"jack" <jack[at]yahoo.org> wrote in message
news:gc6a6v$agu$1[at]registered.motzarella.org...
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Polyucarb is especially bad for farsighted patients (with a plus Rx).

Trivex is an excellent lens material. Hoya also has Trivex lens material
(they call it Phoenix) and they have some excellent lens designs, and their
SUPER HiVision premium lens coating is also excellent. The best Hoya
progressive designs are the ID and ID Lifestyle. Unfortunately, not cheap,
but excellent.

The reason why Trivex is not widely offered is that the patent has not
expired (must be licensed from PPG) and it is not as profitable to them as
polycarb.

Here are some websites that discuss Trivex:
http://www.laramyk.com/education/dis...carbonate.html
http://corporateportal.ppg.com/NA/ch...ptical/Trivex/

Here is an availability matrix of Trivex based on lens design (progressives
are on the far right)"
http://corporateportal.ppg.com/NA/ch...ailability.htm

"Mark A" <someone[at]someone.com> wrote in message
news:7yxFk.42389$kh2.11481[at]bignews3.bellsouth.net...
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It seems to be a great material, but since it isn't very popular I am
suspect.
I am a woodworker and impact resistance is important. I have prescription
polycarbonate safety glasses, but they are about as bad as you say.

"jack" <jack[at]yahoo.org> wrote in message
news:jZsFk.61186$891.9363[at]newsfe07.iad...
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Polycarb has high tensile strength and high impact resistance, so polycarb
does help if your lenses are drill mounted or grooved for half frame, but
many labs will be able to use certain other materials also. Personally, I
would rather be blind than wear polycarb (not sure there is a difference,
and if blind one is eligible for social security disability benefits).

It is fairly simple to measure your pupil distance if you have friend that
can help you . You want separate numbers for each side (such as 30/32 mm)
not just one number (such as 62 mm ). If you have an old Rx it may be on
there (doesn't usually change much unless a witch doctor has shrunk you
head). In theory they could find it from the optical center of the lenses
you have now mounted in your frame, but I am not sure how accurate that is,
i.e, where the exact center is located. Lenses come marked with the optical
center and fitting cross so they can be mounted correctly in the frame, but
the markings are removed before you get them..

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I sincerely appreciate your help. All 4 stores were pitching polycarbonate.
It is what I have always used, and have kinda gotten used to the color
fringes.
The frames are half rimless with a plastic strap underneath. When I bought
them I was told only polycarbonate would stay in. Is that true.

When I looked up the premium brand the second store proposed, I found it on
line for less than half price. You send them your old glasses and they put
new lenses in.
I don't have my pupil distance, but they say they can get it off the old
lenses.
Does this sound reasonable?

Mark A wrote:

- quote -

$10 plus the cost of new frames assuming the shop has frames that fit
the lenses. If they don't, I would assume you would have to pay for new
lenses AND new frames.

I once broke the frames on my reading glasses. I just happened to have
a set of yardsale frames that was almost an exact fit, and For Eyes put
the lenses in the yardsale frames for free.

--
Cheers, Bev
================================================== ===========
My house isn't a pigsty, it's an Immunity Enhancement Center.

"jack" <jack[at]yahoo.org> wrote in message
news:9V7Fk.18377$kc.12739[at]newsfe12.iad...
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AR coating has improved significantly over the last 5-7 years in terms of
durability and ease of cleaning, but it still depends on what brand of
coating you get and who applies it. Any AR coating applied at in-store lab
is not going to last long and will be hard to clean (smear). Some of the
premium coatings are easy to clean and fairly tough (for a lens coating) but
they are expensive (they cost more than $30) and the better ones are applied
at the factory (essentially baked on)..

Many premium bi-focals come with a high-quality AR coating (it is not an
additional option) applied at the lens factory, and these are usually the
best. The coatings include Crizal Alize, Zeiss Carat Advantage, and others
from Hoya, Seiko, and other brands.

Wal-mart or Sams optical will charge you $10 extra for purchasing a lens
without a frame (last time I checked), and will not hassle you about, but no
one can be responsible for a frame that breaks during mounting of the lens
if it is not their frame (but if you know the frame is in good shape it will
likely be OK, and you don't have much to loose).

The store that said "machine that would cut the lenses picked up any defect
on the old lenses when it duplicated them, and magnified it" is trying to
con you into buying new frames.

The first store is probably telling you the truth (their premium AR coating
they have does not smear) and it may well be that they way they price
glasses the frames end up being effectively free (although not cheap in
terms of total cost).

With a plus RX and plus add power, I would stay away from polycarb, the
worst lens material commonly dispensed in terms of optical quality (measured
by abbe value). I would look for a 1.60 index lens, which typically has
excellent optics with a premium AT coating and don't even bother if they
make the lenses or apply the coating in the store. Ask them the brand,
model, and material, and post it back here if you need more information
about what you are quoted. Expect a quality pair of glasses to take 3-10
days on average.

My prescription is +1.75 add +2.25, progressive bifocals.

The pair I bought 4 years ago were extremely comfortable, but the lenses got
progressively smearier until they just couldn't be cleaned.

Two years ago I bought two pair (everyday and safety) without the
antireflection coating that apparently failed in the older pair. I didn't
see any glare from not being coated. I just lost my everyday glasses and
figured I would get new lenses in my 4 year old frames, since they were much
more comfortable than either of the new ones.

I went to 4 stores.
The first told me I mistaken about coating; they don't smear and I would be
crazy to not get it. She also thought I would be crazy if I didn't get new
frames also because they wouldn't cost anything with discounts; but just
plain polycarbonate lenses are $400.

The second store agreed that coating smeared; she also identified my lenses
as a premium brand and said new ones would be $330. She warned me that if
my frames broke they weren't responsible.

The third store said that 4 year old coatings smeared but new ones didn't.
Coated lenses were $200 and uncoated $170. However, the machine that would
cut the lenses picked up any defect on the old lenses when it duplicated
them, and magnified it. As such, there could be gaps between the frames and
the lenses; and they weren't responsible.

The fourth store agreed that coating smeared and gave me price of $130. If
the frames broke I could apply the $130 to new frames/lenses. However, they
would have to send my glasses out and it takes 2-3 weeks.

None of these seem like good choices... I think I can dismiss the first
one, but which of the last three makes more sense?

Thanks much