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Medical Forum / General / Vision / December 2007Wal-Mart is using polycarbonate - should I?
I went to the local Wal-Mart optical store recently and discovered that they are only advertising polycarbonate lenses. I've read a number of old threads about polycarb and the consensus seems to be that it is more prone to scratching then CR39. Wal-Mart does include anti-scratch and AR coating (at no extra $$) which is a great deal, but I wonder if getting polycarb lenses is still a bad idea? I plan to go back and talk to the optician about this and see if CR39 is available, but I thought I'd ask here first. Thanks in advance for your help. >I went to the local Wal-Mart optical store recently and discovered that >they are only advertising polycarbonate lenses. I've read a number of old >threads about polycarb and the consensus seems to be that it is more prone >to scratching then CR39. Polycarb isn't "fragile." I've got an old pair rattling around in my junk drawer that haven't "scratched" appreciably since 1982. They got a little ding when I dropped them 20 feet onto rocks. > Wal-Mart does include anti-scratch and AR coating (at no extra $$) which > is a great deal, but I wonder if getting polycarb lenses is still a bad > idea? Polycarb is favored because it's safer than CR-39. AR coatings, OTOH, are notoriously fragile and prone to get "dirty," except for the premium hydrophobics. > but I thought I'd ask here first. Thanks in advance for your help. CR39 is a little better optically, but if your Rx is > +/-3.00 or the frame is small, it's tough to see the difference. -MT, OD >I went to the local Wal-Mart optical store recently and discovered that >they are only advertising polycarbonate lenses. I've read a number of old [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >about this and see if CR39 is available, but I thought I'd ask here first. >Thanks in advance for your help. Only advertising? What does that mean? I happen to know that Wal-Mart sells several different kinds of lens materials depending on the model you get (although for a given model, they may only have polycarb). Although I am loathe to recommend polycarb to anyone, it does depend on your Rx, especially since CR-39 may be too thick and heavy for a strong corrective lens power. >>I went to the local Wal-Mart optical store recently and discovered that >>they are only advertising polycarbonate lenses. I've read a number of old [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > your Rx, especially since CR-39 may be too thick and heavy for a strong > corrective lens power. By "only advertising polycarbonate lenses" I mean there was a large ad on the customer counter listing three different frame/lens packages and in every case the lenses were polycarbonate. No other lens material was mentioned anywhere in the conspicuous ads. They very well may offer lenses made of other materials, but it wasn't obvious. Obviously I just need to ask, but my reason for posting is to assess the polycarbonate lenses just in case it's all they're offering. > By "only advertising polycarbonate lenses" I mean there was a large ad on > the customer counter listing three different frame/lens packages and in [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > need to ask, but my reason for posting is to assess the polycarbonate > lenses just in case it's all they're offering. Several of the their high-end progressives are only offered in 1.67 index, so I know that they have other lens materials. But it depends on the lens design, and they probably don't offer all materials that are available from the lens manufacturer (at least in my experience). >> By "only advertising polycarbonate lenses" I mean there was a large ad on >> the customer counter listing three different frame/lens packages and in [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > design, and they probably don't offer all materials that are available > from the lens manufacturer (at least in my experience). For the record, I purchased glasses with solamax progressive lenses made of regular plastic (CR39). Plastic was always available, but I had to request it. It was quite a bit cheaper then polycarbonate even after adding the AR coating (only $30 extra). The only restriction was I couldn't select a frame with half rims (that expose the lower edge of the lens which presumably could break more easily). I only had to wait three business days for them which was great. The only criticism I have is the staff were not very knowledgeable. Fortunately I've been wearing progressives for years and understand that positioning is critical. The clueless clerk did not make sure that the frames were set at the correct height and after using them for a couple of days I could tell the reading segment was too high. Fortunately the actual optician waited on me when I went back for an adjustment.
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