How to Choose Eyeglass Lenses

When purchasing eyeglasses, you are faced with numerous options. After choosing the style and color of the frames, you may opt for basic lenses that are customized to your prescription and to fit the shape of your frames, but there are several types of lenses available, at additional costs, that include more features than a regular lens.

Instructions

• 1

  Reduce eye strain from night driving and computer screens with metal oxide-coated lenses. This produces an anti-reflective property that helps to decrease reflections and glare for safer driving and fewer headaches.

• 2

  Opt for a high-index lens if you have a very strong prescription. A basic lens will be very thick, or like a "Coke bottle," but high-index lenses are made from plastic or thin glass for a more chic appearance.

• 3

  Block dangerous ultraviolet (UV) rays with polarized lenses, which offer protection from the sun and better color definition. Also consider photochromatic lenses for automatic UV protection; these lenses look like clear lenses indoors and become darker, like sunglasses, when exposed to sunlight.

• 4

  Reduce the risk of injury in case of a car accident or high-impact activities such as sports with shatterproof polycarbonate lenses. The polycarbonate coating is very strong and durable, with a higher resistance to impact. Parents can protect their children's glasses by choosing polycarbonate lenses to avoid any damage while playing.