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Choosing the right lenses for your prescription

If you are prescribed glasses, there are lots of things to consider in choosing the right pair for you. Choosing the right frames for your face is just one step in finding the perfect pair.

Choosing the right lenses for your glasses can is key to getting the most out of your glasses for comfort, vision and safety. Here are some important factors to consider when selecting lenses for your glasses:

The lens material 

Glass

Historically, all spectacle lenses used to be made of glass.

Glass lenses offer up probably the best visionary results. However, their heavy weight and fragile makeup mean they break easily. Broken glass lenses pose potentially serious harm to the eyes. So glass lenses are used less frequently now.

Plastic

Plastic lenses are a very popular option in place of glass. Plastic lenses are lightweight and cheaper, whilst still offering great vision qualities.

Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate lenses were first introduced for use in safety glasses. It has since gained popularity due to its lightweight and higher impact-resistance. For that reason, polycarbonate is suited well to children’s glasses.

You might hear of a material called Trivex when choosing lenses for your new glasses. This is a material with very similar properties as polycarbonate.

The lens type

Single vision lenses > These lenses have one prescription throughout them

Reading glasses > These lenses also have one prescription running through them, but are tailored to your reading distance

Varifocal lenses > These lenses combine far distance, intermediate, and close-up vision, without the need for multiple pairs of glasses

Bifocal lenses > Bifocal lenses combine two different prescriptions and are divided into two parts

The lens coating

Many lenses will already have a scratch-resistant coating, and some will even have anti-reflective coatings as standard. Depending on your lifestyle, you may want to add some other coatings to your lenses to provide you with extra protection.

Some of these coatings are:

Anti-smudge >  This coating will prevent smears from showing on your glasses, improving the clarity of vision

UV Coating >  Adding a UV coating can help to provide the same protection as sunglasses, without changing the tint or needing multiple pairs of glasses

Premium coatings will offer a combination of these protective benefits.

There are many variants and options to be considered when choosing both your lenses and frames, and the cost will vary depending on your fashion and visual requirements. To achieve the best value, talk with your optometrist, we are happy to give you advice on what will be best for you.

Regular and comprehensive eye examinations are important for overall eye health. To book an appointment today, get in touch with us.