Shedding Light on the Issue of Lenses

Contacts or lenses? The answer is simple, according to Dr. Rick Graebe, a behavioral optometrist in Versailles.

“There is no right answer. The question is: What is the best choice for you?” Dr. Graebe said. “The good news is that everyone has choices.”

That’s especially true of lenses.

The days of glasses actually made of glass are long over. Good thing: Those lenses were heavy and intrusive.

Plastic lenses are lighter and safer – they won’t shatter like glass – and the choices are plentiful.

Lenses can come with different indexes of refraction – the higher the index, the thinner and lighter the lens. Theses lenses are more optically pure because thicker lenses can have aberrations, which can distort vision.

Dr. Graebe favors Trilogy and Trivex brands because of their optic purity and their safety.

“These lenses are as optically pure as glass,” he said. “And they are strong and extremely impact resistant.”

That makes those lenses ideal for children, who are physically active.

In fact, Dr. Graebe recommends lenses over contacts for most of his pediatric patients.

“I have two goals with my younger patients,” he said. “I want to make sure that the eyes work as a team, and I want them to use glasses for schoolwork so we can reduce the chance that they will need glasses later.”

This highlights three specialty lenses that Dr. Graebe recommends:

Myopia Prevention
Myopia (nearsightedness) has dramatically increased among young people in the past 30 years – as much as 30%-40% – because of the increased stress schoolwork and screen time place on the visual system.

If a specialized test shows undue stress on the eyes, Dr. Graebe prescribes schoolwork glasses for kids that reduces stress and enhances performance.

Migraine Relief
Tinted lenses that filter light can affect melatonin and serotonin levels in the brain, which can help with sleep and mitigate against headaches.

HD Lenses
Just like advances in TVs, lenses are now available that dramatically improve vision. Introduced in the past two years, these lenses have a bigger sweet spot and allow for crisper, brighter vision.

Best suited for people with strong prescriptions, Dr. Graebe’s office offers a 100% guarantee with these lenses.

“I was driving home at night in the rain and put these glasses on and the difference in my vision was amazing,” Dr. Graebe said. “Hardly anyone knows about these lenses, but they can make a big difference.”