HIGH INDEX LENSES & GLASSES

Transcription

1 A Shopping Guide for HIGH INDEX LENSES & GLASSES The diamond ring of eyewear.

2 WHO WROTE THIS EBOOK? A SHOPPING GUIDE FOR HIGH INDEX LENSES & GLASSES By Kieran Hunt Kieran Hunt is a high index lenses specialist and product research engineer at MyEyewear2go.com. Since 2008, Kieran has written a majority of the company s written content and continues to learn everyday. He also produces help videos for clients, gives presentations at trade shows, and works with the company owners to develop new product lines.

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS WHAT S INSIDE THIS EBOOK? This guide is designed to help you understand some of the terminology involved with ordering prescription glasses with high index lenses online so that you can buy your eyewear with confidence. INTRODUCTION/3 HIGH INDEX LENSES BASICS/5 ADVANTAGES OF HIGH INDEX LENSES/7 TYPES OF HIGH INDEX LENS MATERIALS/10 HIGH INDEX LENS COLORS AND COATINGS /13 HIGH INDEX LENS PRICES/16 WHERE TO BUY HIGH INDEX LENSES ONLINE/19

4 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

5 There are a multitude of options to choose from when shopping for high index lenses. Lens type, tints, colors, coatings, mirrors, and materials, not to mention the challenge of entering the actual prescription incorrectly. The first thing to consider is what you'll be using your glasses for. Honing in on the specific use you'll put the glasses to will give you a good starting point for shopping for your glasses. Are they everyday glasses? Will they be for work at a computer? Will they be for work outdoors? Are they for driving? Will they be sunglasses? Once you know what they'll be used for, you can eliminate a fair amount of options from the start. For instance, Transitions lenses do not change much behind the windshield of a car, so they're poor driving lenses in bright light. Obviously, if you're getting sunglasses, you aren't going to purchase clear or lightly tinted lenses, and if you are working at a computer, your primary concern should be getting anti-reflective coating to reduce eye fatigue.

6 CHAPTER 2 THE BASICS

7 Let's start with the basics of high index lenses and how they differ from other lenses. Density: High index lenses are denser than standard lenses, making them thinner and therefore lighter than standard lenses of the same prescription. This high density also increases the amount of light that high index lenses reflect, making it essential to get anti-reflective coating on high index lenses, regardless of their use. Technology: High index lens material is the most high-tech lens material around, but that doesn't mean that the material's optics are the best. Different indexes cause different amounts of optical distortion and glare, which will be discussed in more detail below. In a nutshell, you can expect that, the higher the index, the worse the optics will be, but the thinner the lenses. Impact-Resistance: High index lenses are not very impactresistant, though they are more scratch-proof than most other lens materials. If you are looking for safety glasses, high index is not the best choice unless you have a very strong prescription. They are great for work where impact safety is not required, as their scratch resistance makes them more resilient to normal wear and tear. Tints, Sizes, and Types: High index lenses are not available in all of the tints, sizes (for large frames), and lens types (bifocals, progressives) that exist in standard lens materials. Availability depends upon the index. Generally, the higher the index, the fewer choices are available, though this is a loose rule.

8 CHAPTER 3 ADVANTAGES

9 High index lenses have several advantages over standard lenses: Aesthetically pleasing, they can broaden your frame choices, they are thinner, lighter, and they are fairly scratch-resistant. Many eye doctors nowadays prescribe high index lenses to most or all of their patients for one or more of these reasons. Because of this, high index lenses have steadily increased in popularity and variety. Lens manufacturers are constantly working on designing better high index lenses that are more optically stable and thin. Here are the reasons that high index lens material is so popular: Thin: High index lenses are thinner than other lens materials, giving them a sleeker profile. Light-weight: High index lens thinness makes them lighter than other lens materials. Where very high prescriptions are involved, this difference in weight is especially pronounced and noticeable. Also because of their thinness, high index lenses distort your eyes less than other materials. This means that you get less of the "bug-eyes" or "tiny eyes" look that many strong prescription wearers suffer from. Your prescription does not look as strong, and your eyes are not as enlarged or shrunk as with regularindex glasses. Scratch-resistant: High index lens material is harder and more scratch resistant than standard lens materials. High index glass is particularly hard, but it is not popular because of its very high

10 amount of optical distortion and its brittleness. High index plastic is much more popular and very scratch resistant as plastics go. More Frame Options: There are instances where high index lens material can open up frame options generally unavailable to high prescription wearers. For instance, if you want a curved frame, there are limits to the strength of your prescription with wraparound lenses. High index lens material makes your lenses thinner enabling you to get your prescription into a wraparound frame if you are just over the limit in standard lens materials.

11 CHAPTER 4 LENS MATERIALS

12 One of the most important things to consider when ordering high index lens material is what index to get. "High" indexes range from 1.67 to 1.74 in plastic and from 1.80 to 1.90 in glass. Glass high index, specifically, is only appropriate for a very select number of people. Most of the time, it should be avoided. Plastic high index lenses, on the other hand, are appropriate for many people. Here are some of the differences between the different "high" indexes: 1.67 high index plastic is the most basic high index lens material. It has higher distortion than 1.70 and is fairly reflective. This is a good choice if you're looking to stay on a budget and want clear lenses high index plastic is the most popular high index lens material. It is known for its low distortion, light weight, and thinness is not the highest index lens, but higher index plastics tend to be only very slightly thinner, and the distortion and reflectiveness of 1.70 is lower than any other high index lens material. This is generally the best choice of high index lens material high index plastic is slightly thinner than This should only be chosen with very high prescriptions (stronger than +/ ) or when the lens material you want is not available in another index.

13 1.80 high index glass is very thin, but it is heavier than any plastic material. It is fairly brittle and will crack when dropped, but it is also extremely scratch resistant. This is available with very few options other than clear with single-vision or progressive bifocals high index glass is the highest index glass around, and it is extremely expensive. This should only be considered when your absolute priority is thinness and scratch resistance. This material is thinner and more scratch-resistant than any other, but its high distortion rate and brittleness make it a poor choice for most people.

14 CHAPTER 5 LENS COLORS & COATINGS

15 High index lenses do not come in as many colors as standard lenses, and they should always be ordered with anti-reflective coating. Some other coatings can be applied, depending on the lens type and color. In general, you can expect that any index lens will be available in clear, single vision. All high index plastic lenses are also available in clear progressive. Very few are available polarized or in photochromic (like Transitions). Here are the options you have for colors and coatings, and where they should be used: All high index lenses should be ordered with anti-reflective coating (AR coating). This is because the lens material's dense nature makes it reflective and prone to glare. Without AR coating, the lenses cause distracting and sometimes visioninhibiting glare. If you are ordering sunglasses, you should order some form of high index plastic as glass is only available in clear. All high index plastics can be tinted, so you can get a dark tint on your lenses, which is best for sunglasses. A select few high index plastic lenses are also available in polarized, though this is much easier to get in polycarbonate. If you are ordering sunglasses, you should also consider getting a mirror coating. Mirror coatings are only appropriate for dark lenses (tinted or polarized). They do not work well on clear or photochromic lenses. A mirror will make your lenses darker and

16 block some reflected light, which is good for driving and water sports. Always make sure to still order AR coating on the back side of the lenses. Photochromic lens color makes lenses turn gray or brown in the sun and clear out of the sun. It is available in 1.67 index and 1.74 index plastic, in single vision, lined bifocals, or progressives. This should not get any coatings other than anti-reflective and antiscratch. For clear or tinted (not polarized) lenses, 1.70 high index plastic is the most popular and most well-rounded lens material available. This is available in single vision or progressive (no lined bifocal). Few high index plastic lenses are available in large diameters for wraparound frames. Polycarbonate is best for these, especially if they're to be used as safety glasses. If you need a higher index, you should go with plastic, and you may have to call for a special order.

17 CHAPTER 6 PRICES

18 You can always assume that a high index lens will be more expensive than its standard-index counterpart, and, the higher the index, the higher the price. High index plastics are considerably less expensive than high index glass materials, and they are generally more popular. Here are the general trends for high index lens prices: High index 1.67 is generally the least expensive of the high index plastics, with 1.70 only slightly more expensive. High index 1.74 is the most expensive high index plastic, coming in a fair amount above 1.67 and High index 1.80 glass is generally a little above 1.74 plastic, unless the plastic is ordered with a color. The glass is only available clear. High index 1.90 glass is the most expensive material, often bordering twice as much as many high index plastics. This is the thinnest lens, but it is also the easiest to break by dropping and the lens most prone to optical distortion. This should only be ordered where thinness is the only priority. Plastics are usually a better choice than glass because of their light weight, better optics, lower cost, and good (though not as good as glass) scratch resistance.

19 CHAPTER 7 SHOPPING ONLINE

20 High index lenses are available on most online eyeglasses stores, but it can be difficult to decide which store to use when there are so many. Some online prescription eyeglasses stores have better prices, customer service, delivery times, lens options, and/or frame options than others. MyEyewear2Go has a wide selection of frames and lens options in high index. MyEyewear2Go offers big name brands like Oakley, Ray-Ban, Bobster, GUCCI, GEEK, Genius, and more. MyEyewear2Go manufactures all lenses in their on-site lab and offers a 100% lens guarantee - if you re lenses are not exactly what you asked for, MyEyewear2Go will remake your entire prescription from scratch at no cost to you. RxSafety is another good site to check out. Especially for high index sunglasses. It s a site geared mostly to prescription safety glasses, however, I m sure you ll be pleased with the selection there. High index lenses are an investment and should be chosen carefully. Shopping online for them generally seems like a big undertaking when you first start browsing, but hopefully this article has given you some idea of how to filter out the things you don't need.

21 It is always a good idea to keep in mind what you are using the glasses for as you are shopping for them, and always focus on what you want, not all the options available. If you know exactly what index, lens color, lens type, and frame style you're looking for, your shopping experience will be fun, exciting, and manageable. If you browse with little to no idea of what you're looking for, you may become overwhelmed or frustrated and end up ordering something you can't use. I hope this guide will help you in your pursuit of a good pair of glasses. If you need more information on high index lenses, feel free to browse our other blog posts, give me a call directly, or reach out to me via . Kieran Hunt High Index Lens Specialist MyEyewear2Go