High Definition Lenses
What Are High Definition Lenses? Are They Worth the Cost?
Recently, you may have heard a few unfamiliar terms during your search for a new pair of glasses: terms like “HD eyeglasses,” “digital lenses,” “high def eyewear,” even the seemingly unrelated “free-form lenses”.
These all refer to the same concept: high definition lenses. Many eyeglass wearers looking to update their prescriptions or take advantage of the latest tech with their existing prescription are finding the list of optional features looking much better than before. Few of these options get more questions than high definition lenses. To help clear things up, with an eye towards dispelling marketing hype, here is a breakdown of what high definition lenses are and which types of eyeglass wearers might most benefit from this new approach to lens customization:
HD Glasses: Technological Marvel or a New Way to Nickel & Dime?
For someone with a great pair of prescription lenses already helping them see the world clearly, this might understandably come off as a vacuous marketing term.
Sometimes, the way these lenses are described only serves to bolster this impression – however true it may be. Common examples are:
- Digital lenses help you see more clearly than ever before
- High def lenses provide the same leap in clarity as going from standard definition to HDTV
- Why stop at 20/20 vision if your glasses can be even better?
And there exist many more similar phrases more oriented towards selling than truly describing. For modern consumers, often much more savvy than in the past, these types of comments come off as sales copy. But even if a customer does the research, even direct feedback from knowledgeable sources is somewhat inconclusive. Generally, the response is that people notice an improvement in various settings, just not what they were hoping for. Yet, each one of these statements is essentially truthful. High definition lenses are, for most patients, a notable improvement. As the following sections will explore, this depends on a number of factors. And while going from SDTV to HDTV resolutions is something of an overstatement for the many eyeglass wearers who upgrade to HD lenses — going from 480p to 1080p TV resolutions was a pretty big leap — that’s more of an exaggeration than outright misdirection.
The Digital Difference
Lens technology has always continually developed at a breakneck pace behind the scenes. But, many of these innovations take a great deal of time to appear on the mass market and ready for wide consumer use. The digital processes behind HD lenses are the culmination of decades of research & development in large part because the standard heavy-duty lens grinding process was already fast, dependable, and relatively accurate.
By using a new all-digital approach, starting with the instruments used to take far more exact measurements during each patient’s exam and ending with a high-detail cutting process, the final result is lenses that perform better under far more varied conditions. This is where the alternate term “free-form lenses” stems from. HD lenses are not pre-designed cuts being reshaped to match a prescription; the process is an entirely free-form approach to designing the shape of the entire lens. And, yet again, we run into a vague term, “perform better.” So let’s get into how that works, and what that actually means:
How HD Lenses Solve Higher-Order Eyesight Aberrations
The most familiar eyesight aberrations are terms like astigmatism, farsightedness, and nearsightedness. However, many patients have what’s known as higher-order eyesight aberrations. This is an incredibly broad reference category, that includes such varied aspects of the eye like the shape of the cornea or the presence of minor cataracts. It even includes patients that suffer from intermittent eye dryness, directly affecting the ability to see properly.
An exam that accounts for HD lenses can address these extremely minor peculiarities, giving a patient who already benefits from eyeglasses a further boost in their day-to-day sight.
Which Patients Benefit Most From HD Lenses?
Outside of eyeglass wearers with non-standard frame choices and those with multiple higher-order eyesight aberrations, any patient with a progressive lens prescription is among those who would most obviously benefit from high-definition lenses. Progressive lenses are a lot for traditional lens techniques to handle, and it’s to the credit of the engineering behind lens grinding that they existed at all before digital processes emerged.
The digital version of progressive lenses provides a 40% wider field of vision, right off the bat. While this article has mostly addressed minor improvements or highly specific patient needs, this is a simple objective measure of exactly how much a major group of eyeglass wearers can benefit from HD lenses. The transition between zones — such as from reading to distance viewing — is also improved, creating a more natural and smooth visual experience. Another patient type is those who need lighter glasses. This common issue is often related to nasal passage and general breathing issues. Because digital lenses can be cut to much thinner sizes, it makes wearing glasses on a daily basis much more accessible.
Improvements in Anti-Reflective Coating
There are worries many eyeglasses patients associate with anti-reflective coating. Many experienced issues like increased smudging, difficulty cleaning, and fogging up frequently. With HD lenses quickly becoming the standard, anti-reflective coatings have improved in kind. Newer formulations of anti-reflective coatings look and feel like glasses without them, only becoming noticeable when in situations like driving at night where they heavily limit reflection.
For even those without HD lenses, the current form of anti-reflective coating is a must for heavy computer users and for improving general low-light visibility.