Prescription eyeglasses typically make use of lenses that are made using glass, plastic,or polycarbonate.If you love optical clarity to be a major attribute that defines your eyeglasses, plastic lenses might be the best option for you. However,polycarbonate lenses are known to be safer and thinner but rather lack optical clarity.

So what really is the difference that exists between plastic and polycarbonate lenses?

The refractive index

The refractive index simply refers to the rate at which light tends to bend as it passes through the lenses.Thinner glass lenses are known to have a higher refractive index. The refractive index of polycarbonate lenses and ordinary plastic is 1.59 and 1.5 respectively.

Weight and width

Polycarbonate lenses are also known to be thinner and lighter than traditional type lenses.Stronger prescriptions of these lenses come with thicker and heavier sunglasses.Polycarbonate lenses therefore offer the greatest benefits to high prescription patients or rather those who are nearsighted.

UV light protection

Again, polycarbonate lenses offers you total protection from UV light and radiations. On the contrary, ordinary plastic offers you minimum protection from UV light. If you use plastic lenses, you may need to invest in antiglare material to protect you from any harmful rays.

About safety

Whenever safety needs to be considered, polycarbonate lenses are given priority. These lenses are known to be more impact- resistant as opposed to the case with plastic lenses. That is why such lenses are commonly used in sport glasses, safety goggles, and children eyewear.

Cost

Of course this is an aspect that you have to consider whenever you are purchasing any product or service out there. Even though the cost of these lenses varies greatly from one region to another, polycarbonate lenses are known to cost more than plastic lenses. You may have to chip in 10 to 100 USD more to buy polycarbonate lens eyeglasses.Again, plastic lenses seem to respond more to tints while polycarbonates do not. Polycarbonate lens on the other hand are known to cause a bit more distortion than ordinary plastic and therefore not recommended to people who are much more prone to vision distortion. It is also worth noting that plastic lenses are not easily scratched.

Therefore, polycarbonate is lighter, thinner, scratch resistant, and impact resistant and more so offers the benefit of reliable UV radiation protection. Since plastic tends to be thicker than polycarbonate, it is recommended that you invest in a scratch coat to add onto the poly so as to extend the life of the lenses.

There are many differences that exist between these two types of sunglasses. Optometrists recommend that if you started using any of these lenses and they seem to be working for you, it is important to stick to that type of lens for the rest of your life. Any changes might affect your vision and even cause more eye problems.

In conclusion, plastic lenses are lightweight, shatterproof but tend to scratch easily. Failure to clean them again affects visual acuity. If only you can invest in the scratch resistant coast and properly clean the lenses, they will surely serve you best. On the other hand, polycarbonate lenses tend to be thinner and shatterproof. They are also called impact resistant lenses. This means that they are some of the safest lenses to use around. With all these differences explained, personal preferences and needs would define which one of these you would choose to go with.