The Digital Lens Difference

Urban Optiks uses superior prescription lens technology from leading lens developers such as Zeiss, Shamir & Hoya, and offers a complete range of ophthalmic lenses and coatings that meet the highest vision standards of patient care. Through the use of precision digital lenses, our expert opticians are able to provide you with the best visual experience possible.

Blurred view of city and close-up of clear image through glasses

Digital Lenses

Remember the first time you saw high-definition television? Recall how it made your old analog TV picture seem drab and blurry; colors got brighter, shapes got sharper, and everything came into focus. What if you could have the same experience with your eyeglasses?


The most important thing to remember when it comes to your eyesight is that not all lenses are created equal!


At Urban Optiks, the new standard in eyecare is to get you seeing better than 20/20. We do that by only offering the latest digital lens technology and coatings in all of our lenses. Whether you wear single-vision, multifocal or high-index lenses, our free-form digital lenses can upgrade your vision to a “high-definition” experience.

What does the term "digital" mean?

Have you heard the latest buzz about prescription lens technology? Recently, words like digital, free-form, and high-definition are being more commonly used in reference to eyeglass lenses. In a society that is growing increasingly “digital”, what does this mean in regard to eyeglasses? And ultimately, how can this technology help your vision?


The technology used to create prescription lenses has been in the process of evolution since its inception, but over the past decade, more of a revolution has been happening. New vision science has profoundly affected the way ophthalmic lenses are being designed, fit, and manufactured. In no way is this more evident than in the large increase in the availability of the aforementioned digital lenses.


When we refer to a lens as being “digital,” we are using this broad term to refer to a very advanced fitting and manufacturing process, ultimately enabling us to provide the wearer with superior vision benefits. Imagine the first time you watched a DVD versus a VHS tape; that same improvement in sharpness, color, and clarity is what this process offers. However, it involves several components that must be given special attention to arrive at the best possible outcome.

Closeup of a frame on a woman showing a single Zeiss custom digital lens
Close-up of a lens illustrating vision clarity at near and far distances

What are the benefits?

Some of the benefits you will experience with digital lenses versus traditionally-surfaced lenses are:

 

  • Superior binocularity and peripheral optics
  • Improved clarity and reduced distortion
  • Sharper, crisper vision and image quality
  • Increased contrast sensitivity making colors brighter and details sharper
  • Wider visual field
  • Smoother transitions between progressive lens zones
  • Reduction in higher-order aberrations (starbursts, halos)
  • Less glare at night

 

Due to the costs associated with research & development of new technology, production of these digitally surfaced lenses is more complex and thus more expensive to produce than traditionally surfaced lenses. However, for those patients who want the very best vision that science can currently provide, digital surfacing provides the mechanism to deliver it.

Types Of Lenses

  • PROGRESSIVE LENSES

    Starting around the age of 40, most adults experience an accommodative disorder called presbyopia, causing eyes to lose the ability to focus up close. It is for this condition that progressive lenses were designed. Progressive lenses can give you clear vision at all distances: up close, far away, and everything in between.


    Today’s digital progressive lenses have come a long way! With the latest technology, each progressive lens is “digitally surfaced” individually for each wearer.


    Using our Zeiss iTerminal for precision measurements, your optician will take precise fitting measurements (in addition to the pupil height and pupil distance) such as vertex distance, pantoscopic tilt, frame wrap, eye movement, posture, and more. Our optometrist can also fine-tune your prescription down to a sixteenth of a diopter and digital surfacing allows us to compensate the prescription throughout the entire lens, not just in the center.


    Combining these additional measurements with complex computer algorithms, the laboratories utilize the latest machining techniques (including microscopic digital lathes and polishers) to produce a lens that is individually customized to the wearer, meaning that no two lenses are produced the same. This is like having a suit custom-made for you by the best tailor in the business.


    The end result for you is:

    • “high definition vision”
    • smooth transition between near and far
    • wider viewing areas at all distances
    • an expanded field of view
    • elimination of “swimming” sensation
    • distortion-free vision

     

    More than ever, it’s important to remember that not all progressive lenses are created equal. While many optometry offices still sell traditional surfaced progressive lenses because they are much less expensive, we only recommend using digital progressive lenses in order to produce the best quality vision today’s technology can provide. You will pay more for these advancements but you will also experience a superior visual experience than is provided by the older lens technology.

  • MULTIFOCAL LENSES

    Multifocal lenses have more than one prescription power in different areas of the lens allowing you to view objects at all distances, both near and far, through a single lens. 


    The multifocal family of lenses includes bifocals, trifocals, progressive, computer, and driving lenses.  (Read more in categories below)


    The correct multifocal lenses will depend on your age, your visual needs, and other factors. Our experienced opticians will guide you through the process of selecting the right multifocal for you, producing a customized solution to your vision and eyewear needs.

  • SINGLE VISION LENSES

    Single vision lenses are prescribed if you need correction for only one field of vision, either for distance (nearsightedness), computer (intermediate), near vision (farsightedness) and astigmatism. Single vision lenses have only one prescription power providing the same correction over the entire viewing area of the lens.


    Visual quality, cosmetic appearance, and comfort are important factors in the design of single vision lenses. Today, higher refractive index materials make it possible to produce flatter and lighter lenses offering patients greater comfort and a better visual experience – even for those with high prescriptions.


    Not all single vision lenses are the same! Your prescription tells your eye doctor your correction requirements and power adjustments, but it doesn’t specify your preference in lenses. That’s up to you and your optician. Aside from your prescription, there are vast differences in the optical performance between different eyeglass lens brands, materials, and treatments. Our highly experienced opticians will help guide you through the lens choices available today, including the latest in digital lens technology.

  • COMPUTER LENSES

    In the new digital age, computer lenses may reduce the symptoms of CVS (computer vision syndrome) which are experienced when using computers, tablets, and other electronic devices with visual displays. According to The Vision Council of America, nearly 70 percent of American adults experience some form of digital eye strain.


    Computer lenses differ from regular lenses in that they are specifically made to meet the unique visual demands of computer viewing. This will most likely include a special lens design, lens power, and lens treatment which will maximize visual abilities and improve comfort when using digital devices. If you are spending large amounts of time on digital devices, computer lenses may benefit you whether or not you are currently wearing glasses.


    Computer screens usually are positioned 20 to 26 inches from the user’s eyes. This is considered the intermediate zone of vision — closer than driving (“distance”) vision, but farther away than reading (“near”) vision.


    Here are some of the functions and benefits which computer glasses offer.

    • anti-reflective coatings which greatly reduce the glare reflected from devices
    • computer-related eye problems such as digital eye strain, headaches, myopia control, and dry eye
    • reduced posture and back/neck strain issues

    Lenses that are offered with computer glasses:

    • Single vision computer glasses reduce the risk of blurred vision, eye strain, and bad posture. Single vision lenses are for any age computer user.
    • Occupational progressive lenses, such as the “office lens”, are multifocal lenses that correct near vision with an enhanced intermediate viewing zone which gives you more comfortable vision at the computer. The position of the intermediate and near vision zones can be customized to your specific computer needs but are not usually recommended for longer distance tasks.

  • SUNGLASS LENSES

    Sunglasses can give you instant Audrey Hepburn glamour, James Dean cool, or the rock star hipness of Bono. But they are much more than a fashion accessory. Their lenses are an essential tool in safeguarding the health of your eyes and the surrounding tissue, protecting your eyes, and improving your vision at the same time.


    In the ever-present battle against the sun’s dangerous ultraviolet rays, lens designers offer a multitude of options, such as polarization and mirror coat. The opticians at Urban Optiks will assist you in designing the perfect sunglass lenses for your visual needs.

Woman being measured for lenses with Zeiss iTerminal

Precision Lens Measurement

Just like your fingerprint, every face, frame fit, and prescription are unique and with today’s technologies, customized solutions can be created that have been personalized to your vision and lifestyle requirements.


With your prescription and frame in hand, our highly skilled opticians will use the Zeiss iTerminal 2 to perform an advanced fitting. Using a precision digital camera and computerized measuring system, the iTerminal 2 delivers measurements to 0.1mm accuracy. Traditionally, 1mm measurement increments were the most that could be achieved. In addition, the only position of wear measurements that were available were pupillary distance and ocular height. Now, with the iTerminal 2 we are able to measure for vertex distance, pantoscopic tilt and wrap, all of which are needed for complete prescription optimization.

Lens Design & Manufacturing

Lens design drives the performance characteristics and digital surfacing delivers it. Our premium lens manufacturers, including Carl Zeiss Vision, Shamir, Hoya and Essilor, push the mathematical limits of progressive lens design to further improve patient attributes and create “virtual lenses” in the form of large mathematical data files that are used to control the surfacing process.


Traditional surfacing was once done using molds whereas, today’s digital surfacing is done directly on the lens using high-speed diamond laser cutting tools. The digital surfacing allows simultaneous control of multiple axes while cutting and polishing the lens surface. A modern free-form generator and polisher deliver the lens geometry and surface shape required within the tolerance of single microns, a precision never available before.

Woman manufacturing custom lenses in a lab
Man driving a car wearing Transitions photochromoic lenses

Lens Treatments & Coatings

Options, options, and more options! Regardless of your prescription or the frame you ultimately choose, there is a variety of lens treatments and coatings available which can enhance your visual experience and make a real difference in the health and quality of your vision. Scratch resistant treatments, anti-reflective treatments, UV protection and more are all readily available and can be combined to create the ultimate eyeglass lenses.


Photochromic lenses, commonly referred to as Transitions, are available in almost every lens design from single-vision to progressives. They come in a wide variety of lens designs and materials, including polycarbonate, trivex, and high-index.

Our Lens Manufacturing Partners

Zeiss Logo

Zeiss

Your eyes. Your style. Your life. The prescription your doctor writes for you is completely personalized for your eyes. But most progressive lenses are not: they use the same optics for many prescriptions. Your ZEISS progressive lenses will be designed precisely for your prescription and manufactured with for superior performance. You’ll enjoy wide, spacious fields of clear vision – up to 50% larger* than ordinary progressives. Learn More

Shamir Logo

Shamir

Founded in 1972, Shamir Optical Industry Ltd. is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality progressive lenses. Famous for its Innovation, Technological Sophistication and rigorous Quality Assurance practices, Shamir is known for its quick response to changing consumer demands and its ability to custom-design a wide range of progressive lenses and the industry’s leading occupational lens. Learn More

Hoya Logo

Hoya

Like fingerprints, no two eyes are the same. Hoya’s approach to your vision correction is also one-of-a-kind. Hoya combines specialized processes in optical engineering with high-tech knowledge of advanced materials to bend and manipulate light more precisely than ever before possible.  Learn More

Essilor Logo

Essilor

As one of the world’s leading providers of eyeglass lenses for over 160 years, Essilor’s number one priority has always been the customer. With customers in mind, Essilor works closely with eyecare professionals to provide innovative products that fit their lifestyles. Learn More

Partnerships That Benefit You!

Urban Optiks Optometry is proud to partner with incredible frame and lens vendors from around the world, bringing years of optical experience together to provide you the finest eyewear and eyecare available in San Diego. Here’s a video that explores our fantastic relationship with Tom Davies Bespoke and Zeiss Digital Lenses.