How Thin Can I Get My Glasses?

Prescription glasses can have a huge range of thicknesses. How thin can they get?

What Are the Thinnest Glasses I Can Get?

In the past, strong prescription wearers were stuck with thick, bulky, heavy lenses because there was no technology available to make them thinner. Today, people with strong prescriptions can get thin glasses that look and feel much more like glasses with “regular strength” prescriptions.

High index lenses are the key to making your glasses thinner. Thin glasses are possible when the refractive index of a lens is high. The higher a lens’s index, the more efficiently it can bend light. This means that less lens material is required to make the same prescription when the index is higher.

If you are looking for the thinnest glasses possible, here’s what you need to know:

• High index lenses are the way to get the thinnest glasses possible.
• The higher your index is, the thinner your lenses will be. In general, the majority of prescription wearers go with high index plastic as opposed to glass because the plastic is lighter, but glass is capable of getting a bit thinner.
• The highest index plastic lenses are High Index 1.74. These lenses will bring even the strongest prescriptions down to a manageable thickness. While they may not be as thin as the lenses in a pair of non-prescription sunglasses, much of the distortion and thickness common with strong prescriptions will be gone, so your glasses will look normal.
• High index glass lenses are the thinnest lenses around. While there are very limited color and lens type options (mostly high index glass wearers will need to get clear single vision or clear progressive lenses), these lenses are going to be the most aesthetically pleasing because of their thinness. These glasses will look as thin as a very mild prescription in standard plastic.
• If you do not have a strong prescription, going with high index 1.70 plastic is generally enough to make your prescription look so thin as to seem almost nonexistent.

If you are looking for the thinnest glasses possible, you are definitely going to have to get high index lenses.

High index lenses are the best way to go for anyone who wants to have a pair of “normal-looking” glasses that don’t distort their eyes or give away the fact that their vision isn’t very good.

Most high index wearers go with  1.70 or 1.74 high index plastic. If you’re not sure which index is right for you, there’s no guesswork necessary. Simply browse our other articles or leave a comment below, and we’ll be more than happy to help you find the best thin glasses for you. Thanks for reading, and happy shopping!