As an eye care provider (ECP), it’s up to you to recommend the right lens materials for your patients. When you select a lens material that matches their prescription, lifestyle, and needs – you see fewer remakes and improved patient satisfaction.
HOYA Vision Care supports ECPs like you with a range of quality lens materials that help meet your patients’ needs, while also creating an opportunity for profitability. Further, our proprietary materials are designed to work better with treatments and coatings for satisfied patients.
What do patients want in their lenses?
When it comes to lenses, patients may care less about the materials and more about the benefits.
What most eyeglass wearers want with their lenses is straightforward:
- Light and thin: Thinner lenses are more aesthetically pleasing than their bulky counterparts and look better with a wide variety of frames.
- Scratch resistant: Eyeglasses are an investment, and patients want to make sure they’ll withstand scratches and hold up over time.
- Optical clarity: Patients prefer lenses that will keep their world looking vivid.
Keep these benefits in mind when you speak to your patients about their personalized vision solution. Using a benefits-focused term such as “scratch resistant” will help your patients understand the value of their new lenses.
Lens materials for every patient need
With many lens materials available to choose from, it’s important that ECPs recommend the right materials for the right reasons. Ultimately, your goal is to make sure your patients are comfortable and confident in their lenses.
Below is a brief overview of available HOYA lens materials. Please note that not every material is available for every prescription.
Plastic Lenses
Plastic (also called CR39) is the most basic of all lens material options and is often an affordable choice for patients.
Features of plastic lenses include:
- Superior visual clarity
- Thicker
- More brittle than other lens options
- Available in the range of -10.00 to +10.00, with Cylinder to –6.00
When could you offer plastic?
Offering good visual clarity at an affordable price, plastic lenses could work well for a young adult who has a weak single vision prescription for reading or driving. Plastic also works well for older adults who have fewer safety concerns with breakage.
Polycarbonate Lenses
Polycarbonate is a strong, lightweight type of plastic. Additionally, it’s more durable than CR39, though this material offers slightly less visual clarity than other options. As an ECP, you may want to consider this lens material for patients who are more concerned with safety and durability in their lenses.
Features of polycarbonate lenses include:
- Poor visual clarity
- Lighter and thinner than plastic lenses
- Impact resistant
- UV protection
- Available in the range of -10.00 to +6.00, with Cylinder to –6.00
When could you offer polycarbonate?
Due to their durability, polycarbonate lenses are the standard option for children with simple prescription needs. This lens material would also be suitable for those in need of safety glasses.
HOYA Phoenix® Lenses
With superior visual clarity, durability, and their light weight, HOYA Phoenix® combines several key patient benefits into one lens. As a result, this lens material is an ideal choice for most of your patients.
Features of HOYA Phoenix® lenses include:
- Superior visual clarity
- Lightest lens material available
- 60x safer than plastic
- UV protection
- Improved scratch protection
- Available in the range of -13.00 to +9.00, with Cylinder to –6.00
When could you offer HOYA Phoenix®?
Recommend HOYA Phoenix® to your patients who want both durability and visual clarity in a lens. For children, the Phoenix® lenses offer superior protection compared to polycarbonate lenses and would result in increased profitability for your practice.
HOYA High-Index Lenses
HOYA offers a full range of High-Index lenses, specifically targeted for patients who want the lowest profile lenses possible. High-Index 1.60 is a great option for moderate prescriptions; it provides better optical clarity and a thinner profile than polycarbonate. High-Index 1.67 and 1.74 are great options for higher prescriptions where thinness is particularly important.
Features of HOYA High-Index lenses include:
- Good visual clarity
- Lightweight
- Thinnest lens available in the market
- UV protection
- Available in the range of -15.00 to +10.00, with Cylinder to –6.00 to –4.00
When could you offer High Index?
Suggest High-Index lenses for patients with strong prescriptions who prefer a minimal lens profile.
HOYA Clear Blue Filter™
HOYA offers Clear Blue Filter™ as an additive to any of our lens material options. These lenses may help protect the eyes from high-energy blue light transmitted from screens and the sun.
Features of HOYA High Index lenses include:
- Blocks 100% of UV (400nm)
- Filters damaging blue light
- Can be added to any lens material
When could you offer Clear Blue Filter?
As an ECP, you can offer Clear Blue Filter™ for virtually any patient as this additive works with any lens. It’s ideal for office workers who need comfort from extended screen time, as well as children whose young eyes need added protection.
Lens materials comparison chart
The comparison chart below provides a visual depiction of the different lens materials*:
Improving profitability and patient satisfaction with lens materials
As eye care providers, it’s important to strike a balance between maximizing profitability and ensuring patient satisfaction. Recommending the right lens materials not only enhances the patient experience but also increases revenue opportunities for your practice.
HOYA's lens materials, including Phoenix®, High-Index, and Clear Blue Filter™, offer distinct advantages that can improve both patient satisfaction and practice profitability. For single vision prescriptions, where profit margins may be lower, recommending Phoenix® material adds significant value without a significant cost increase to the patient. This lightweight and durable material meets patient expectations for comfort and clarity while enhancing the overall perceived value of their eyewear.
By aligning patient preferences with appropriate lens materials, ECPs can deliver enhanced value, improve patient satisfaction, and increase profitability.
Lens material resources
For additional resources for your practice, please see the following: