Blake Kuwahara Merrill

Choosing The Right Lens Options, Materials and Coatings for your Eyeglasses and Sunglasses

Our opticians are always available and happy to make recommendations for your lens selection. We also always review submitted orders and will contact you if we have any recommendations for changes based on your prescription, measurements or frame choice.

Plano lenses – These lenses are non-prescription. The demo lenses that come in eyeglass frames are not meant to be worn. If someone wants to wear clear glasses with no prescription, they still need to get optical quality plano lenses. They can also add special features like anti-reflective coating, transitions or blue blocking.

Basic Reader lenses – These lenses are basic plus powers with no actual prescription from an eye doctor. They are similar to over the counter readers, except the lenses we make will be custom fitted high grade optical quality with premium anti-reflective coating.

Single Vision lenses – These lenses are one prescription for distance, intermediate (e.g. computer use) or near (e.g. reading use).

Progressive and multifocal lenses – These lenses have multiple prescriptions built into the lens so you can see your distance, near and everything in between.

Materials

• CR39 Plastic lenses – Basic lenses with excellent acuity.
• Polycarbonate lenses – For a slightly heavier prescription, this is a thinner and lighter option. It is also impact resistant making it great for sports for safety reason. It is also the required lens for children and young adults under 18.
• 1.67 High Index lenses – For heavy prescriptions, this lens will be much thinner and lighter.
• 1.74 High Index lenses -  The thinnest and lightest lens on the market.

Anti-Reflective Coating (AR) – AR coating prevents glare and increases the acuity of the lens. Ours is so advanced, it has a 2-year warranty against surface defects and minor scratches.

Blue Blocking – Blue light filtering lenses protect your eyes from the damaging HEV light emitted from your iPhones, iPads, PDAs, and computer screens.

Transitions – These lenses react to UV by getting darker, which means you can enjoy the convenience of going in and out without having to alternate between eyeglasses and sunglasses – the lenses will adjust by getting clearer and darker on their own.

Polarized lenses – these sunglass lenses cut glare by blocking reflecting light bouncing off of surfaces; a great choice for optimized sunglass performance.

Digital lenses – these lenses are laser surfaced and digitally compensated giving you High Definition quality vision. It's like going from an old tube TV to the latest digital flat screen TV. It is a recommended upgrade for single vision lenses. All of our progressive lenses are automatically digital.