What is the difference between plastic and polycarbonate lenses?

Answers (6)

• Riley

  10/17/2012

  Compared plastic lenses, polycarbonate lenses are more durable, lighter and impact-resistant. Besides, polycarbonate lenses can also provide UV protection that plastic lenses can't. If you want to get UV protection from plastic lenses, you need to add UV coating on the lenses. In fact, polycarbonate lenses are considered the most durable lenses materials that often apply to make sports goggles or safety goggles. So, there is no doubt that polycarbonate lenses are better than plastic lenses.

  Helpful(2 ) Report Abuse

• chemicalumnesnt

  10/19/2012

  Polycarbonate lenses are known to be safer and thinner but rather lack optical clarity. And also, Polycarbonate lenses are also known to be thinner and lighter than traditional type lenses. Polycarbonate lenses offers you total protection from UV light and radiations. On the contrary, ordinary plastic offers you minimum protection from UV light. If you use plastic lenses, you may need to invest in antiglare material to protect you from any harmful rays. So in my opinion, you should choose Polycarbonate lenses.

  Helpful(1 ) Report Abuse

• eomentinb

  01/22/2015

  Depends on what your prescription is and what kind of frame you're using. Lower prescriptions _2.00 don't really need polycarbonate to make the lens thinner. One of the main differences between traditional plastic and polycarbonate is that polycarbonate material is impact resistant and shatter proof.

  Helpful(1 ) Report Abuse

• Benjamin gary

  10/17/2012

  Maybe polycarbonate lenses are better for you. prescription eyeglasses typically use lenses that are made of plastic or polycarbonate. Compare plastic and polycarbonate lenses, high-index plastic lenses have a refractive index between 1.6 and 1.74, and polycarbonate lenses have refractive index between 1.5 and 1.59. That is to say, polycarbonate has thinner lenses. In general, the stronger the prescription of the lens, the thicker and heavier the glasses. Polycarbonate lenses are ligher than plastic lenses. On the other side, polycarbonate lenses can prevent 100% UV light and radiation, but plastic lenses use an anti-glare or UV coat to reduce the harmful light. And polycarbonate lenses are 10 times more impact-resistant than ordinary plastic lenses. And plastic lenses are more cost effective than polycarbonate lenses.

  Helpful(0 ) Report Abuse

• harris

  11/05/2012

  Polycarbonate lenses offer the benefit of safety and thinness but typically lack the optical clarity of regular plastic lenses.So as you can see, they have their own advantages, now you should decide what's your basic need. My suggestion is that choose polycarbonate lenses because it can provide you a safer circumstance and they are much more thin as I said at the beginning.

  Helpful(0 ) Report Abuse

• Rebecca

  02/03/2015

  Polycarbonate lenses are better than plastic lenses. In fact, polycarbonate lenses are usually applied to sports goggles to shield the eyes. And polycarbonate lenses are 10 times impact-resistant than common plastic lenses. Besides, the polycarbonate lenses have UV protection themselves. So, It is a good idea to try them. And consult the optician if they are polycarbonate lenses.

  Helpful(0 ) Report Abuse
  EyeSight Hawaii

  0 Reviews

  650 Iwilei Road, Suite 210 Honolulu, HI 96817

  808-735-1935