I need scratch proof progressive lenses

October 24, 2009 7:42 PM

Looking for seriously scratch-proof progressive lenses for frames I already have.

I've been using the same super titanium (or whatever) frames on my glasses that I've had for 15 or more years. They bend and flex, stay adjusted, are very light and have replaceable silicon nose pads. What I really need is to find a place that can make authentically scratch-proof lenses. And they need to be progressives. It seems to me that the supposed glass ones I've bought the last several times scratch almost immediately from minor contact with shrubs or cloth when I work, and are barely better than various plastics I've tried in the past. I've taken special care with the last pair, and they still look like shit already after maybe 10 months. I cannot afford $450/yr for replacement lenses when I don't need an Rx change. I see lots of glass in windows that seems quite impervious to scratching, surely someone can make a lens with such properties. Please don't recommend plastic with "scratch resist" coatings--those don't last me a week before peeling and scratching something fierce. Yes, I'm whining. I hate the glare from all the scratches, and it makes me look like a geek, instead of a nice old lady.

posted by sugarbx19 to health & fitness (5 comments total)

There's no such thing as "scratch proof", I'm afraid. Even glass can be scratched, and we're not yet to the point of being able to make lenses from diamond.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 7:58 PM on October 24, 2009

Could it be your coating scratching instead of the glass? Like an anti-glare coating. Uncoated lenses may be more scratch-resistant. I had a cheap pair with plastic which went 8 years of rough treatment before they really began to show their scratches.

I, too, wish for more scratch-proof, but have had to make do with plastic as I can't afford glass. Fortunately, I work in an office, not somewhere with lots of scratchy things. But I have been very careless with my glasses.
posted by jb at 9:14 PM on October 24, 2009

Why not try getting some cheap glasses? I got some progressives from Zenni Optical a few weeks ago for about $60 including a nicer frame and anti-glare coating. I took careful measurements of my existing glasses and found frames that fit nicely. They took 2 weeks to get in.
posted by Addlepated at 9:57 PM on October 24, 2009

Glass should be the most scratch-resistant lens available. My last pair of glass lenses got scratched too, however. This had never happened before, so I wonder whether the quality of glass used has dropped in recent years.

My optician offers a high-end, "Phoenix" brand plastic lens, which is supposedly much harder than the basic plastic lenses. These cost exactly $50 more than the standard plastic, but they come with a 2-year free replacement guarantee that you can use several times if you like. Even the glare coating is covered by the guarantee. They're also high-index plastic, so the lenses are thinner and lighter. I got 2 pairs of them recently. No scratches yet, but I haven't been torture-testing them either.
posted by jon1270 at 3:34 AM on October 25, 2009

@Addlepated: that site looks excellent, and their prices are very easy on the wallet. Thanks.
@jon1270: the Phoenix lenses I found cost $249, just for the lenses, a pricey alternative.
posted by sugarbx19 at 1:15 PM on October 27, 2009