High Definition (HD) Glasses: Types, Costs, Pros/Cons

What Are HD Glasses?

High definition (HD) glasses improve your vision more than regular eyeglasses. Regular corrective lenses give you 20/20 vision, but some people see subtle distortions.

HD glasses correct these irregularities and offer the sharpest possible HD vision, no matter the conditions. They are available with anti-glare coating so the wearer gets as clear and accurate a view as possible.

Higher-order aberrations cause distortions. Corrective lenses alleviate nearsightedness, farsightedness, and/or astigmatism, but they do not give you perfect vision.

This is due to the optical limitations of regular lenses or the natural characteristics of your eyes.

HD lens technology offers the highest level of vision improvement available with glasses. They are available in high-index, photochromic, bifocal, or progressive lenses.

These lenses are customized to create sharper images, brighter colors, and crisp focus. You’ll see things through HD lenses as if you were seeing them with natural vision.

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When Should I Wear HD Lenses?

You should wear HD lenses any time you want a crisp, clear, vividly colored vision.

If you don’t like how things look through your current glasses, HD glasses are for you.

In addition to being able to see everything more realistically in general, HD glasses are also great for:

Nighttime
Low-light environments
When you want to see colors vividly
During use of “screens” when you might wear blue light glasses
Reading

Pros & Cons of HD Glasses

HD glasses are great because they let you correct vision problems and enjoy clear, sharp images. But they might not be right for everyone.

Pros of HD glasses include:

20/20 vision with no distortion
Wider peripheral vision
Reduction of digital eye strain
Glare reduction
Elimination of light halos
Brighter, more intense color

The downside of HD glasses is that they tend to not be helpful for people with very poor vision. HD glasses aren’t harmful if your vision is poor, but most people do not see much difference from conventional, less-expensive lenses.

It also takes longer for your doctor to create the prescription for HD lenses because of the customization. Most doctors take at least two measurements when a patient orders HD lenses. HD glasses also cost more than conventional lenses.

Types of High-Definition Glasses

There are two different types of high-definition glasses: free-form lenses and wave-front lenses.

Free-Form Lenses

Most HD glasses are free-form lenses. Free-form is a manufacturing process that reduces higher-order aberrations such as halos or glares.

HD lenses eliminate spherical aberrations and make nighttime driving safer and more comfortable.

Free-form HD lenses are entirely customizable. Computer-controlled surfacing equipment is used in the manufacturing of free-form lenses to make them more precise.

The process also takes into account the position and angle of the lenses on someone’s eyes. This gives the most accurate lens power and sharpest vision available.

All of these considerations result in an unprecedented degree of customization.

Some of the most popular HD lenses include:

Essilor 360 DS
Hoya NuLux EP
Clarlet Individual
Hoyalux iD MyStyle
Zeiss Progressive Individual 2
Seiko Supercede
Varilux Physio DRx

Wavefront Lenses

Wavefront lenses are more advanced than free-form HD glasses. They are more customizable, correct higher-order aberrations, and provide sharper vision than regular eyeglass lenses.

Additionally, they help you see better in low-light environments. They also improve contrast and color vision.

HD glasses improve lingering vision issues that are present after LASIK and other refractive eye surgeries.

If you decide to invest in wavefront lenses, your doctor will measure your eyes with the Zeiss i.Profiler Plus. This is a three-in-one automated device designed to measure three factors:

Refractive error
Corneal topography
Higher-order aberrations

This data is gathered and sent to the optical lab that manufactures these custom-made HD lenses.

Studies show drivers driving at night and wearing wavefront lenses detected, recognized, and reacted to a pedestrian on the side of the road 20 feet sooner than they did when wearing conventional glasses.

This makes wavefront glasses the most powerful night vision glasses available. HD night vision is clear and accurate, which makes driving safer. They also make great driving sunglasses for the daytime.

Cost of High-Definition Eyewear

They are more expensive than conventional lenses because of the customization and the technology required to create them. In most cases, you will pay 25 to 30 percent more for HD glasses, compared to a pair of conventional glasses with the same design.

Many people who invest in HD lenses believe they are worth the extra cost. Some people use them as their night driving glasses because they are so effective at reducing glare and light halos. This is especially true for those who were never happy with their conventional glasses.

Common Questions and Answers

Who are HD glasses for?

Anyone who needs glasses is a candidate for HD glasses. They are ideal for people who can attain 20/20 vision with corrective eyewear.

Will HD glasses improve your vision?

Regular corrective lenses give you 20/20 vision, but some people see subtle distortions. HD glasses correct these irregularities and offer the sharpest possible HD vision in all conditions.

Do HD vision glasses really work?

HD glasses do not work for everyone, such as people with very poor vision. HD glasses aren’t harmful if you have poor vision, but you will likely not notice the difference between these lenses and conventional prescription lenses.

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