On Tue, Jan 4, 2011 at 3:42 PM, Biju Chacko <[email protected]> wrote:
> But it got me thinking, if I _had_ been interested in those > features, how could I tell if I actually got what I paid for? Cheap > and expensive lenses are essentially indistinguishable after all. > > Any ideas? > > -- b > > As a bona fide bespectacled Silkster, who has been dealing with crushed glasses (I was once wearing them when it happened!) and dubious opticians (including the few I am related to), I have now figured out that there are a few signs to look out for if your optician tells you that the lenses are expensive. 1. Causa Materialis. Apart from the Aristotlean overtones, it is actually the chief cause that affects the price range. Normal spherical glass lenses are dirt cheap. But if you have a higher power, a cylindrical axis or other such anomaly, then they will be useless and it is time to shell out more money. If your lenses are fibres, then you need to further look at whether they are anti-glare, scratch-resistant, dirt-resistant and branded. For each feature the prices will rise. My younger brother's recently gotten himself a pair that is shatter-proof, which means that even if you crush them, the lenses don't shatter and you are not likely to be blinded by an incoming shard. 2. Durability. Most expensive lenses come with a warranty. That doesn't mean that the lens will actually last long but it does mean that the companies seem to have faith in the idea that they will. Always get the warranty papers for the branded lenses. 3. Design. Despite what I was taught in Physics classes (where admittedly, I didn't learn much), not all lenses, apparently have to be spherical. If you are buying 'flat lenses' (whatever that means), then the lenses are going to be more expensive. 4. Shape. The price of the lens will also depend on what shapes you want. The less angular your lenses are, the less it will cost when compared with angular lenses of the same quality. Which means that if you choose a square eye-frame and want glasses that look slightly futuristic over the round eyed (previously Gandhi, now Harry Potter look), you will have to pay more. 5. Fashion. There is a whole range of lenses in the market now, which are inlaid with crystals, embedded with precious gems, have unusual colours and basically cater to your popular cool quotient. Anything in this arena is significantly expensive. There might be other factors, but these are the ones that I have grown to identify with time. Cheers Nishant -- Nishant Shah Doctoral Candidate, CSCS, Bangalore. Director (Research), Centre for Internet and Society,( www.cis-india.org ) Asia Awards Fellow, 2008-09 # 00-91-9740074884
