Choosing lenses FAQs

Which lenses you need will depend on your prescription.

There are broadly four different types of optical lenses:

Single vision lenses are the most common, and provide correction for one field of vision. For most people this will either be distance, or near (reading).

Ready readers provide simple magnification power for reading. No prescription is required.

Non-prescription clear lenses are ready to wear and can be changed by a local optician if required. These are also known as ‘plano’ lenses.

If you need to correct more than one field of vision - for example both distance and near vision - we also offer progressives, otherwise known as varifocals. These also allow you to see the intermediate areas in between clearly such as your computer and car dashboard.

If you’re not sure, we’re here to help.

As well as the type of lens, you can choose the ‘index’ of lens. Most prescriptions require standard 1.5 or 1.6 index lenses. 

Stronger prescriptions may require high-index lenses (thinner 1.67 or thinnest 1.74). High-index lenses are lighter and have flatter curvature. You can add these to prescription orders during the checkout.

In all honesty, the jury is out.

There's no scientific evidence that blue filter lenses actually help with digital eye strain. 

Indeed, we actually get more exposure to blue light from the sun than we do from computers and smartphones. 

It's not the blue light that's making your eyes feel bad - it's staring at the screen for hours without a break. 

One of the main causes of eye strain is actually glare, so it's important you have lenses with an anti-reflective coating. Thankfully all Cubitts’ lenses come with this as standard. 

Blue filter lenses can potentially be useful at night, when blue light from screens can disrupt natural sleep patterns. Our bodies associate blue light with daytime, so being exposed to it when you're trying to go to sleep can push our internal clocks later, meaning it's harder to doze off. 

Our advice is that if you have trouble sleeping it might be worth trying blue filter lenses. This isn't dissimilar to ‘Night Mode’ on an iPhone -  we do suggest trying that first. Or even trying (brace yourselves) to reduce your screen time before you go to sleep. 

Blue filter lenses are available at the checkout for an additional cost of £50 for this service.

Light reactive lenses (also known as Transitional lenses) contain photochromic dyes that cause the lens to activate, or darken, when exposed to ultraviolet rays from sunlight. This means that your lenses automatically become ‘sunglasses’ when you’re out and about. Light reactive lenses offer the convenience of sunglasses without having to switch between the two.

An alternative to Light reactive lenses are Clip-ons, which you manually affix to your spectacles as and when needed.

Polarised lenses have a built-in filter to reduce glare caused by horizontal light. They’re ideal for activities around water, where light reflection causes glare, but they may cause difficulty when looking at screens or driving (as many windscreens are already polarised).

So worth considering if you’re into activities such as fishing, surfing, sailing, or levitating on water.

Progressives are a marvellous piece of optical technology for anyone who needs help with vision at multiple distances.

Progressive prescriptions can be complex, and every magnificent pair of presbyopic eyes is unique. Our store teams will always be happy to advise on whether you need varifocals, and will never try to sell you anything unnecessary. In the meantime, you can read our guide to progressives to find out more.