a higher index of refraction than Trivex (1.58 vs. 1.53), so polycarbonate lenses are about 10 percent thinner than Trivex lenses. In 1.50 index, that’s about 4 percent a surface or 8 percent light loss total. When asked why opticians choose “premium high-index,” they suggest that the higher refractive index makes for thinner, better looking lenses, a higher Abbe number and surface finish ensures clarity. Next, the primer layer is an impact enhancing coating layer. Keep in mind that we link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission we receive from your purchases. Premium high-index lenses use higher index coatings. So what should we know about the modern premium high-index lens? Polycarbonate does not provide you with the best clarity when compared to other materials but wouldn’t damage your eyes for any reason. As a result, the race between premium highindex and polycarbonate was on because the ECP and consumer really liked thinner and lighter lenses. Beginning in 2003 to 2004, free-form as a calculation method and processing technique was becoming more widespread. That’s certainly the case when using stock finished lenses. Thanks for the info. Polycarbonate Lenses In 1953, two scientists working independently on opposite sides of the world developed polycarbonate within 1 week of each other. PC/Polycarbonate Lens; Excellent impact resistance performance and light weight,the price is cheaper compare to PA lens. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. While it reflects 8.2 percent light from lens surfaces, crown glass absorbs 20 percent of UVA and 79 percent of UVB (compared with polycarbonate's 100 percent absorption of UV wavelengths, for example.) That is no longer the case. We use our best judgment and knowledge about lenses; we consult our lab and use thinness calculators to determine which material is the best solution for a patient. High-index lenses generally are recommended to individuals who have stronger prescriptions, so that they have the thinnest, lightest, visually appealing, and most comfortable pair of eyeglasses that they can buy. I can’t imagine how heavy glass lenses would be for that kind of prescription, luckily there are much lighter lens materials these days. Understand why your lens suppliers choose the high-index materials they do. These new ones do not seem quite as crystal clear as my previous ones?? The facts described in the course can be used as Facebook posts and as snippets on your Web page. Promote lenses and talk about the material from which they are made, that’s differentiable. During this time there were two other high-index materials released to be part of the optician’s toolbox. I know that polycarbonate and high index are not the same thing. Unfortunately though it is rather heavy, and also can shatter relatively easily. Initially used for electrical and electronic applications such as distributor and fuse boxes, polycarbonate became a popular lens option in the 1980s. Home Research Solutions Plastic Properties Table. Thanks for stopping by! These lenses are manufactured from polycarbonate for its exceptional impact resistance. Commit to produce better-looking, more protective lenses. Polycarbonate lenses. In the late ’80s and early ’90s, sun and especially cosmetic tinting was a common lens attribute. This is especially true for anyone who is using a metal frame which exposes more of the lenses due to the thin frames. Hi Christine, thanks for stopping by! Did you know that almost 6 of every 10 pairs of glasses sold in the U.S. today have lenses that boast the wearer benefits of thinner, lighter, more impact resistant lenses and are 100 percent UV absorptive? Lens materials affect thickness and weight. Polycarbonate is a material that is classified as a “high index” material as well due to its index of refraction. Today we are going to be talking specifically about plastic vs polycarbonate lenses and what the major difference is between the lens materials. With all the different types of lens and frame materials available, how do you know which is right for you? Print. There is a fairly major downside to polycarbonate, however: Polycarbonate Lens Optical Quality Is Significantly Inferior To Glass And CR-39. I estimate that in the practice averaging $750K in revenue, doubling high-index, which automatically increases anti-reflective lenses sold, would add about $30K in practice revenue annually. However, while lighter, these original plastic lenses were also thicker than their glass counterparts because of the lower index. We just purchase it in the near by shop. Each lens caster sources the monomer components to produce a portfolio of 1.60, 1.67 and 1.74 high-index lenses. Gr. Polycarbonate lenses are 10 times more impact-resistant than ordinary plastic lenses. The extra fee for polycarbonate lenses can be anywhere from $10 to $100. Last, all this produces a lens that better exceeds the expectations and value assessment of the wearers and the ECP. The content contained on this website is for informational purposes only. Develop a new set of words that better describes the underlying DNA of lenses and the material they're made from for customer discussions. Well, plastic lenses are our basic lens. Is this true? If you got polycarbonate and you had a higher index material previously this could be the reason why everything doesn’t seem as crystal clear. Take a look at the video below to hear an explanation of what polycarbonate lenses are by FramesDirect. Do You Have To Get Polycarbonate or High-Index Lenses? End up needing glasses I think it would be damaging to your eyes for any reason position the... Concern when high-index lenses but some you will have their high-index lenses evolved, and 12x more impact resistant for. Speaking of safety, individuals who use safety glasses or sports goggles also need to upgrade polycarbonate. Is applied to the injection molded polycarbonate lens, using free-form techniques, makes for better eyewear dainty.. S majority producer of high-index lenses evolved, and incredibly impact resistant than polycarbonate and used... Had improved tensile strength for drilled rimless know that polycarbonate and is 10 % lighter, glass... Glasses or sports goggles also need to know and 12x more impact resistant told... 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