The difference of Transitions on Photochromic lenses Vs. Trivex lenses?

I'm more of a reader here and don't like to chime in and add my $.02 when I can read everyone elses

But I do have this question that has been itching me, How do the two Differ?
Now yes, there are different forms for both Photochromic & Trivex...
Have have been going back and forth and still :confused:

To my understanding Trivex is stronger and much more clear when compared to Photochromic plastic, is this true?

Yet, I would think the Transitions effect would remain the same, but I read posts about yellowing of the lens, and so forth. Is there an cost issue Im missing? ...I ask this because I feel more Photochromic Transitions lenses are what Individuals lean towards over Trivex.

No need to mention that I am referring to Transitions VI & combined with AR.
I see this as the best fit combination.

I would like to Give thanks Ahead of time for anyone that will take a Min or Two of there time to clear things up for me.

*edit*
thought perhaps to add a poll for satistics & reasoning, so if you do participate in the poll, please do give a reason to why you picked one over the other.

Trivex is a light weight, high impact, chemical resistant lens material developed for the military in the 1990's.

HOYA Vision Care and Younger Optics launched Trivex as an opthalmic lens material trademarked Phoenix and Trilogy while Intercast launched Trivex as NXT around 2000-2001.

Today the offerings are expanded, X-Cel Optical offers Aris Transitions lenses along with Augen Optics, SEIKO, TOG and Essilor Lens in their lens designs.


It has a RI of 1.53, am abbe of 43-46 depending on who is manufacturing it. Off the top of my head, I believe the density of Trivex is 1.11, light as you can get...

Trivex Transitons is a stronger impact lens material than Transitions 1.50 standard index (CR607 a special version of CR39 made specificly for Transitions lenses). As far as indoor clarity both materials are very comparable, maybe a slight edge to standard index if some was very picky...but with AR, very hard to tell one lens material from another.

For drill mounts and rimless, Trivex is hard to beat.

You hit it right on in your post, the best lens to offer to your patient is a Transitions lens with AR regardless of the material.

It is my opinion that the best fit for material and design need matched to your patients lifestyle and profession....

Jim, I must say, you are truly a monster with all the 411 you have.:rolleyes:
You always have great incite and list both sides of an issue & would like to Thank you personally for the information along with the quick responces. sometimes I feel some of our colleges here are afraid of viewers reading the post, hence holing them back from posting up..but i may be wrong about this...haha

I am currently looking into trying to find a Trivex distributor, Mostly everything I find is linked back to PPG, are they the only distributors for this? Or have they been outsourced by other companies...and if so what of the quality, is it the same?

Check with any lab, they all have access to Trivex. Your poll could use some editing.....depending on what it is that you are trying to determine. Did you mean to contrast Transitions in CR-39 and Trivex, or just Transitions or Trivex? It's not too clear. If you want to edit it, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

The poll makes no sense. :confused: Trivex is a material and photochromic is a lens that changes from clear to a tint outside. It's not one or the other.

I have no issues with an edit to see the views of some others, and would appreciate that greatly hcjilson :cheers:

***I think my biggest typo is in the title where I meant "polycarbonate" instead of Phocromatic, My Appologies it was around 5am with less then 4hours of sleep in the past two days.***

I think what I was primarily trying to ask was which is preferred when both (polycarbonate & Trivex) have Transitions & AR.
-Who prefers which one and why?
-But, like Jim stated it more needs to match to your patients lifestyle and profession....
-So the thought that automatically comes to my head is if Trivex has the advantage of crisper optics than injection-molded polycarbonate lenses, then why would you not go with Trivex? What dose polycarbonate lenses have over Trivex? ...I dont personally buy either of the materials, hence i asked in the first post: Is there an cost issue I'm missing?

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Now aside from a title typo >.< ...my First mistake was I had assumed that the polycarbonate was imbued with the photochromic properties which allowed the change from light to dark and back again in the presence of ultraviolet light. But I have come to understand that the photochromic effect actually comes from a coating that is applied to the surface of any material. correct?

IeyeI: I've done enough reading on this subject to be able to assure you that not any of the basic lens materials (CR-39, trivex, polycarbonate, 1.6, 1.67 and so on) are inherently photochromic. To make a lens that is photochromic (darkens in the presence of UV light) the lens material has to receive a photochromic treatment. If it's a Transitions-branded lens, the photochromic treatment is actually a thin UV-sensitive coating applied to the surface of the lens, after the lens is molded. If it's a Rodenstock Colormatic lens, the UV-sensitive dyes have to be mixed into the lens material before the lens is molded.

Bottom line: A polycarbonate lens is not photochromic unless it has been specially treated with UV-sensitive dye.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by IeyeI

I have no issues with an edit to see the views of some others, and would appreciate that greatly hcjilson :cheers:

***I think my biggest typo is in the title where I meant "polycarbonate" instead of Phocromatic, My Appologies it was around 5am with less then 4hours of sleep in the past two days.***

I think what I was primarily trying to ask was which is preferred when both (polycarbonate & Trivex) have Transitions & AR.
-Who prefers which one and why?
-But, like Jim stated it more needs to match to your patients lifestyle and profession....
-So the thought that automatically comes to my head is if Trivex has the advantage of crisper optics than injection-molded polycarbonate lenses, then why would you not go with Trivex? What dose polycarbonate lenses have over Trivex? ...I dont personally buy either of the materials, hence i asked in the first post: Is there an cost issue I'm missing?

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Now aside from a title typo >.< ...my First mistake was I had assumed that the polycarbonate was imbued with the photochromic properties which allowed the change from light to dark and back again in the presence of ultraviolet light. But I have come to understand that the photochromic effect actually comes from a coating that is applied to the surface of any material. correct?

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I edited the poll to make it what you wanted. I also shortened the time people could vote to 30 days, down from 6 months. If you haven't gotten what you wanted in 30 days, you'll never get it!

hj