Eyeglass Lenses Treatments

Polarized Lenses

Polarized lenses are by far the best sun protection on the market. It reduces the amount of glare that can enter the eye on bright sunny days, driving directly into the suns direction, or even reflected off of surfaces like water and snow. The lens is actually a layered material in which a very thin polarized film is embedded into the material. This film acts like the vertical blinds of a window and only allows some light to enter the eye while reflecting other directed light away. Tinted lenses only dim light but will not deflect glare as a polarized lens can. Polarized lenses come in many colors and darknesses. Newer studies have found that night time driving is enhanced when wearing a polarized lens. These lenses are very light in color but are extremely helpful for oncoming headlights and driving in the rain.

Transition Lenses

A photochromatic or transition lens is a lens that changes from light to dark when exposed to UV light. Even on cloudy days UV rays pass through cloud cover and the lenses will turn darker. What makes the lens change is the silver halide that is mixed in the material during manufacturing. Earlier transitions lenses were darker in the inactive state and were not nearly as effective as glass for speed or change or sometimes not changing at all. Over the years, lens manufactures refined the process to give an almost clear appearance indoors, quicker turning time and darker activation. An additional layer of the silver halide was added to the front surface prior to front side coating the lenses. Transitions still need UV to be activated so for most, driving in a car behind the UV shielded front window can be a problem. Full time sunglasses are the best recommended lens for driving.

Premium Anti-Reflective

This is a treatment that is applied to lenses to reduce glare and reflection on lenses. This greatly enhances visual clarity and sharpens vision for low light conditions such as night time driving. Due to how the treatment is applied, the base of the treatment adds superior scratch resistance to the lens and does not delaminate or peel like many standard anti reflective coatings. Anti reflective lenses can help reduce eye fatigue and strain tor those who work on computers for long periods of time.

Tinting

Tinting is added to lenses to decrease the amount of light entering the eye for comfort indoors and dark tints reduce light and eye fatigue outdoors. Tinting adds a cosmetic appeal to a pair of glasses but is not the greatest treatment for glare as compared to polarized.

UV

Added to plastic lenses to reduce the amount UV levels that can enter the eye. Most other materials have UV reduction inherent in the material but it must be added to plastic lenses. Indoors the greatest source of eye damage may come from TVs, monitors, and other visual electronic devices.