What are High-Index Lenses: Why Do You Need Them?

What is the Difference between High-index lenses and Standard lenses?

The dominant feature of high-index lenses from regular prescription lenses is the weight and thickness. These two lenses work the same and offer vision correction however they are different in size which is impressive towards convenience.

Weight: High-index lenses are with different types of plastic and glasses material that is denser in quality. Your standard lenses are made with plastic and glasses which are simpler and not denser as compared to high-index lenses. With increased density of the lenses, it is able to bend more light competently without needing more material. Therefore these are called “higher” indexes because the index refers to the ability of refracting light of material. Density makes these lenses achieve refraction without any additional material hence they are not heavy. It is lightweight which makes people switch.

The standard lenses require more material to be able to refract light for higher prescription hence more material is added. That ultimately makes the standard lenses much heavier to carry around in your eyes. The weight of the lenses generates an impact on the nose of the wearer who feels like carrying a stone on their face. People try to take them off whenever they don’t require them as the weight itself is simply unbearable for kids and adults.

Thickness: High-index lenses are much denser and don’t require any more addition of material. That makes these lenses extremely thinner which is favoured by the customers. The thickness of the lenses offers comfort, style and a lot of options with frames. Many a time, people couldn’t go rimless with high prescription because the thickness was too visible but with thin high-index lenses, it is a dream come true.

Standard lenses are thicker on the edges mostly which severely impact its appearance and prove to be prickly when going for frames. Not many frames can render its outer thick edges and it doesn’t fit. The thickness of these lenses are not appreciated as it does not allow fashion to exist and you are stuck with simple-looking singular frames for most of your lifetime.

How Do High-Index Lenses Operate?

To follow the working of high-index lenses, we need to understand how every lens works to develop a vision. Our eyes comprise three separate parts that help to focus the light rays on the cornea to produce an image. The light rays enter the retina, pass through the lens and pupil and reach the cornea to form the beautiful visual we typically perceive. The crystalline lens plays the most commanding part in projecting the light rays.

However, many of us develop refractive error which gives us poor vision. It takes place due to disarrangement of the lenses in the eye where the lenses miss aligning the rays properly to construct an accurate image. Since the natural part of the eye fails to arrange the vision, we wear artificial lenses in our glasses to get our true vision back. These lenses help to treat the refractive errors by bending the light rays whenever it passes through the lens of the glasses. It is designed in a way that the light bends and reaches the cornea as it used to formerly.

Now you must inquire what is up with the different prescriptions. Well, your lens in the eye can disarrange in many alternative ways; it can be a low problem or high problem. If the lens is disarranged badly, you’ll need higher prescription glasses to bend more light. If the lens is bent lightly, then the lower prescription is needed. The lenses are made with plastic or glass and depending on the state of your lens, it is carved into a thicker or thinner shape.

High prescription eyes demand thick lenses as they require more level of light bending which further makes glasses bulky and heavy. With hefty lenses, the struggle of carrying them and comfort almost diminishes for the user. Heavy lenses get a very limited option in frames, and it doesn’t look great on the wearer. That’s where high-index glasses ace the demand in a single stroke. High-index glasses contain high-prescription to cure your refractive error but it is not heavy. It is lightweight and thinner which makes them handy and comfortable to wear. They bend the light perfectly to offer you the vision but efficiently with thinner and lightweight. It feels almost invisible to carry around.

What are the benefits of High-index lenses?

Big help with higher-prescription

If you have a refractive error and are suffering from nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, then don’t go for a heavy standard lens. High-index lenses are an enhanced solution for strong prescription eyes as the lenses are slim, lightweight and comfortable to wear around. With high-prescription, the eye problems are already enough hence if you find a remedy for your vision, it offers a better mode of accommodation.

Slim and Smooth.

There’s no denial of how high-index lenses are thin but help you with your high-prescription. The slimness of the lenses gives great bending of light to offer accurate visuals. The slimness of the lenses also allows experimenting with different frames of all types and styles.

Looks Attractive

Standard lenses with thickness look bulky and heavy on your face while the high-index lenses are smooth and thin. The thinness of the lenses makes your glasses look attractive as there are no thicker edges to distract your look. It looks like a pretty plain type of lens that doesn’t tell your age off at first glance.

Works great on all age groups

From children to older adults, everyone wears corrective glasses all over the world. Heavy and thicker standard lenses might still be bearable but with kids and teenagers, it becomes exhausting. Though it is rare to see kids with prescriptions, it's still there. In fact, it has been reported that 69% of kids are born with 1.00D of astigmatism which with time can increase hence high-index glasses provide a convenient solution for every age group. So, if you are looking for thinnest glasses lenses for high prescription, look no more- high index lenses are there to the rescue.