The ultimate guide to understanding the basics of Lenses and how to choose the right one for you

At Gaya Opticians, we look at your lenses differently. We are aware that everyone’s eyes are different. That’s why the lenses your glasses should be tailored to your individual needs, and not just your prescription. At Gaya Opticians, we’ll ask about your lifestyle, test your eyes thoroughly, discuss your options and help you find the very best solution for your prescription lenses. You can read about the different types of lenses we offer here.

Spectacle lenses types and materials

Lenses types and materials	Description
Single Vision lenses	Set for 1 viewing distance only - which may be near, intermediate or distance.
Progressive lenses	These have 3 main zones for distance, intermediate and reading so users can enjoy the convenience of not having to take their glasses on and off and can view all distances in one lens.
Bifocal lenses	Bifocals are sectioned into two distinct parts, which give the user clear distance and generally near with no transition or correction in between.
Active lenses	Much thinner and lighter than ordinary plastic lenses, these have ten times more impact resistance than standard lenses and screen out 99.9% of the sun’s harmful UV rays.
High Index lenses	Ideal for strong prescriptions but without the bulk of the thickness, feature an anti-reflective coating and provide 99.9% UV protection.
Plastic lenses	Our standard lenses that can be given an anti-reflective coating to block out the sun’s harmful rays.

Technically advanced add-ons

Add-ons	Descriptions
Digitally surfaced lenses	These provide the wearer with better viewing at every point on their lens surface resulting in a wider field of view, due to the highly innovative point-to-point technique used in their crafting.
Polished edges	Make the edges of your lenses appear clearer, thinner and less visible.
Tints	Available in a variety of colours to match your personal style or to enhance sight for specific activities with lenses fully tinted, graduated or given a mirror coating.
Invisibles Ultra	A special lens coating that resists dirt, water and smudges, it reduces reflection by up to 80% and repels water droplets for all-round better vision.
Blue light lenses	With a technical name of ‘Crizal Prevencia’, this coating helps reduce harmful blue light emitted by the electronic devices we use day to day. Over time, blue light can have an impact on the retina. The Crizal Prevencia coating, through its blue-light filtering increases visual comfort for the wearer.
Transitions® Signature™ lenses	These provide a superior visual experience by being more reactive to varying outdoor light conditions. They are more responsive to outdoor light and that means they get darker when you’re facing away from the sun, in reflected light and at different times of day and block 100% of UV rays. When you go inside, they quickly become fully clear like a regular lens.

Special lenses

Lenses	Description
Office All-Rounder	The Office All-Rounder has been designed with the needs of computer users in mind for the office environment. With a larger intermediate vision zone, these lenses are best suited to those people needing an extended intermediate lenses to use on digital devices up to 2m and has a small distance area to see projector screens or use their glasses walking around the office. These lenses are not suitable for driving.
Transitions® lenses	They are photo chromatic, adjusting smoothly to different levels of ultraviolet to be clear indoors but dark outside when it’s bright. They provide glare reduction and UV protection in any light and are an excellent choice for everyday use (though they generally don’t change to be as dark as sunglasses).
Anti-Fatigue HD	These single-vision lenses that can help relieve visual fatigue symptoms such as eyes that sting and feel tight, headaches, eyestrain and blurred vision while engaging in near range tasks.
Extended Focus Reader	Ideal for users of technology such as computers, tablets and smart phones who need both near focus (for screen work) and intermediate focus (for distances of one to three metres).

Now that you know more about the type of lenses available, it would be more appropriate to book an appointment with Gaya Opticians for an eye test and also for our opticians to have more information on your lifestyle so that they can propose you the most appropriate lenses.