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Lenses
and Lifestyles
Glass or Plastic
Sunwear lenses are made of either plastic or glass. Plastic is
thinner, lighter, and more breakage-resistant. Glass affords more
precise, distortion free vision... and does not scratch as easily
as plastic. More than half of all plastic sunglass lenses are
made from CR-39, a scratch-resistant plastic. The remainder are
made from Polycarbonate, which offers superior breakage resistance,
but scratches more easily than CR-39. (Polycarbonate usually requires
scratch-resistant coatings.)
If you intend to use
your sunglasses for sports, consider polycarbonate lenses.
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Lens Options
Blue-Blocking Lenses -- Offer protection from harmful light in
the blue range. They are designed to filter out blue light, protecting
against damage to the eye and they increase visual acuity in dominant
blue light conditions.
Polarized Lenses
-- Greatly reduce reflected glare and are excellent for driving,
sailing, fishing, skiing and any other activity where there is
glare off snow, water, or sand.
Mirrored Lenses
-- Reflect light, screening out more glare for added comfort;
however, they may scratch easily. Anti-reflective and UV coatings
may be added. Mirrored finish can be used over regular tints,
polarized and photochromic lenses as well as over gradient and
double gradient tints.
Anti-Reflective
Lenses -- Can be used to reduce reflected glare for better
vision or for cosmetic appearance. Anti-reflective coatings on
rear lens surfaces can be used with any tint or front-surface
coating.
Photochromic Lenses
-- Respond to intensity of Ultraviolet light by changing from
lighter to darker in intense sunlight. Great for those in and
out of doors frequently.
Gradient Lenses
-- Darker at the top, reducing glare from above.
Double Gradient
Tinted Lenses -- Dark at the top and bottom, clearer at the
center, protecting from direct light above and reflected light
below.
