| Plastic (organic material) | Glass | |
| Eyeglass lenses | Single vision, multifocal, progressive, special purpose lenses
Sunglass lenses |
Single vision, multifocal, progressive, special purpose lenses
Sunglass lenses |
| Refractive index | 1.5 – 1.74 | 1.5 – 1.92 |
| Customised lenses (prescription production) | Freeform technology | Freeform technology
Grinding and polishing |
| Stock lenses | Casting process | Casting process and grinding |
| Coatings | Hard lacquer, anti-reflective coating, Clean Coat and other coatings
Tinting, graduated tints and tinting in the dipping process – any colour is possible |
Anti-reflective coating, Clean Coat and other coatings
Tinting, graduated tints and tinting in the vacuum deposition process – limited choice of colours |
| Glass or mineral lenses | |
| Very high refractive indices allow the production of thin lenses, even for high prescriptions | Large range of refractive indices from n = 1.5 to n = 1.9 |
| Resistant to scratches, hence greater durability and longer lens life | Good surface hardness |
| Fewer colour fringes than plastic lenses with same refractive index | Low dispersion, even with high refractive index |
| No palpable edges in bifocal and trifocal lenses | Good fusibility of different materials |
| Unproblematic disposal of by-products resulting from manufacturing process | Good environmental compatibility of manufacturing process |
| No deformation and therefore no impairment of optical properties at high temperatures | High thermal resistance |
| Equitint lenses and cemented segments possible, e. g. with different prismatic powers in near and distance portions | Good cementing properties of the materials |
| Plastic or organic lenses | |
| High refractive indices allow the production of thin lenses, even for higher prescriptions | Range of refractive indices from n = 1.5 to n = 1.74 |
| Lightweight spectacles which are comfortable to wear | Low density |
| Very suitable for sports and children’s spectacles | High resistance to breakage |
| Tinting using dipping process, irrespective of prescription, in whatever colour the wearer requires | Extensive tinting possibilities |
| Uniform darkening of plastic photochromic lenses, irrespective of power | Incorporation of photochromic substances in lens surface |
| No damage to the lens in welding or grinding work | Very resistant to sparks |
| A hard coating is necessary to achieve a similar hardness to that of glass lenses | Low surface hardness |