Must Children’s Glasses Use Polycarbonate Lenses?
February 3, 2011
I know that it is strongly recomended that children’s glasses should have polycarbonated lenses.
But is it required by law that the lenses on children’s glasses be polycarbonate?
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10 Responses to “Must Children’s Glasses Use Polycarbonate Lenses?”
Trivex is a much better option to poly, optically. Poly still has the most aberrations compared to any other material. And anyone who thinks they shouldn’t give their kids anti-reflective coating has been greatly misinformed. AR coating is not all considered equal. D category AR coating has a lifetime to two year warranty and is not an oil based coat that will easily scratch off. Hard coats do not defect in the same way as category A oil based coatings. I’m an optician who works carefully with the products available.
Polycarbonate lenses are far superior to CR39. CR39 is classified as impact or shatter RESISTANT whereas polycarbonate is impact or shatter PROOF. When speaking of your child’s vision, safety is of paramount importance. Let’s face it, if your child knocks out a tooth, you can have it fixed. But his vision cannot be replaced. The difference in cost of a polycarbonate lens to ensure your child’s vision is priceless. And yes, polycarbonate lenses come in ever format including tintable, custom digital, etc.
you buy non poly carb for your child when they need them tinted. Poly carb does not accept tints very well…ideally the glasses should also not have UV coating or scratch coating….
Abitly to read and focus vs small risk of CR39 glasses breaking….
no brainer for me
i have to agree. its not an enormous cost, and glasses getting hit by projectiles or fists is not rare among kids- why not get glasses that are less likely to shatter and enter the eyeball? if your kid is pretty sedentary, then yea, maybe its not worth it.
In my 25 years of selling and manufacturing glasses, I’ve never understood why a parent wouldn’t want to protect their childs eyes. Granted, poly was a crap lens when it first came out back in the 80’s, it has much improved. Cost wise, MANY opticals offer it bundled in packages at a very fair price. You only have 1 pair of eyes isn’t that enough? This is a no brainer to me…. Ask yourself this, who would you be angry at if something DID happen?
My daughter is ten an getting her first pair of glasses should she get polycarbonate
I just contacted the Texas Optometry Board and asked this very question to an investigator. The answer is NO-NO NO NO!!! There is NO law requiring any child to have polycarb lenses. Also, neither an optician nor optometrist can require this-they can only make it a recommendation.
The reason I wanted to know is because if it was a law, would it be legal for my vision insurance to charge me a copay on these lenses? Question answered.
If your optician tells you about this law, demand to see it in writing. (they won’t be able to because one doesn’t exist) You can file complaints with the Texas Optometry Board against an optician that uses this mis-information to coerce you into buying lenses you may not need or want.
There is no law concerning polycarbonate lenses for children although I’ve had bad experiences with Cohen’s Fashion Optical trying to convince me of this falsity. It is a recommendation of the Board of Optometry. You have a right to decline and ask to sign a waiver.
I am pretty sure there is no law about having polycarbonate lenses on children.The eye care professionals recommend the best product for children and it is up to the parents to decide if they want follow those recommendations.
polycarbonate may be helpful, as it resists breakage, and kids are prone to break their lenses. i dont think there is any law about this- but i would imagine the optician making the glasses knows the law. if you suspect he is simply trying to sell you a more expensive lens, drop by another store ask another optician.
