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by w4rh4wk5 657 days ago
I can confirm this. I had annoyingly bad chromatic aberration with my previous glasses. I specifically asked for CR-39 lenses for my next set of glasses and now it's barely noticeable at all.

I would recommend this to any programmer who uses high-contrast syntax highlighting. To me, it felt fatiguing every time I noticed differently colored words scrolling slight further than other words on a terminal screen on the same line.
3 comments
agent86 657 days ago
One thing to keep in mind is that CR-39 is not impact resistant. They will shatter and can do horrible things to your eyes when they do. Kids should always be put in impact resistant lenses.

If you’re a desk jockey, or impact resistance is not a concern, CR-39 will give the least aberration with the exception of crown glass.

The hidden hack here if you need/want impact resistance is to ask for Trivex lenses. Same impact resistance as polycarbonate but much better ABBE value. It’s often overlooked because it costs a little more than polycarbonate and most people don’t complain about the distortion.

Also, anecdotally, you get what you pay for with progressive lenses. I have a cheap lens in my sunglasses and a higher end lens in my daily drivers and I can easily tell the difference.

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xattt 657 days ago
> It’s often overlooked because it costs a little more than polycarbonate and most people don’t complain about the distortion.

I just started wearing glasses. I asked about fringing and they had brushed my concerns off as me being new to glasses.

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w4rh4wk5 656 days ago
Deal with it for a few weeks, your brain will likely adapt.
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kps 656 days ago
For those with stronger prescriptions who want higher index lenses to reduce thickness (and weight), look at http://opticampus.opti.vision/tools/materials.php and/or talk to your optician about available materials. (Personally, I've settled on MR-8 for my last couple pairs of computer glasses.)
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jrockway 657 days ago
This really bothered me many years ago, and I tried CR-39 and even glass, just for fun. I was never that happy with the results. I could always distract myself with chromatic aberration, and I think I eventually decided not to care anymore.

But right now, I have high index lenses and am reading HN with Dark Reader, and even if I use the maximum strength of my glasses (progressive bifocals), I can't really see any chromatic aberration.

I'm not sure if I should be happy or worried.

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