Knowing the type of eyeglass lenses, which one is the most suitable?

The use of glasses with corrective lenses is highly recommended for those of you who experience nearsightedness or refractive errors. The eyeglass lenses used must be in accordance with the visual disturbances experienced, for example minus glasses for nearsightedness and plus for farsightedness. The choice of a suitable lens is also very important for your comfort. Especially if the glasses are continuously used in every activity every day.

Type of good eyeglass lens material

Initially, corrective lenses were made of glass material. This is why the vision aids used are called glasses. However, most of the eyeglass lenses for both minus and plus eyes that exist today are made of plastic.

Although the glass material makes lenses less prone to scratching, glass lenses tend to cause glasses to be heavier to wear and break easily.

Plastic material was chosen because it is lightweight so that glasses are more comfortable to wear, more flexible, and of course safer than glass. In addition, plastic also has the ability to block ultraviolet rays from the sun which can be harmful to eye health.

There are several types of plastic materials used for eyeglass lenses, including:

1. Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate lenses include thin and light plastic lenses. However, polycarbonate lenses are more impact resistant than ordinary plastic materials. The advantages of this material also exist in protection against ultravolet rays.

Therefore, this type of lens is highly recommended for:

• People who are active in sports.
• People who often do extreme outdoor activities.
• People who have jobs are at risk of making their glasses break.

However, many of the patients with severe cylinder eye complain of the poor quality of vision repair of this material. In cylindrical eyes, polycarbonate lenses can provide distortion and bright shadows on the edge of the eye.

2. Trivex

Lenses made from trivex have the same advantages as polycarbonate lenses in terms of resistance to impact. However, lenses from trivex have better light refraction ability than polycarbonate lenses. Therefore, this lens does not easily produce distortion or blurred vision.

Trivex material itself is the newest type of plastic which is lighter in weight, but not as thin as polycarbonate. Its thicker and stronger shape makes this lens perfect for pairing with larger eyeglass frames.

3.High index lenses (high-index lens)

This high index lens is much thinner and lighter. Types of plastic lenses have different degrees of light refraction. The higher the index of the plastic, the thinner it will look.

This plastic lens is the best choice for those of you who need a high enough power of minus or plus glasses. The reason is, wearing ordinary plastic lenses such as polycarbonate and Trivex will make the glasses look thick.

Its thinner shape certainly makes this lens lighter and more comfortable to wear for a long time.

Type of lens protection for more comfortable vision

Still based on the material, some types of lenses above can also be added with a protective layer. The goal is to better maintain eye health. The types of protection for eyeglass lenses that can be used are:

• Antireflection
  Anti-reflective lens shields work to reduce the amount of reflected light so that the eye can capture more light. That way, the correction results from the lens will become clearer and more accurate. The use of this lens will be very helpful for seeing at night, especially for people who experience night blindness.

• Antiultraviolet
  Lenses with anti-ultraviolet provide maximum protection against UV radiation which can increase the risk of developing eye diseases such as cataracts. This protection is easily attached to all types of plastic lenses. There are also lens materials such as polycarbonate that already have UV protection. Therefore, almost all glasses usually have anti-ultraviolet lens protection.

• Lens photochromatic
  This lens protector allows the glasses to change from a clear color indoors to dark outside. This lens is very sensitive to changes in the light intensity around it by using a lens photochromatic, You may not need to replace your sunglasses when you are outdoors.

Find out the most suitable function of eyeglass lenses

Based on their function, there are two types of corrective lenses, namely focal lenses, which have only a single function (minus or plus only), and multifocal lenses, which consist of lenses with two different functions.

Focal lenses are designed to improve symptoms of visual disturbances, namely near or long distances. Meanwhile, multifocal lenses can correct both distance and near distance vision problems.

Therefore, to determine the right type of eyeglass lens, you need to identify the type of lens based on its function. Based on the condition of the eye refraction disorder you are experiencing, you may need lenses such as:

1. Focal or single lens

A single lens consists of only one focus point. For that, this type of lens will be needed when you only experience one visual impairment.

If you experience nearsightedness (myopia), you need a type of concave lens, also known as a minus eyeglass lens.

Conversely, when you suffer from farsightedness (hypermetropy), convex lenses or glasses plus lenses need to be used so that the eyes can again see objects clearly at close range. Plus lenses are also used in reading glasses intended for people with old eyes (presbyopia).

2. Multifocal lens

This type of multifocal lens has a dual repair capability, which is to treat nearsightedness and farsightedness simultaneously. That is, there are minus and plus lenses in one eyeglass. People who often use these lenses are those who experience old eyes that already have minus eye problems.

There are 4 types of multifocal lenses, namely:

• Bifocals
  Bifocals are the most common type of multifocal lens and are used to treat presbyopia. This lens has two focus points. One focus point is at the top which works to improve distance vision, the other is at the bottom to correct the plus eye. Usually, there is a clear border on your glasses that separates the focus points.

• Trifocals
  This eyeglass lens has three focus points, each of which is located at the top, center, and bottom. Respectively, the focus points on the lens from above, center, and below serve to improve vision from near, center, and far.

• Progressive
  Progressive lenses have the same capabilities as bifocal or trifocal lenses. The difference lies in a smoother transition in the change in the focus point of the lens. In progressive lenses there is no clear boundary plane between the focus points. So, your glasses will just look like normal .. The shift of the focus point in the plane of the lens occurs gradually. Although the transition of focus feels smoother, these eyeglass lenses sometimes make the wearer uncomfortable. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmologist, the area of ​​the focus point on progressive lenses usually not too wide because part of the lens area is used for the transition area. This condition makes progressive lenses more likely to cause visual distortion (blurry eyes) than other types of eyeglass lenses.

• Special eyeglass lenses for computer screens
  This type of multifocal lens is specially designed to focus vision on a computer screen. This lens adjusts the view so that it remains within the ideal distance, which is 50-55 cm from the front of the eye. These eyeglass lenses can prevent eye strain and eye strain while making it easier for the eyes to adapt when shifting focus from computer screens to other objects.

To find out the strength of the lens in accordance with the condition of the eye, you need to undergo a refraction examination or an eye vision test.

In this examination, visual acuity will be measured based on a certain distance. From the results of the eye vision test, you will get a prescription for the appropriate glasses to correct the vision problems you are experiencing.