OPHTHALMIC LENS MENU
This “menu” will help you understand your glasses lens options. Our opticians will explain and demonstrate the lens materials, designs and treatments that are most appropriate for your needs.
- Lens Material
- Lens Treatment
- Lens Design
- Sun Protection
- A lens for every lifestyle
- Vision Safety Notice
Plastic Lenses – are half the weight of glass lenses and don’t fog up as easily as glass.
High-index Lenses – are lighter and thinner than regular lenses and are especially appealing in higher prescriptions.
Impact Resistant Lenses – are lightweight and the best choice for children, teens, active adults, occupational safety and anyone needing the best available eye protection.
Glass Lenses – offer superior optics and the best scratch-resistance however they must be specially treated for impact resistance and can be heavier to wear than other lens materials.
UV Protection – shields your eyes from harmful ultraviolet rays. Plastic and glass lenses may require UV coating. High-index and high impact resistant lenses automatically provide UV protection in the lens material.
Scratch Resistant Coatings – are recommended to protect lenses from everyday wear-and-tear. Some materials such as impact resistant, high-index lenses and several new plastic lens designs automatically include scratch protection.
Anti-Reflective Coatings – reduce eye fatigue while viewing computer screens and driving at night. They also improve your appearance by reducing unwanted light reflection.
Single Vision – this all-purpose lens is available in all materials and can be used for either distance, intermediate or near vision correction.
Multifocals – will be suggested when both distance and near correction are needed together in a single lens.
No-line Progressives – correct for far (driving a vehicle), intermediate (viewing a dashboard) and near (reading a map) vision all in one lens. Because there is no visible line, progressive lenses have the appearance of single-vision lenses and are a cosmetically desirable multifocal. Progressives are available in all lens materials.
Bifocals – provide both far (driving and near (reading map) correction in one lens.
Trifocals – are like progressive lenses but with visible lines. The majority of the lens is for distance viewing, the centre portion is for intermediate focusing while the lower portion is for near-viewing.
Thinner, flatter lenses – are recommended when a prescription is “high-minus” and thicker at the outer edges or “high-plus”, and thicker in the middle. Flatter lenses enhance lens appearance by reducing edge or centre thickness and are lighter weight.
Aspheric Lenses – offer less magnification of minification of your eyes and your view. Edge-to-edge visual clarity means that vision will remain clear as the eyes move rather than “blur out” when the viewer looks away from the centre of the lens.
Specialty Lenses – are recommended when work-related, hobby, or recreational uses require task-specific viewing and the best visual protection and/or performance.
Industrial/Occupational Lenses – allow us to customize lenses for any occupation or safety requirement. Be sure to tell us what you do at work.
Computer Lenses – if you’re working at a computer video display terminal (VDT) for more than two hours a day you may need variable focus lenses. These lenses help correct vision for the specified length of your eye to the computer screen and the immediate vicinity. A variety of computer-specific lenses include special filters, tints and anti-reflective coatings.
Sports Lenses – come in many designs, colours and treatments. Safety is key with sports eyewear, so tough high impact resistant lenses are always recommended. Even swimming goggles can have a prescription in them.
Photochromatic Lenses – become darker in the sun and lighter indoors. These lenses are light and available in a variety of colours.
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun will cause cataracts and damage the inner layer of the eye – the retina.
Sun Glasses – are only protective if they have an ultraviolet (UV) filtering coat.
Polarized Lenses – are the best lenses to eliminate glare for hunters, boaters, fishermen, golfers and drivers. Any surface including water, sand, snow, windows, windshields and buildings can create glare from sunlight. Polarization filters out horizontal light to reduce eye fatigue and comes in several colours.
Tinted Lenses – the majority of lenses can be tinted in a variety of colours and shades. Tints for sun lenses are usually medium to dark. They can be solid through the whole lens or gradient – that is, they can be darker on top fading to lighter or clear at the bottom.
Mirrored Lenses – provide a reflective surface that makes your eyes invisible to viewers while keeping you protected from glare and heat. Mirrors come in a variety of colours to enhance visual performance.
What are your needs?
- Computer Specialist – Computer lenses
- Indoor/Outdoor – Photo-chromic lenses
- Athlete – High impact resistant lenses
- Fisherman – Polarized sun lenses
- Everyday Living – Progressives
There is a lens for all your activities. Your lifestyle will affect our recommendation for you. Consider your vision requirements and discuss your choices with us.
Be sure to inform us of your safety needs. The type and style of frame is an important factor in determining how much protection your eyeglasses will provide. Many frames are designed for appearance, not protection.
Federal law requires all lenses to meet a standard of impact resistance. Lenses used for dress eyewear are not required to meet as rigorous an impact resistance standard as lenses used in industrial or sports spectacles.
No lens is unbreakable or shatterproof. A lens can break into sharp pieces that can cause eye injury or blindness. Even if the lenses do not break, the frame can break and result in serious eye injury.
The impact resistance of your lenses depends on how well you protect them from physical shock and abuse. Scratches or pitted lenses should be replaced. If your occupation or recreational activity exposes you to severe risk of flying objects or physical impacts, eye safety may require special safety spectacles with safety lenses, side shields, goggles, and/or a full face shield.