Polycarbonate lenses replace on many optical equipment organic lenses (plastic) or traditional mineral lenses because they are shock resistant, lightweight while being comfortable.
A little history :
Polycarbonate is a material dating back to the 1950s. It was designed for the American aviation because it offered high impact resistance and great optical quality. Around 1970, polycarbonate was used by NASA for the manufacture of visors for astronaut helmets and for the windshields of airplanes and space shuttles. Its optical qualities and performance meant that in the 1980s the optics-eyewear industry became interested in it not only for the manufacture of lenses but also for that of frames .
The advantages of polycarbonate glasses:
Polycarbonate lenses are made by injection, the polymer is heated and then injected into molds until it cools. This material is increasingly used because it has many advantages:
- High impact resistance : polycarbonate lenses are up to 10 times more impact resistant than organic lenses and mineral glass. It is particularly suitable for protective glasses, sports glasses, children's glasses... polycarbonate glasses are almost unbreakable.
- Significant lightness : these glasses are very comfortable because they are very light. For the same correction, organic or mineral lenses are heavier and thicker.
- UV protection : due to their chemical design, polycarbonate lenses protect wearers' eyes from 100% UV rays
- Good optical quality : polycarbonate glasses provide high optical quality without distortion for the wearer and a comfortable field of vision for transparent glasses.
The disadvantages of polycarbonate glasses:
Polycarbonate has only one drawback:
It is a “soft” material which has a low resistance to abrasion; this is why it benefits from a treatment in order to harden the surface of the lenses. This does not make it "scratchproof" but more resistant to scratches. it becomes as hard as organic glass.
For some glassmakers it is more expensive than other materials; Varionet offers safety glasses or anti-blue light computer glasses equipped with polycarbonate lenses at low prices . Indeed, all our digressive and rest lenses are made of polycarbonate!