Your resting heart rate represents how many times your heart beats in a minute when you’re sitting or lying still. For most people, that’s somewhere in the range of 60 to 100 beats per minute. Finely tuned athletes will typically have a lower resting heart rate than people who aren’t as physically fit.

What to know: The AAO recommends getting 100 percent protection from UVA and UVB rays. Lenses that offer this should be labeled 100 percent UV protection or UV400.

“Some people find it motivating to know their heart rate zone. If it helps you keep on track with your exercise program, that’s OK. For everyone else, the talk test works just fine,” Travers notes. “Can you talk and carry on a conversation when you’re exercising? Then you’re in a moderately easy zone. Not everyone should stress about the numbers, especially if that becomes a barrier to enjoying exercise.”

Typically applied on both sides of an eyeglass lens, this coating, also known as AR or anti-glare, “reduces the amount of light reflected off the surfaces of spectacle lenses, and may enhance the contrast of certain scenes,” says Scott E. Brodie, MD, PhD, professor of ophthalmology at NYU Langone Health in New York City. This means you’re getting the maximum light from the environment you’re in, but without any visual interference that can occur from that light bouncing off your lenses. (The term “anti-glare” is a misnomer, however, says Brodie, and glare—think oncoming headlights—is better addressed with polarized lenses than with AR.)

The types of lenses you choose can make a big difference in the quality of your eyeglasses. Depending on what your eye doctor advises, some people can get along just fine with basic plastic CR-39 lenses, while some may want to consider thinner and pricier polycarbonate or high-index types, which may be more appropriate for stronger prescriptions.

You’re committed to your exercise program. You’ve got your cushy sneakers on your feet and a fancy new heart rate monitor on your wrist. But when that tracker displays your heart rate, do you actually know what to do with that information?

What to know: Tinted lenses are often touted as “curing” color blindness, Brodie says. The truth: A tint may make some color contrasts more visible to people with partial color impairment but may make other contrasts harder to see, so it’s a trade-off.

If tracking your heart rate makes you happy and motivates you, go for it. But if heart rate calculations become a stumbling block, forget about them and focus instead on how your body feels when you’re exercising.

What to know: “Everything on the market now except your most basic standard plastic CR-39 lens [which still made up about 36 percent of the prescription lenses sold in the U.S. in 2019, according to the Vision Council] is probably going to come with scratch-resistant coating already on it,” Vitale says. “And that’s because CR-39 is already pretty scratch-resistant.” To further help keep lenses scratch-free, store your glasses in a case when you’re not wearing them and use a microfiber nonscratch cloth to clean them.

For the average exerciser, you can turn to your body’s cues to understand whether you’re getting a workout. If you’re carrying on a normal conversation without effort, your heart rate isn’t all that elevated. If you’re struggling to keep up with talking, you know your heart rate is spiking.

Ask for an itemized description. In many cases, eyeglass lenses come bundled with certain coatings, commonly those that reduce reflections or bolster scratch resistance. Be sure you don’t pay extra for a coating that’s already supposed to be part of your package.

Scan the warranty. Many glasses will be backed up by some kind of warranty, but it might not cover coatings. Or warranties may vary in terms of which ones are covered and for how long. What can you expect? “Virtually all coatings today are designed to last the life of the prescription,” says Vitale, which, on average, is about 28 to 30 months.

Talk with a credible healthcare provider, like an exercise physiologist or physical therapist, for personalized advice about heart rate zones and their impact on your exercise program.

Some of these are strictly cosmetic, but depending on your vision needs, others may “potentially improve your comfort and safety,” says Andrew Iwach, MD, clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO).

“For weight loss and endurance-building, it’s best to exercise in the zones that rely on fat for fuel — zones 1 through 3,” Travers emphasizes.

Of course, not all 40-year-olds — or 20-year-olds or 60-year-olds — are at the same level of physical fitness. So, your actual max heart may vary some from this calculation. But if you don’t have a more precise max heart rate from an exercise stress test or VO2 max test, it’s a good starting point to understanding what you should consider your threshold for safe exercise.

Put price in perspective. Some types of coating, like those that are anti-reflective (sometimes called glare-reducing), come in a range of prices. But experts say the most expensive option offered isn’t necessarily of significantly higher quality. “I know some ‘house brands’ out there that are pretty similar to the premium versions,” says master optician Michael Vitale, vice president of membership and technical affairs at The Vision Council.

A glass of lemon water in the morning can help with digestion and boost vitamin C levels, and may even help get you into a better routine

No matter what your warranty says, if a coating starts to degrade within a year, Vitale recommends taking the glasses back to see whether you can get the problem fixed or the glasses replaced.

If your max heart rate is your heart rate when you’re pushing yourself to your limits, your resting heart rate is the opposite.

“When your heart rate increases, you’re not taking in as much oxygen. You can’t oxidize fat fast enough when you have less oxygen. So your body turns to another, more readily available energy source to provide fuel for you — glycogen, also known as carbohydrates. You can do short bursts in higher, more intense heart rate zones to push your body. Overall, though, it’s best to spend longer periods closer to 50% to 70% of your max heart rate for the most efficient results.”

You can also find your resting heart rate by feeling your pulse on your wrist and counting the number of beats in a minute. Travers suggests doing this first thing in the morning for the most accurate results.

Here, dyes are applied to lenses to cut down on the visible light (but not necessarily UV rays) entering the eye. Hues range from light tints like a pastel blue or pink to deeper shades used for sunglasses.

What you’ll pay: It’s usually included, especially with sunglasses. Otherwise, an upgrade to 100 percent UV protection may be available. At EyeBuyDirect, for instance, it’s included with an upgrade to thinner lenses. And note that polycarbonate lenses, which are natural UV blockers, offer 100 percent protection, as do many high-index lenses, Vitale says.

If you thrive on numbers and a quantitative understanding of your exercise program, it’s time to get nitty-gritty. It takes a bit of math to find your target heart rate zones, so get your calculator handy.

We talked with Travers about heart rate zones — where your heart rate should fall for the most health benefits — how to calculate your zones and if they’re really all that important.

Their heart rate reserve would be 180 (max heart rate) minus 70 (resting heart rate), which equals 110. Keep this number handy for the next step.

It’s easy to assume that pushing yourself to your max is the most effective way to lose weight, right? More sweating, more huffing, more puffing, more weight shedding, right?

“Your heart rate zone tells you how hard you’re working, and what you’re utilizing for energy,” explains exercise physiologist Chris Travers, MS. “The higher your heart rate gets, the more you're burning carbohydrates and protein for energy, and the less you’re using fat for energy.”

What you’ll pay: Tints cost an average of $74.67, according to the Vision Council’s VisionWatch market research for December 2019. Blue blocking costs $50 at Warby Parker and starts at $19 at EyeBuyDirect.

Who might consider: People who just like the look, of course. But tints may also help improve contrast for those with degenerative retinal disorders or light sensitivity. “Tinted lenses may reduce discomfort in bright light,” Brodie says. In some cases, even light tints may increase contrast, which can be helpful to pilots and marksmen working in outside light, he says.

The Karvonen formula to calculate your training zone is this:([Maximum heart rate – resting heart rate] x % intensity) + resting heart rate = training zone.To simplify some, here’s another way to look at it:

So, you may see heart rate zones described in slightly different ways and using different names. That’s OK. There are a lot of gray areas. The bottom line is that as your heart rate climbs, your body reacts to keep up with your needs.

Heart rate zones are based on a percentage of your maximum heart rate. The easiest way to calculate your max heart rate is using the age-adjusted formula 220 – your age = max heart rate.

“If you’re moving your heart rate higher than what it is at rest, you’re helping improve your cardiovascular health,” Travers says. “You're improving your cardiovascular health when you raise your heart rate from what it is at rest and what it is during your normal daily activity. That’s the key.”

And while some coatings may be included in your eyeglass package price, others may add as much as $100-plus to your bill.

“Having more muscle mass boosts your metabolic rate (the number of calories you burn at rest),” Travers adds. “That means that with more muscle, you’ll burn more calories throughout the day, which will help promote weight loss.”

Heart rate zones are essentially an indication of how hard your heart is working to pump your blood and keep up with the demands of what you’re doing. The higher your heart rate, the higher the heart rate zone you’re in and the harder your body is working to keep up.

Be even more cautious about anything that feels high-pressure if you’re in an eyeglass store, he says. If you feel pressured, Vitale says, “you may want to look elsewhere.”

This coating will make your glasses less vulnerable to scratching if you happen to drop them or clean them with an abrasive cloth. “Many glasses wouldn’t last a day without this,” Vitale says. “Polycarbonate and high-index lenses are very soft.”

But once you’ve picked frames and lenses, there’s a wide variety of lens coatings to consider, each with its own properties—from light reduction to scratch resistance.

Avoid the hard sell. Even if you’re buying the glasses from your ophthalmologist, “by the time you get to the eyeglass purchase point in the eye exam cycle, you’re in a retail environment and may be working with the staff, rather than the doctor,” Vitale says.

For optimal cardiovascular health, the American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (zones 1 to 3). Or if you want to get more benefit in less time, aim for 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity (zones 3 to 4). Or split the difference and do a combination of the two.

But lately, exercise experts have turned to the Karvonen formula, which takes into account your resting heart rate, too. That creates a more personalized understanding of your exercise intensity. More to come on that.

To help you sort through the common choices, we’ve gathered advice and cost information from vision experts and major eyeglass retailers, and December 2019 VisionWatch market research from the Vision Council, a nonprofit trade association for the optical industry.

For most people, what matters most for your heart health is that you make an effort to move more. Any exercise, for any length of time, will improve your cardiovascular health.

What to know: AR may get a bad rap from consumers who remember it being prone to degrading and developing cracks called “crazing” or “spiderwebbing” in its earlier days. But, according to Vitale, such problems were mostly resolved at the beginning of the 2000s. In the past, AR coatings also tended to attract dust and grime, but they now generally include an anti-static treatment that helps repel water and oil and keeps the coating cleaner. “Most of the AR coatings on the market today perform extremely well,” Vitale says.

Over time, exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays can lead to vision problems such as cataracts and retinal damage. But many eyeglass lenses have a substantial amount of UV protection built in. You can also sometimes buy an additional treatment to safeguard your eyes fully or opt for lenses with 100 percent protection.

Think about how you use eyeglasses. Indoors and outdoors? For sports or only for reading or desk work? Driving day and night? Your lifestyle and habits should inform your coating decisions.

Like the Pirate’s Code, heart rate zones are less like “rules” and more like “guidelines.” Your personal physiology isn’t entirely ruled by the laws of mathematics. There’s some give and take here.

Who might consider: Most people, but AR coating may be especially useful for those who often drive at night (it can reduce reflections from headlights at night) and read on computers. It’s strongly recommended with polycarbonate or high-index lenses, which reflect more light than basic plastic CR-39 or glass lenses.

The most accurate way to know your max heart rate is by doing an exercise stress test or VO2 max test. During the test, you’ll be hooked up to a heart rate monitor while you run as fast as you possibly can on a treadmill or pedal on an exercise bike. The heart rate you achieve at your “breaking point” is your maximum heart rate.

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As for blue blockers, “there’s probably no harm, though anything that limits the light reaching you can lessen your vision,” Iwach says. “But the benefits have not been proven.” He has also recently seen an increase in interest in yellow-tinted lenses for night driving but cautions that these “can actually complicate things, since in low-light conditions, you want to get the most light in that you can.”

What you’ll pay: Usually included in the price of glasses, but more robust scratch resistance may be built in to some upgraded lens packages.

You’ll find your target heart rate for each heart rate zone by multiplying your heart rate reserve by the percentage of max heart rate that each zone represents:

For committed athletes, your heart rate zone can tell you a lot about the intensity of your workout and the health benefits to your body. But it takes a bit of math and some understanding of your heart rate to appreciate what those numbers mean for your health.

Raising your heart rate above your resting point, even a little, strengthens your heart. And it helps to improve blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and more.

How do you know what’s right for you? Your eye doctor may have some suggestions. “These are, by and large, personal decisions,” Iwach says. “One size doesn’t fit all.”

Lenses tinted yellow are sometimes marketed as “blue blockers” for their supposed ability to reduce exposure to the light emitted by electronics such as smartphones. The theory is that this may ease both eyestrain and any sleep problems associated with using the devices too close to bedtime.

Many wearable heart rate monitors can tell you your resting heart rate at any given moment. Or they may show you your resting heart rate based on an average over several days.

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