glass lenses for eyeglasses for photography

[RichL]

cataracts

cataracts

At 72 my cataracts have gotten bad enough that they now want to cut open my eyes and squirt lenses into them. So, possibly no more glasses, except for readers. I’m nervous about it but if I go ahead it will be the distance lenses. Hopefully I’ll be able to go to a dark location and see the stars again.

About two years ago I had cataract surgery. Got distance vision implants and no problems. It is so nice to see the top of a tree or through a view finder without glasses.

 

[Deleted member 65559]

My optometrist quit pushing plastic lenses on me years ago. I always get photo grey glass regardless of how much extra it costs. Let's fact it - the "anti-scratch" coatings they use on plastic lenses is garbage!

Other than cost, unless your prescription requires very thick (and heavy) lenses, I see no advantage whatsoever to plastic. This being the case, simply compensate by getting smaller frames.

These days they've also got thinner glass too...

 

[Beemermark]

About two years ago I had cataract surgery. Got distance vision implants and no problems. It is so nice to see the top of a tree or through a view finder without glasses.

Just had mine done. Spent the extra (much extra) to get the multifocal lenses. Might still need progressive glasses but they will be very minor correction. Having worn thick glasses since 1st grade I'm just amazed. Surgery is so simple, less than a tooth extraction. Consensus they'll be doing them as an office visit soon, Glass is a no-no because any type of impact will cause them to shatter. why safety glasses are ploy carbonate.

 

[Deleted member 65559]

Just had mine done. Spent the extra (much extra) to get the multifocal lenses. Might still need progressive glasses but they will be very minor correction. Having worn thick glasses since 1st grade I'm just amazed. Surgery is so simple, less than a tooth extraction. Consensus they'll be doing them as an office visit soon, Glass is a no-no because any type of impact will cause them to shatter. why safety glasses are ploy carbonate.

There are shatterproof glass lenses. Mountain climbers and ski racers have been using Vuarnet brand glasses w glasses lenses since the late '60s. The lenses are chemically tempered.

 

[CMur12]

I haven't had problems with my plastic eyeglass lenses scratching from hard or soft plastic camera eyepieces, but they do wear out from simple cleaning.

I wash my glasses with clear soap and hot water, every night, then dry with a clean, soft cotton cloth. The lens surfaces start showing obvious wear after approx a year and a half. This has been my experience with scratch-resistant and coated lenses, alike. I've been thinking about going back to glass lenses, too.

By the way, camera eyepiece diopters don't work very well for me because I have too much astigmatism. I don't know if this is a problem for the OP too.

My optometrist referred me to an ophthalmologist for evaluation for cataract surgery. If I do this, the replacement lenses for my eyes will correct my myopia and the astigmatism on my natural lenses. It won't correct the remaining astigmatism on my corneas, but that should be more manageable.

If I have cataracts removed, I plan to get glasses with graduated lenses, for mid-range and close-up correction, and to correct the remaining astigmatism. I'm also thinking of getting glass lenses - didn't know that was now such a hassle - as I don't anticipate much change over time to my vision, post-surgery, and I want my lenses to last over a year and a half.

I probably won't need to wear glasses much of the time, and I'm hoping the new eyeglass lenses, with minimal correction, won't be very heavy.

I've heard that the virtual distance of most camera focusing screens is distant enough that it can be seen clearly with the naked eye, post cataract surgery. This is what I'm hoping.

To the OP, I hope you and I can still get glass lenses!

- Murray

 

[Joao]

...I've heard that the virtual distance of most camera focusing screens is distant enough that it can be seen clearly with the naked eye, post cataract surgery. This is what I'm hoping...

I can confirm that.

On the other hand, be prepared to wear sunglasses when outside. Increased light sensitivity can be a problem.

Regards

Joao

 

[Larry Cloetta]

I’ve also been wearing glasses since I was 9, so have been around the block a few times as well, having a preference for glass lenses for the reasons others have noted. Would reiterate what a couple of people have said about a couple of things. Modern high refractive index tempered glass is a lot thinner and lighter than what was available 30 years ago, to the point that I can wear glass lenses for strong prescriptions in big frames like Ray Ban Aviators that are not deal killers, weightwise, for me. Heavier yes, but no big deal. As far as safety is concerned, glass lenses definitely do not break “easily”. I have been hit in the face with a foul ball, walked into doors, had glasses fall off my face and then stepped on them, and much more, all of which bent the frames beyond usability or actually snapped the frames in half, and never cracked a glass lens. I am sure it’s possible to break them, but it’s not that easy.
There are online sources for just about anything you want. I have gotten Zeiss glass lenses out of Canada, and lately out of an online outfit based in the U.S.
My preference for glass has always been due to scratch resistance, but for one reason or another I have gone through scores of plastic lenses over the years as well, and that’s what I have on right now. What used to be an awful substitute for glass has, if you look hard enough, become quite a reasonable substitute for glass for scratch resistance. What I have now is a 3 year old pair of Hoya polycarbonate lenses with a specific Hoya coating, and it’s honestly been every bit as scratch resistant as the last pair of glass Zeiss lenses with the best Zeiss coating I had immediately prior. There are significant differences among coatings and plastics is all I am really wanting to point out to those who have been burned in the past by plastic lenses and have never gone back. One other point, to confuse things even further, short version: I usually have just gotten the most expensive glass or polycarbonate on offer, highest refractive index, etc, just because I assumed it would be better. One pair of Hoya plastic lenses with their best coating did remarkably well for scratch resistance, years worth. Next pair, all the best everything, scratched within 4 weeks. I went back and “complained” and was told that the latest, newest, most expensive coating was better at anti-reflectance but not quite as good at scratch resistance, so I downgraded to the coating I had used previously and they’ve been good for 3 years and counting now, and I am very hard on glasses.
My only main point in this too long post is that plastic lenses may now, finally, be a viable option, but they are far from equal to each other, and coatings vary significantly as well, so you have to do some research, and/or just keep trying. They do tend to be expensive, though, the good stuff.

 

[chipgreenberg]

This diopter device corrects astigmatisms

https://www.televue.com/engine/TV3b_page.asp?id=54

 

[Tin]

At 72 my cataracts have gotten bad enough that they now want to cut open my eyes and squirt lenses into them. So, possibly no more glasses, except for readers. I’m nervous about it but if I go ahead it will be the distance lenses. Hopefully I’ll be able to go to a dark location and see the stars again.

As someone who has had cataract surgery a few years ago, and about your same age, may I share my experience with you?

I needed very strong corrections before, so I had always used glass lenses. I just got used to those.

Now for my surgery, my ophthalmologist suggested that I used lenses suitable for reading at an 18-inch distance. I thought about it for a very short time and agreed with his reasoning. That would be a distance most suitable for the computer monitor as well as for the general reading of books and newspapers. I got a pair of glasses for driving purposes, which I always leave near my front door. As we retired people need not drive a lot, that is the best choice.

Inside the house, I do not need to wear any glasses, of course. And I do not need to look for my reading glasses all the time. I just keep my computer glasses next to my computer. Even for watching TV, I need my driving glasses only when I watch movies with subtitles, or ball games where the balls are small (like soccer, hockey). No need for basketball games, of course.

I also need corrections for astigmatism, but I did not choose to get that correction on my implanted lenses. Corrections would be made on my driving glasses, as well as on a pair of computer glasses made with blue light blocking lenses. Otherwise, I am free of any glasses while going around in the house.

Now, back to photography.

As I do not need to wear my driving glasses just walking around on the street, I would just use the diopter adjustments built into the eyepieces of modern cameras for taking photos. Of course, for users of Leica and other older cameras, my experience would not help.

 

[KoNickon]

I haven't had problems with my plastic eyeglass lenses scratching from hard or soft plastic camera eyepieces, but they do wear out from simple cleaning.

I wash my glasses with clear soap and hot water, every night, then dry with a clean, soft cotton cloth. The lens surfaces start showing obvious wear after approx a year and a half. This has been my experience with scratch-resistant and coated lenses, alike. I've been thinking about going back to glass lenses, too.

By the way, camera eyepiece diopters don't work very well for me because I have too much astigmatism. I don't know if this is a problem for the OP too.

My optometrist referred me to an ophthalmologist for evaluation for cataract surgery. If I do this, the replacement lenses for my eyes will correct my myopia and the astigmatism on my natural lenses. It won't correct the remaining astigmatism on my corneas, but that should be more manageable.

If I have cataracts removed, I plan to get glasses with graduated lenses, for mid-range and close-up correction, and to correct the remaining astigmatism. I'm also thinking of getting glass lenses - didn't know that was now such a hassle - as I don't anticipate much change over time to my vision, post-surgery, and I want my lenses to last over a year and a half.

I probably won't need to wear glasses much of the time, and I'm hoping the new eyeglass lenses, with minimal correction, won't be very heavy.

I've heard that the virtual distance of most camera focusing screens is distant enough that it can be seen clearly with the naked eye, post cataract surgery. This is what I'm hoping.

To the OP, I hope you and I can still get glass lenses!

- Murray

Not to unreasonably prolong this thread, but I used to clean my glasses with mild (dishwashing) soap and water every night. I would not dry them with anything, but simply blow any droplets off -- I think wiping the lenses is what wears off the coating. (So I avoid spray-on lens cleaning solutions, which have to be wiped off. They streak anyway.) But I've found using soap and water tends to dry out the frames and corrode the hardware over time.

 

[Darthfeeble]

Are you talking polycarbonate lenses or plain acrylic/poly? I've had better luck with polycarbonate, although I think it's nearly as expensive as glass. It's nearly impossible around where I am to get glass lenses, which really irks me as a photographer.

I think they are the poly coronate, what ever they are they are expensive. I try to make up for that by re-using frames for forever.

 

[CMur12]

I can confirm that.

On the other hand, be prepared to wear sunglasses when outside. Increased light sensitivity can be a problem.

Regards

Joao

Thank you, Joao, for the confirmation and the heads-up about increased light sensitivity.
(Ó Joao! Cadê o til?) 😀

- Murray

This diopter device corrects astigmatisms

https://www.televue.com/engine/TV3b_page.asp?id=54

Thanks for the link, Chip. This doesn't allow for a specified axis for the astigmatism correction. I'm not sure how they get around this.

- Murray

Not to unreasonably prolong this thread, but I used to clean my glasses with mild (dishwashing) soap and water every night. I would not dry them with anything, but simply blow any droplets off -- I think wiping the lenses is what wears off the coating. (So I avoid spray-on lens cleaning solutions, which have to be wiped off. They streak anyway.) But I've found using soap and water tends to dry out the frames and corrode the hardware over time.

Interesting thought about blowing the drops off the lenses after washing. If I can't get glass lenses, I may resort to this.

Larry Cloetta, thanks for the info about different types of glass and plastic for lenses!

- Murray

 

[WoodallP]

I recently ordered a pair of glasses with plastic lenses online from Zenni in order to test a new prescription. The cost for frames and lenses was $35, shipping included. It may be worth that kind of money to give the plastic lenses a try. If they work for you and they get scratched it's a low cost replacement. If you don't like them it was not a lot of money for a pair of prescription glass.

This is my solution too. Their cheapest frames come in at about 7 dollars including their cheapest prescription lenses. Three pairs with slow(ish) postage comes in at about 30 dollars. Of course they have a lot more expensive options too.

 

[Rob-F]

I have the scratching problem, too. I had it even when I wore glass lenses. I don't remember them as being all that scratch resistant. I have bought plastic protectors from DAG to use on my M2, M5, and M4P. They seem to solve the problem with those Leicas. And I use the 0.58 finders with my M6/M7/MP, which help to not have to jam the camera right up to my eyeglass lens. And of course these cameras have a non-metallic finder eyepiece.

 

[Rob-F]

When my cataracts became too much of a problem, I went ahead with the surgery to replace my lenses with implants. I'm very glad I did, and I certainly recommend it. I can see better now than I could 30 or 40 years ago!

I was pretty nearsighted with a prescription of around minus 4.5 spherical and minus 1.25 or so cylinder. They gave me a choice of either distance correction that would require glasses only for close and medium distance, or a milder prescription. I chose the latter because being a little nearsighted is like having a built-in magnifier that lets me read and do fine work without glasses.

So my prescription now is minus 2.5 spherical and minus 0.5 cylinder. Together with not too large lenses, this allows the lenses to be very thin and light. Together with my titanium frames, my glasses seem almost weightless, at least compared to what I used to need!

I'm happy with my new (since 2018) eyes! BTW, the surgery takes five minutes. The pre-op takes more time than the procedure itself--a couple of hours. They do one eye at a time, with two weeks between surgeries, so you will have one good eye while the other one is healing.

 

[ChipMcD]

I have worn polycarbonate for more than 30 years, mainly because an inherent property of the material is that it blocks 100% of UV light. One more thing to consider.

 

[KoNickon]

And UV light causes...cataracts.

 

[das]

This may be off-topic a bit -- but does anyone notice that their prescription lenses tend to have some "barrel distortion?" I just got a new set and it's like I want to plug in +3 to my Photoshop tool to correct them. 🙂.

 

[Franko]

When I aquire a different camera, one of the first things I do is carefully measure the viewfinder opening size, surround size and cut an eyeglasses protector from a piece of adhesive backed felt. Having a scratch directly in my vision drives me nuts!

 

[CMur12]

I have worn polycarbonate for more than 30 years, mainly because an inherent property of the material is that it blocks 100% of UV light. One more thing to consider.

Glass naturally blocks a lot of UV, which is why photochromatic eyeglass lenses respond/darken only minimally to sunlight inside a car. Plastic doesn't block UV without help. Plastic eyeglass lenses would only block UV if treated to do so. I don't know if glass lenses are treated to block more UV than they already do naturally.

- Murray