If you are unfamiliar with any of the buzzwords bandied about in our industry, perhaps you’ll find them defined in this glossary.

Anti-Reflective Coating - A coating applied to the inside or outside of a lens that improves vision by reducing reflections and glare. It also enhances the appearance of the glasses.

Bifocal Lenses - Eyeglass lenses ground with two distinct viewing areas: one for viewing near objects and one for viewing distant objects.

Computer Vision Syndrome - Various eye and vision problems which are related to working near computer screens.

Cataract - An opacity of the eye’s crystalline lens.

Cornea - The front part of the transparent, outer protective layer of the eye. The cornea’s curvature provides the major refraction of light in the eye.

High-Index Lenses - Advanced plastic lenses that are thinner and flatter than conventional plastic lenses.

Hyperopia - Farsightedness. People with hyperopia have vision that is out of focus at all distances. It can be corrected with prescription eyeglasses.

Laser Vision Correction - A surgical procedure to correct myopia using an excimer laser. Also called PRK.

Myopia - Nearsightedness. For people with myopia, distant objects are out of focus.

Ophthalmologist - An eye doctor who has completed medical school (M.D.) and is licensed to examine eyes, treat eye diseases, and perform eye surgery.

Optometrist - An eye doctor who has completed optometry school (O.D.) and is licensed to give eye examinations, prescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses, and, in most states, dispense eye medications.

Photochromic Lenses - Eyeglass lenses that darken in bright light conditions and clear in low light conditions.

Polycarbonate Lenses - Impact resistant plastic eyeglass lenses.

Presbyopia - The age-related inability to see near objects in focus. It can be corrected with bifocals or progressive addition lenses.

Progressive Addition Lenses - Eyeglass lenses with progressively more magnifying power from top to bottom.

PRK - A surgical procedure to correct myopia by reshaping the cornea using an excimer laser.

Scratch-Resistant Coating - A hardened coating that helps protect plastic lenses from scratches.

Single Vision Lenses - Eyeglass lenses that correct a single refractive need such as myopia or hyperopia.

Trifocals - Eyeglass lenses with three distinct viewing areas to provide focused vision for near and distant objects as well as for objects in between.

Ultraviolet Rays - Invisible light from the sun and lighting instruments that are potentially harmful to the eyes. Exposure to “UV” light is associated with the development of cataracts.