What Kind of Eyeglass Lenses are Recommended for Children?

Assessing the visual needs of your child with an eye exam is the first step in protecting your child’s vision.  It is equally important to select lenses that will not only make them see well but also protect their eyes.

Polycarbonate or Trivex lenses are the only lens types that have the potential to reduce—not increase—the risk of serious eye injury.   Polycarbonate and Lexan are used in bullet-proof windshields, safety glasses, helicopter canopies and many other hi performance applications.   Other lens types, including glass and regular plastic (CR-39)  will break into pieces upon impact.  Often the impact from an object does less damage to the victim than the broken eyeglass lenses.

Both polycarbonate and Trivex are thin, lightweight and highly impact resistant.   Kids can do crazy things and accidents can happen, therefore polycarbonate and Trivex are not just recommended for sports but should be used to protect their eyes everyday.

Trivex is highly scratch resistant making it the best option for children.  Polycarbonate is much softer and therefore less scratch resistant, however it is slightly less expensive.  Both lens materials naturally block 100% of UV light without any additional coatings.  The optical qualities of Trivex are much better than those of polycarbonate, therefore there is less distortion and reflection from an ophthalmic lens made of Trivex.  Both lens materials are available in Transitions (get darker outside, lighter inside) and accept an antireflective coating, which prevents reflections, making the lenses look transparent.

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