Thinner and lighter (High Index Lenses)

Name: thephilster

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Product:	High Index Lenses
Date:	06/08/00 (758 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Thinner, lighter, better looking

Disadvantages: More expensive

High index spectacle lenses are thinner and lighter than normal spectacle lenses. This makes them ideal for people with higher prescriptions. Quality lenses in high index plastics and glass are available from Nikon, Zeiss, Hoya. Pentax and Rodenstock and various other companies. Some people are very fussy or very self-conscious about how thick their lenses look. For these people, high index lenses are a great way of reducing the thickness and also the weight. For an even thinner lens, aspheric lenses are available. These lenses are slightly flatter than spherical lenses and this makes the lenses look thinner. The downside with aspheric lenses is that some people have trouble with distortions at the periphery, although with the current trendy (small) frames there isn't a lot of periphery to see.
High index lenses also tend to come with all kinds of coatings. Normally an anti-reflection, anti-scratch and hydrophobic coating. This means lens scratches less easily, reflects less light (a good thing both cosmetically and technically) and repels water. The hydrophobic coating reduces the ease with which the lenses steam up.
As with most things in life, however, this extra "performace" comes at a higher price than ordinary lenses. Prices will vary between manufacturer and your dispensing optician will probably be able to advise you.

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