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At Blink Vision – we will offer you the right lens material that fits your unique vision prescription.
The first generation of plastic lenses made for glasses were called Columbia Resin #39 or more commonly known as “CR-39”. This first use of this plastic was to help create fuel tanks for the B-17 bomber aircraft in World War II. The reduced weight helped increase the range of the bombers. Following the war, the material was adapted to be used in eyeglasses lenses in 1947. The CR-39 was created to be an alternative to the heavy glass lenses. It weighs about half of the amount of glass lenses.
The first high-index plastic was polycarbonate. Polycarbonate was originally developed for fighter jet cockpits. It is very strong, very light, and resistant to scratches and breaking. Most sports lenses are made of polycarbonate.
Other high-index materials are classified by numbers. The higher the number, the thinner and lighter the lens. The lower numbers are classified as mid-index lenses. Mid-index lenses, such as 1.54, 1.56, and 1.57, are thinner than glass, and nearly as strong as CR-39. Trivex is an improvement over Polycarbonate. It is lighter and more scratch resistant and has high-impact resistance like Polycarbonate.
The thinnest and lightest eyeglass lenses are the high-index lenses, such as 1.67 and 1.74. These lenses are much lighter and thinner than regular glass or CR-39 plastic
660 West Cherry Street
North Liberty, IA 52317
Mon: 8:00 am to 5:30 pm
Tue: 12:00 pm to 6:30 pm
Wed: 8:00 am to 5:30 pm
Thu: 8:00 am to 5:30 pm
Fri: Closed