Tsuyoshi Ohkubo

Plastics as Novel Optical Materials

In optical applications such as lenses, prisms and filters, polymers have commonly been used instead of conventional inorganic glasses because of their high moldability, low specific gravity, high impact resistance and high dyability. These properties are of great advantage to manufacturers and users. For example, a polymer aspheric lens can be manufactured more easily than an inorganic lens because a simpler process can be applied for polymers. Moreover, contact lenses and eyeglasses made of polymer can be worn comfortably and safely because of the material’s high impact resistance and light weight.