Lenses

Materials

• Standard plastic – the most common material used. Not recommended for rimless or semi-rimless frames due to the risk of cracking or chipping.
• Polycarbonate – a thinner, lighter and stronger plastic material, also commonly used in safety glasses. Often used in rimless and semi-rimless frames
• Super Hi-index – thinner and lighter than polycarbonate, often recommended for higher prescriptions to keep the finished glasses looking better and feeling more comfortable.

Coatings

• Scratch-resistant – standard on all plastic lenses today
• Super scratch-resistant – standard on some lenses, and available as an add-on for others, this provides additional protection for your lenses
• Anti-reflection – also known as ‘multicoat’, this reduces the surface reflections from the lenses, with the effect of improving vision clarity and enhancing the appearance of the glasses. There are different types of anti-reflection coating, some offering better scratch-resistance than others.
• Mirror – used on sunglasses to provide additional glare protection

Tinting

• Photosensitive – reacts to the UV rays to darken, then changes back to clear when indoors. The most well-known brand name for this tint is Transitions.
• Polarised – provides the best relief from glare
• Standard dye tint – provides equivalent UV protection to polarised lenses, but not the same level of glare relief.