By Andrew Karp
Group Editor, Lenses and Technology

DALLAS--Essilor Laboratories of America (ELOA) is launching Ultra LiteStyle Solaire, a high-performance outdoor lens designed for patients with an active lifestyle. Available from ELOA as a proprietary brand, LiteStyle/Ultra Lite Style polycarbonate prescription sun tint lenses are available with TD2 scratch protection, backside anti-reflective and flashy front surfaces, in addition to 100 percent ultraviolet protection.

John Carrier

In response to consumers' increased demand for prescription sun tint lenses, Essilor has combined LiteStyle/Ultra LiteStyle, TD2 and prescription sun tints to create the Ultra LiteStyle Solaire lens. The LiteStyle and Ultra LiteStyle materials are light, safe, comfortable and thin, which are well-suited for drill mount frames. TD2 offers identical scratch resistance on both sides of the lens with unmatched durability. The prescription sun tints contain systematic backside anti-reflective performance and a fashionable look.

"In a recent eyecare professional survey, participants rated the need of having a prescription tinted polycarbonate lens as 8.6 on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the greatest need," said John Carrier, president of Essilor Laboratories. "With Ultra LiteStyle Solaire, eyecare professionals can, for the first time, offer patients a true sunwear style with the durability, comfort, and protection they need from the sun's powerful rays."

Ultra LiteStyle Solaire available from Essilor Laboratories of America (ELOA), is a high-performance outdoor lens designed for an active lifestyle.

Essilor has addressed the challenge of tinting polycarbonate with the Ultra LiteStyle Solaire process, which creates a chromatic filter that is guaranteed never to scratch, peel or fade for the first two years. A patented ColorTect Infusion process, created in a state-of-the-art vacuum chamber, completely free of impurities, enables microscopic layers of color to be fused into the lens. This creates a "diamond-hard" two-sided scratch protection, backside anti-glare treatment, and a backside hydrophobic topcoat. Ultra LiteStyle Solaire lens tint intensity is a category three, with 85 percent sun tint or 15 percent light transmission.

The power range for Ultra LiteStyle Solaire is +6.00 to -5.00D up to a -4.00 cylinder. An economical alternative to polarized sunglasses, the lenses are available in Titanium Gray & Cromium Brown.