While the visual needs of children haven't changed much over the years, their eyewear options certainly have. Products that suit the unique needs of kids have never been more bountiful.

Ask any optical dispenser what lens material children should receive and the reply will most likely be polycarbonate. This is largely due to polycarbonate's inherent safety characteristics. Polycarbonate is virtually unbreakable and can pass the drop-ball test even at a 1.0mm center thickness. For active people, and children usually are, it's important to keep the minimum thickness to a safer 2.0mm.

According to the Polycarbonate Lens Council, close to 50% of all children's eyewear is still ordered using conventional lenses. While this statistic is better than it was several years ago, it shows that not all ophthalmic professionals nor the industry as a whole have embraced polycarbonate usage as a standard for children. Today's polycarbonate lens material is much improved over what it was in the past, and providers need to reconsider offering this product to their patients?especially children.

In most cases, impact resistance is the most important lens characteristic for a child. Compared to other lens materials, polycarbonate provides 4 to 5 times more impact resistance to breakage thus making it an excellent choice for kids.

Polycarbonate lenses are also lightweight and resist scratching, two more important considerations for kids. Most children will be rougher on their eyewear than the average adult, yet parents expect a reasonable lifespan for the lenses. Today's polycarbonate lenses also have improved lens coatings rivaling the surface coatings found on most other lenses.

Finally, a distinct benefit of polycarbonate lenses is their UV protection. Many people aren't aware of the inherent dangers of long-term exposure to ultra-violet light in terms of ocular health. While some lenses provide natural ultra-violet absorption, some have little. Polycarbonate lenses in their natural form (no additional coatings or dye) offer 98-99% ultra-violet light protection to the eye.