Eyeglass Lens Options

We offer a wide variety of lens options designed to make your vision as clear as possibe and your eyes as comfortable as they can be!

Polycarbonate Lenses

These lenses are perfect for people who want to protect their eyes. Polycarbonate lenses offer protection from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) light. They are also up to 10 times more impact resistant than traditional plastic lenses. As an added bonus, polycarbonate lenses tend to be thinner and more lightweight than plastic lenses!! Combine this type of lens with a scratch-resistant coating and you have a pair of lenses to protect your eyes for years to come!

We recommend polycarbonate lenses for kids of all ages and people who are active in sports and the outdoors. Remember, you can use polycarbonate lenses in most frames but to get ultimate protection you need to have your impact resistant lenses in an impact resistant frame. Ask our technicians about the best type of frame for you!!

High Index Lenses

Nobody wants to be told that their glasses are as thick as “coke-bottles”, but unfortunately some people need that thick of glasses in order to see. Thankfully high index lenses have come along to provide clear vision in much thinner lenses!!  In addition to being thinner, high index lenses are also lighter and more comfortable. 

All lens materials block some light from getting through the lens.  This blocked light is viewed as reflections and can significantly affect the quality of your vision through your new glasses.  High index lenses block more light than traditional lenses so it is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that you have an anti-reflective coating incorporated into your lenses. For more info on anti-reflective coating see below.

High index lenses are perfect for individuals who want to improve the look and feel of their thicker lenses.

Anti-reflective (AR) Coating

All lens materials block some light from getting through the lens. This blocked light is viewed as reflections and glare and can significantly affect the quality of your vision through your new glasses. This is especially noticeable in low light conditions, such as driving at night.

AR coating allows the tranmission of up to 99% of the available light through your glasses. The result is that you will notice less glare and halos around lights! It has also been shown that it can improve comfort when viewing computer screens for long periods of time!

An added bonus to AR coatings in that it improves the cosmetic appearance of your glasses. Just as reflected light can affect how you see, it can also affect how people see your eyes through your glasses.  Surface reflections of light off the front surface of your glasses make it harder for people to get a clear view of your healthy beautiful eyes. AR coating eliminates these surface reflections making it look (from a straight on view) like you are wearing super thin lenses or no lenses at all!

Almost everyone can benefit from anti-reflective coating especially people who do computer work and those who experience decreased vision while driving at night

Scratch Resistant Coating

Accidents happen….you might drop your glasses or Fido might decide to use them as a chew toy. Either way, lenses that are treated front and back with scratch resistant coating can help minimize the scratches that can occur on lenses from accidents and normal wear and tear.

You can also help protect your glasses by keeping them stored in their case when you are not wearing them. Only clean your lenses with water and a soft microfiber cloth. We also have specialized eyeglass cleaner available in our office. NEVER EVER clean your lenses with window cleaner!!!!

Photochromic Lenses

Wouldn’t be nice to have one pair of glasses instead of switching between sunglasses and regular glasses? Photochromic lenses make that possible.  This type of lens changes from light to dark tint depending on the amount of light it is exposed to.  It is important to keep in mind that photochromic lenses usually do not darken behind the windshield of a car because the windshield blocks the UV light needed to change the color of the lens.

Lined Bifocals and Trifocals

As we mature, we lose the ability for our eyes to focus at arms length and closer distances (also called presbyopia).  Bifocal lenses are separated into two sections, one for distance and a smaller area for reading, by a line. Trifocals are lenses that are separated into three areas, one for distance, one for arms length, and one for reading.

Lined bifocals and trifocals were the gold standard for people with presbyopia before the advent of progressive addition lenses (see below).  Bifocals and trifocals are cost effective and tend to be easier to adapt to than progressive lenses.

Progressive Addition Lenses (PAL)

PAL lenses have now become one of the most popular options for people with presbyopia. Instead of bifocals and trifocals, which only have two and three powers respectively, PAL lenses have many powers that can provide clear viewing of targets that are at almost any distance. These lenses have gained popularity because theymimic the focusing ability of younger eyes.

The best part of PAL lenses is that no one has to know that you use a bifocal. There are no lines for anyone to see!!