lowest price
plastic lenses
Plastic or CR39 is as close to glass in clarity that you can get. It’s the most cost effective solution, and very easy to tint. With plastic lenses, you will generally have thicker or heavier lenses than using Polycarbonate (“Poly”). Plastic is easy to scratch, crack or shatter. Plastic lenses can’t be used with drill mounted or semi-rimless frames. Children under the age of 18 cannot be prescribed plastic lenses.
most common
polycarbonate lenses
Polycarbonate or “poly” for short is very impact resistant. Poly lenses are thinner, lighter and more durable than plastic lenses. Unlike plastic, poly lenses are able to be used for drill mounted or semi-rimless frames. With these additional pro’s in poly’s favor, there is additional cost. While we put anti-scratch on all of our poly lenses, they can be easily scratched. Poly does have lower clarity than it’s glass or plastic cousins. Poly, while it can be tinted, does not take tint very well.
best for strong prescription
High-Index Lenses
If you have a high prescription, High-Index is the way to go. We can get the thinnest lens with High-Index lenses. Ever had that “soda bottle” look? Say goodbye to it with high index lenses. Many times, people use high index lenses on vanity glasses. High index lenses are lighter and thinner than plastic, but heavier than poly. Because it takes a lot of work to make these lenses thinner, High-Index lenses are usually the most expensive lenses. We add anti-scratch and anti-reflective coating to all high index lenses due to the amount of reflection that can occur with high-index lenses.
highest clarity
glass lenses
Glass has the highest clarity and greatest optical quality due to it’s high ABBE value. With no coatings it is very scratch resistant. Glass is very heavy. If you’re not used to it, it may not be for you. Glass is NOT impact resistant and can chip or shatter when dropped.