Optical lenses are devices that use the principle of refraction to interfere with the focus of a beam of light. These components are usually made of glass or plastic material. Simple lenses may have only one element while compound ones are made up of multiple elements. Optical lenses can either converge light or diverge it depending on their design. Its substrate determines convergence or divergence of a lens' output.

Plano-convex and double-convex optical lenses cause light to converge to a point when it travels through. On the other hand, Plano-concave and double concave lenses cause light to diverge when it travels through them. Some optical lenses are optimized for color correction, and they are referred to as achromatic lenses. Some applications may also require optical lenses that are capable of correcting spherical aberration. In that case, aspheric optical lenses provide an ideal option.

The materials used to design optical lenses may vary considerably depending on the intended applications. For instance, optical lenses intended for infrared transmissions have germanium, zinc selenide or silicon. Fused silica is preferred when an optical lens is designed for ultraviolet applications. Optical lenses have wide applications that range from laser processing to microscopy. Life sciences, defense, telecommunications, and imaging are some of the fields that extensively use optical lenses.