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There are several ways to use this site to search for lens
specifications
- Quik Search - Just above where you're reading now, and on every page of the site, there is a red box labeled Quik Search
and the words 'Search by Brandname'. Click this box to display a dropdown list of every lens brand with available information.
Choose the lens you want and click 'GO'. You will be taken to a Quick Reference Chart for that lens showing basic information
such as lens name, material, index of refraction, Minimum Fitting Height (MFH), Add Powers and Power Range.
When you hover over the lens name, it will be highlighted in gold and when you click the name you will be taken to the Details
page for that lens. All available specifications for that lens will be listed here
- By Manufacturer - At the navigation links on the top right of each page point to Search and then
from the dropdown list choose 'By Manufacturer'. You will be taken to a page with every lens listed by manufacturer's
name. If the lens has an asterisk (*) next to it, there is a printable Centration/Cutout chart available for that lens.
You can click any lens name and be taken to the Quick Reference Guide for that lens. See #1 above for further
information on how to use the Quick Reference Guide. You can access the Centration/Cutout charts from either the Details
page or Quick Reference Guide pages using the buttons provided.
- By Details - At the navigation links on the top right of each page click Search. You will be presented with a list
of lens features such as Material, Minimum Seg Height, Color, Photochromic, Polarized and more. Each label is followed by a
dropdown list where you can choose what specifications you need. When you have made your choices click the
'Search For Lenses' button at the bottom.
IF YOU DON'T SEE A GOLD BUTTON LABELED 'SEARCH FOR LENSES' SCROLL DOWN THE PAGE!! The 'Clear Search' button will
clear all dropdown lists. When you click the 'Search for Lenses' button you will be taken to a page that lists
all of your search results. On the Search Results page each lens listed will have 2 buttons beneath it; a Details button
that will take you to a page that lists all of the specifications available for that lens and a button to take you to the
Quick Reference Guide for that lens brand.
You can choose from as many feature lists as you want, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind.
If you choose from too many lists you will get fewer results. Generally you should choose from a minimum of 2 lists. You
will probably always know what material you need and what fitting height you need so start with these. Of course, if you
are looking for a photochromic or polarized lens you will want to choose 'Yes' from the appropriate list. If you only need
a clear lens, be sure to choose 'Clear' from the 'Color' list or your search results will include photochromic and polarized
lenses, which you won't need.
For a more detailed description of each list, please continue reading below.
Lens Materials
Glass Glass lenses are a single category and not divided into high
or low index. The Details page for each lens will give the index of refraction if available.
Plastic-Standard Index This is for resin lenses with an index of refraction less
than 1.54 unless it is Spectralite or Trivex materials which have their own categories. This category
is commonly referred to as 'CR-39', but not all monomers in this category are actual CR-39, which is
a tradename owned by PPG Industries.
Plastic-Mid Index For resin lenses with an index of refraction between 1.54
and 1.59, not including polycarbonate.
Plastic-Hi Index For lenses with an index of refraction above 1.59
Spectralite A proprietary material used by AO SOLA
Trivex A proprietary material created by PPG Industries and marketed under
other tradenames, including Trilogy, Phoenix, Aris and others.
Minimum Fitting Height This will probably
be used in most searches. If you know how high you are fitting your patient you will want to choose the
height from here to eliminate any lenses that must be fit higher.
Lens Color
I have tried to provide a broad stroke for searching lens
color while still providing the ability to 'drill down' for a very specific
need. The 'General' search box will let you search by basic colors like Gray,
Brown, Amber etc. If you are looking for a clear lens choose Clear from
the dropdown menu or your search will include polarized, photochromic and tinted
lenses that you don't need to search through. If you are looking for a photochromic
lens do not choose Clear for the color as all photochromic lenses are described by
their color, not as clear lenses. The 'Specific' search box will let you search
for the color and shade more precisely. If you are looking for a polarized Gray
A lens, and nothing else will do, you can eliminate searching lenses that are
darker by choosing Gray A in the 'Color - Specific' dropdown list. For purposes
of consistency I have used letter designations (A,C) to describe color density
in polarized lenses. Non-polarized lenses will have density types listed as
numbers (1,3) or a percentage of light transmission. This may not necessarily
match how the manufacturer designates the color density, but I hope it helps
to provide consistency in the way it is presented here.
Photochromic
These are lenses that darken when exposed to light, or more correctly, UV radiation.
You don't need to know the trade names - the search results will include all products such as
LifeRx, SunSensors and Transitions in resin materials and PhotoGrey, Thin & Dark and other
glass lens materials. If you are only looking for a photochromic lens in Brown, choose 'Yes'
in the drop down list be sure to also select 'Brown' from the 'Color - General' list so you
don't see results that include gray and other color photochromics.
Polarized
Again, to limit your results, you may want to include the color lens you need from the
'Color - General' list. Color density designations are 'A' for light density and 'C' for
dark densities. Some manufacturers use number designations such as '1' or '3', but I have
listed all polarized lens color densities as alphabetical for the sake of consistency. You will
find the A/C designations in the 'Color - Specific' list.
High/Low Add
Almost all lenses come +1.00D to +3.00D so only
use this if you are looking for lenses outside of this range. If you do need a lens
with a higher add power such as +3.50 or have an emerging presbyope or child with
a +.50, you can limit your results to only lenses that are available for those needs.
You probably won't use this feature much, but it's there for you when you do. The Details page
for each lens will show all available add powers. This feature will
become much more useful in future releases that include bifocal and trifocal
lenses.
Base Curve
Most lenses come in base curves between 2.00D and 6.00D. If you know you're going to
need an 8.00D base curve for that wrap-around sunglass or a plano base to cement
to a diving mask for instance, you can eliminate results that would be too flat or
too steep to accommodate your needs. You probably won't use this feature much, but it's there
when you need it.
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