High Index Lenses

Enjoy the Outdoors This Spring and Summer with 1.67 High Index Lenses

People usually buy high index eyeglasses because of their aesthetic appeal. They don’t produce the bug eye or beady eye effect, and their thinness makes them compatible with a wide variety of stylish frames. Non-glass lenses such as the 1.67 high index lenses are also lightweight, which is an important consideration for spring and summer outdoor activities. Heavy lenses are uncomfortable and poorly suited to hiking, extended walking, or running. By choosing an appropriate frame style and the right lens options, you can fully enjoy the outdoors this spring and summer.

In many ways, exposure to outdoor sunlight is the great equalizer between those who require vision correction and those who don’t. The reason is that many people will use eye-wear for UV and glare protection regardless of their eyesight. In addition, eye-wear makes the runner, hiker, or cyclist look more “hardcore” or serious about their activity whether they are or not.

Here are three suggestions on choosing the right frame and lens options:

Choosing the Right Frame

What distinguishes outdoor from indoor eye-wear is whether it protects your eyes from the elements. This usually means protection from harsh sunlight glare and ultraviolet. This requires a frame that permits a large enough lens so that glare and UV doesn’t reach the eyes from the side. Wraparounds do this exceedingly well and provide better protection from wind. A large flat lens positioned close to the eyes will also work for blocking sunlight, but is less effective at wind protection.

Ultraviolet Protection

If eye-wear doesn’t protect against UV, it isn’t suitable for outdoor use. Intense UV exposure causes snow blindness, a condition that doesn’t necessarily require snow for its occurrence. UV also causes small cumulative damaging effects to the eyes that produce serious eye problems later in life. Fortunately, most high index lenses have a built-in, 100 percent protection against UV. Therefore, there’s no need to get an additional UV blocking coating. Make sure to verify this before your purchase.

UV can also reach your eyes by reflecting off the inside surface of your lenses. UV light scatters from reflective surfaces such as beach sand and water. This scattered light, as well as light from the sun when it’s behind you, can reach your eyes via reflecting off the inside of your lenses. An anti reflective coating prevents this.

Glare

Intensely bright sunlight and blinding light reflected off objects and surfaces constitute glare. Glare interferes with your vision, and with sufficient exposure, becomes uncomfortable and even painful. One of the best anti-glare solutions is a tinted polarized lens. This technology is especially good at blocking reflected glare.

If you intend to spend a lot of time near or on the water such as boating or at the beach, a polarized lens is practically required. These lenses also have a fixed tint that will knock down bright light to a comfortable level. When light levels get somewhat dimmer, the pupils of your eyes will compensate for this so that your vision isn’t affected. The only downside to daytime use of polarized lenses is that their cost is significantly higher than plain tinted lenses.

However, plain tints merely darken reflected glare. Although this reduces its discomfort, it doesn’t help with clarity of vision. Things next to reflected glare are still difficult to see. Transition lenses are like ordinary tints except they compensate for changing light levels by automatically adjusting their tint darkness. This allows their use in very dim lighting. Polarized and transition lenses have the same cost. Like plain tints, transition lenses merely darken reflected glare.

Finally, an anti-scratch coating is recommended to protect your 1.67 high index lenses from the many abrasive elements of the outdoor environment. For answers to any questions about lens options for your high index eyeglasses, don’t hesitate to contact us.