When you get a new pair of glasses frames, you usually look into the material of the lenses. You try to think about your optometrist appointment first, then stick to your prescription, choose your new frames and other things like anti-reflective coating or progressive lenses, and then wear them. However, the material of the lenses necessitates some thought about how you treat your lenses and how they can be repaired when scratched or framed damaged. Here’s the question: Are you wearing plastic or glass lenses? Or someone asks you whether you wear plastic or glasses lenses. So, finding out whether the lenses are plastic or glasses material doesn’t take a science rocket. There are just a few ways to investigate or test your lens material. Let’s go through them together.
1. Tap your lens with a metal object:
One of the easiest ways to notice the difference between a plastic and a glass lens is to tap the lens with a metal object to detect how the material sound on light, sharp impact. Plastic material is soft, and it doesn’t produce sound the same way glasses do when struck. On the other side, glass makes a sound or a soft *tink* sound on tapping with a metal object, and glass creates a sound of “thud” on tapping. To test this task, you have to take a small object, hold the glasses with two fingers, and gently tap one of the lenses on the object. If the sound produced is clear and pitched, then most likely, the lens is of glass material; otherwise, it could be a plastic material.
2. Check Temperature:
Plastic and glasses lenses have the same function but some very distinct differences. Not only are they different in producing sound, but they also handle the temperature differently. Plastic lenses resist any temperature change, but glass material is much thinner, a smoother rock, and holds heat or cold much more efficiently. You can test it by noticing that if you live in a place with a cold climate, your glasses’ lenses will be noticeably cold on the touch, while the plastic frames have a neutral temperature. If you live in a somewhere warmer place, you notice your lenses are warm. You can test it manually by placing the glasses in the fridge for just 5 minutes. If the lenses are cold when you take them out, they are sure of glass material. Otherwise, they are plastic.
3. Tap on your tooth
Another effective and time-honored method of testing the material of a lens is to tap it against your tooth. This method is popular because it is easy and readily available to every person. The question, “Are my lenses plastic or glass?” has existed since plastic frames were invented, and this is the most helpful method passed down through generations and has reasonably reliable results. As this tool is always available to everyone, all you need to do is tap the lens against your teeth. If the lens produces the sound of “tink,” as mentioned above, it would be glass, and if they make a sound of “thunk,” they are plastic material.
4. Check the lens’ weight:
If all of the tricks mentioned above didn’t clear or reveal the truth about whether the glasses are made of plastic or glass, then there is one testing method that will reveal the truth and clear all your confusion. Glass material is inherently heavier than plastic. Most significantly, the heavier the lenses are, the more likely they are glass as compared to plastic.
5. Ask Optician:
After all the testing, if you can’t figure out or are not sure about whether glasses are made of plastic or glass or want to be absolutely sure about it before using the glasses, then you can ask an optician. They’ll surely help you figure out the material of the glasses; they’ll also help you pick the perfect frame and help you fit the glasses according to your face shape and skin tone.
Conclusion:
Glass or plastic lenses: a decision to be made based on durability, weight, and scratch resistance. Hopefully, these techniques will clear up all your confusion and allow you to detect the material of your lenses easily. Your needs will determine whether you choose plastic or glass lenses. Spend some time to think about the qualities that are most important to you in choosing lenses for yourself, and then select frames. These tricks will make it easy to decide.
