Eyewear at Chenango Vision Center

Chenango Vision Center offers the latest and best designs of eyeglass lenses. Our experienced opticians will help you choose the best lens available for your visual needs.

Glass is the hardest lens material and offers the best protection against scratches. But glass lenses can shatter more easily than plastic lenses, are twice as heavy as plastic lenses, and don't provide as much protection from the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.

For many years, CR-39 plastic has been the standard lens material for eyeglasses. ("CR-39" is the name given to the resin formulation by the original manufacturer.) CR-39 plastic lenses are half the weight of glass lenses, have better ultraviolet (UV) light protection, are less prone to shattering, and can be tinted more easily. And with an added scratch-resistant coating, they are nearly as resistant to scratches as glass lenses. CR-39 plastic lenses are about the same thickness as glass lenses.

Polycarbonate was one of the first "thinner, lighter" lens materials. Polycarbonate lenses are both thinner and lighter than CR-39 plastic lenses. But the most important feature of polycarbonate lenses is their impact resistance. Polycarbonate lenses are 10 times more impact-resistant than glass or regular plastic lenses, making them the preferred choice for safety glasses and eyewear for children and adults who desire lightweight, protective lenses. Polycarbonate lenses also block 100% of the harmful UV light.

Trivex is a relatively new material that is similar to polycarbonate lenses but with higher quality optics, and thus provides clearer vision. Trivex is lighter in weight than standard plastic but not quite as thin as polycarbonate. Trivex is a more rigid material, making it a better selection for rimless or drill mount frames. Trivex is just as impact resistant as polycarbonate and may also be prescribed for children’s lenses, sport lenses and safety lenses.

Polarized lenses are transparent pieces of material, usually glass or plastic, that block certain types of light waves. Sunglasses and camera lenses are often polarized to reduce glare from surfaces, such as light reflecting off a lake or the hood of a car. Somewhat like the way Venetian blinds control the amount of sunlight passing through a window, polarization blocks as much as 50% of the light passing through a lens. The person looking through the lens can still see clearly, but it reduces the brightness and glare of light.

Anti-reflective coating (also called AR coating or anti-glare coating) improves both your vision through your lenses and the appearance of your eyeglasses. Both benefits are due to AR coating's ability to eliminate reflections of light from the front and back surfaces of eyeglass lenses. AR coatings are extemely helpful in high glare environments such as night driving and viewing computer screens.
Chenango Vision Center recomends Crizal Anti glare coatings for superior performance and durability.

Photochromic lenses such as those made by Transitions Optical are clear (or nearly clear) indoors and darken automatically in response to sunlight outdoors. They also protect your eyes from 100 % of the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation. These features make photochromic lenses a great convenience, because they reduce your need to wear prescription sunglasses in most outdoor conditions.
Today's photochromic lenses come in a wide variety of lens materials. So whether you prefer polycarbonate lenses, high-index lenses, or regular plastic or glass lenses, you typically will be able to purchase a photochromic version of your preferred lenses.

Some time after age 40, you will begin to notice the symptoms of presbyopia, including that feeling that your arms "aren't long enough" to hold a newspaper or magazine at a position where you can read it clearly. If you already wear prescription eyeglasses, this generally means you will need to begin wearing multifocal lenses to continue to see clearly at all distances. While most presbyopes these days choose line-free progressive lenses, conventional bifocals and trifocals have some advantages over progressives. In particular, bifocal and trifocal lenses usually provide wider lens areas for reading and computer work than progressive lenses.

Progressive lenses, sometimes called "no-line bifocals," eliminate the visible lines of traditional bifocals and trifocals and hide the fact that you need reading glasses. In addition to cosmetic advantages, progressive multifocal lenses provide a more natural correction of presbyopia. Instead of having just two or three lens powers like bifocals or trifocals, progressive lenses are true "multifocal" lenses that provide a seamless progression of many lens powers for all viewing distances. Chenango Vision Center recomends Varilux brand progressive lenses for their superior optics.

For more information about eyeglass lenses visit Allaboutvision