{"id":573,"date":"2023-10-27T09:07:29","date_gmt":"2023-10-27T09:07:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.1800getlens.com\/eyetopics\/?p=573"},"modified":"2023-10-30T15:29:30","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T15:29:30","slug":"eyeglass-lens-materials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.1800getlens.com\/eyetopics\/eyeglass-lens-materials\/","title":{"rendered":"Eyeglass Lens Materials"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s No Longer a Simple “Glass or Plastic?” Decision<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Years ago, all eyeglass lenses were made of glass.  Glass lenses have excellent optical quality, but they are thick and heavy.  Plastic lenses\u2014a more comfortable, lightweight alternative\u2014were introduced in the 1940s.  Plastic lenses offer comparable optical performance to glass lenses and are about half the weight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plastic remains the most popular lens material for eyeglasses<\/a> in the United States, accounting for over 50 percent of all lenses sold.  But though plastic lenses are lighter than glass lenses, they too can be thick, especially in moderate and strong prescription powers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, many thinner, lighter lens materials have been developed for eyeglasses. These are called high-index<\/em> lens materials because they have a higher index of refraction<\/em> than regular glass or plastic lenses (see below).  Lenses made with high-index materials are significantly thinner and more attractive than regular glass or plastic lenses of the same prescription power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High-index lenses are available in both glass and plastic materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n