Choosing the Right Eyeglass Lenses

by | Oct 9, 2015 | Eye Care

When you have to buy eye glasses, the one thing you often focus on is the frame. You want to make certain it is flattering. You want it to be attractive. You want it too look good and not detract from the beauty of your face.

In Grand Rapids, Michigan, this is a given. Where you buy your glasses, they are well aware of the need to feel you look attractive behind a pair of glasses. However, your optometrist knows there should be more to your choice of eye glasses than this. In fact, he or she subscribes to the concept that the importance of eye glasses lies not in the look but in the lenses.

Eye Glasses and Lenses: Four Major Factors

Your choice of eye glasses should actually lie in the following four characteristics:

  • Vision

  • Safety

  • Comfort

  • Appearance

While your optometrist or ophthalmologist may determine the specific visual aspects of your lenses by prescribing them, he or she has little to know say on the other aspects associated with your choice of eyewear. While research indicates men who choose eye glasses tend to opt for practical and durable over appearance, this still gives sufficient leeway when it comes to making safe and solid choices for lenses. In picking the right pair, it become important to understand the various types of coatings that can affect how you perceive the world as well as all the other factors associated with purchasing eye wear.

Common Eye Glass Lens Coatings

In the eye glass stores in Grand Rapids, you will run across a vast selection of lens coatings. Four main types have remained popular, while others may come and go. Technology is also playing a role in making lenses more functional and durable. Among the more popular choices are:

  • Scratch-Resistant Coating: This is the most commonly applied coating. It is almost a given that your eye glasses will feature this characteristic. Yet, to make certain, do ask.

  • Ultraviolet Coating: Like scratch-resistance, many eye glasses feature an ultra violet coating. Again, it is always best to ask whether this is the case.

  • Anti-Reflective Lens Coating: If you need to reduce glare, this is the coating you would ask to have applied to the lenses of your new eye glasses. It acts to reduce such things as halos and reflections. The result is also cosmetically pleasing.

  • Tinted Lenses: Depending upon the demands of your eyes, you may or may not want them to be tinted. Tints can come in different shades (pun intended). They may even reduce the appearance of those fine lines that are found around the eyes as you grow older.

  • Mirror coatings: These are the mysterious eye glasses. The ones that add a mystique. They are purely a cosmetic touch. Not only do they look beautiful on the outside, they hide your eyes from everyone, allowing you to keep your thoughts to yourself.

Looking in Grand River for Eye Glasses

While many people focus on the frame of their eyewear and what it does for them, this should not be their sole concern. Grand River optometrists are careful to note that the lenses are far more important than the actual frames at providing your eyes with the protection they require. Remember this when you are looking for a new pair of eyeglasses. Consider the value of increasing the overall protection of your eyes by purchasing the proper lens covering for your eye glasses.

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