Discover more about the doctor-recommended features and materials we use — like polycarbonate lenses and blue-light filtering.
July 15, 2024
Written by
Katherine Solem
Expert review by
Jonathan Gula
Discover more about the doctor-recommended features and materials we use — like polycarbonate lenses and blue-light filtering.
July 15, 2024
Written by
Katherine Solem
Expert review by
Jonathan Gula
There’s a lot more to lenses than meets the eye. Not only do lenses correct different vision needs, but all XP Health lenses come with features to protect your vision and make your glasses stand up to daily use. We also offer different lens materials tailored to your prescription strength.
Learn more about the different types of doctor-recommended lens materials and features available to you.
Glass lenses used to be made of, you guessed it, glass. Now, they’re made of high-tech plastics. This makes glasses thinner, lighter, and more scratch- and shatter-resistant than before.
We offer lenses made with different materials depending on your prescription.
All XP Health lenses come standard in polycarbonate material at no additional cost to members. Polycarbonate is a plant-based plastic that is lightweight, durable, and shatter-resistant. All kids’ eyeglasses are made with polycarbonate lenses.
We also offer two kinds of ultrathin lenses. These are only recommended for people with high prescriptions (plus or minus 6.0 and above sphere power). (Learn how to read your eye prescription).
Made from a different type of plastic, these lenses are thinner and lighter than polycarbonate. However, they are also more fragile and prone to scratches and chipping. That’s why we don’t recommend them for kids. We also don’t recommend them for use in workplace eyeglasses where the lenses provide eye protection or for other uses where shatter resistance is essential.
Our lenses also come with premium features at no extra cost. Many retailers charge upward of $200 per pair for these add-ons. These lens features help protect your eyes and make your glasses more durable for everyday use. That’s why we call them “doctor-recommended lenses.”
All XP Health lenses come with built-in UVA and UVB protection. This provides full protection from the sun’s rays that can damage your eyes and the skin around them. Because we build this protection right into the lens, it won’t wear off. Most eyewear retailers only offer UVA protection, and apply it as a coating, which can rub or scratch off. Some only offer it as a paid add-on with a typical retail price of $58.
Our lenses reduce reflections and glare. This can decrease eye strain from computer, phone, and tablet use and help you see more clearly. We even include anti-glare protection on the backside of the lens to help block reflections from bouncing off it. This is added at no extra cost to you.
(Typical retail price is $97.)
Our lenses also come standard with blue-violet light filtering. In fact, it’s built into the lens itself. This provides full UV-blue light protection. Unlike other lenses that just reflect back blue light (causing that blue reflection on glasses you may have seen on video calls), our lenses absorb the blue-violet light. This provides higher-quality protection without the obvious blue reflection. And because it’s built into the lens, it won’t scratch off and leave obvious gaps in blue-light filtering.
(Typical retail price is $105.)
Glasses are meant to be lived in. That’s why all XP Health lenses come with dust, smudge, water, and scratch resistance. No more constant wiping and cleaning your lenses. (Typical retail price is $50.)
Learn how to clean and care for your glasses properly.
We also offer other features you can add during the checkout process and pay for out of pocket.
These lenses change color from clear to dark in response to UV light. For instance, the lenses look clear if you’re inside and away from open doors or windows. But when you step outside, the lenses transition to a dark gray or dark brown color.
Note that light-responsive lenses are triggered by UV light only. So they won’t turn darker from overhead or other incandescent light. But this also means that they won’t transition to a darker shade when you’re inside your car. That’s because car windows already filter out UV light — but not all visible light — so your lenses won’t be triggered to turn dark.
(The price for adding light-responsive lenses is $90. Typical retail price varies.)
Do you prefer colored lenses instead of clear ones? Choose custom color lenses in gray, green, or brown for many of our lenses. Or turn many of our eyeglasses into sunglasses by adding custom color prescription or non-prescription lenses.
You can add polarization to some custom-colored lenses, including sunglasses. Polarized lenses have a special coating that blocks out the light that causes glare. This provides even more protection than our typical lenses, especially from bright, reflective surfaces like water and snow.
Polarized lenses can be very useful for people who spend a lot of time outdoors, especially around lakes or the ocean. They may also be a good option for people susceptible to eye strain from glare. Polarized lenses are available in gray, brown, and green shades.
As an XP Health member, you can build a lens profile to find out which lenses best suit your needs. Log in and answer a few questions to get started.
