The properties of lead glass make it useful for many applications. The majority of them, however, make use of its optical
properties, in particular. Here are a few examples:
1. In the medical and research fields where visibility is required during procedures or experiments that involve radiation, lead glass can achieve the same radiation attenuation as the surrounding walls or barriers while allowing visibility to the
operator. A typical example is the viewing window of an X-ray room or a laboratory experimenting with radioactive materials.
2. The high refractive index of lead glass is useful for the production of lenses as thinner lenses can be crafted to achieve
similar focal lengths to ordinary ophthalmic glass. Lead glass is thus used for special medical glasses, binoculars, microscopes and telescopes.
3. Digital projectors use lead glass because it has a high level of transmission over short wavelengths, which is typical of
projector laser beams. Further, the temperature rise caused by the light source does not distort the image projected by lead glass because it has a lower thermal conductivity than lead-free glass.
4. It is useful in instruments that operate in the near-ultraviolet region and the near-infrared region as in bio-fluorescence,
gene analyses, spectrometry and telecommunication.
5. Lead glass is used in laser optics for printing and photocopying technologies.
6. Lead glass used to be popular for its use as glassware, but due to the health implications of ingesting lead, its application for storing and serving drinks has dwindled dramatically in recent times. Instead, lead crystal is used for ornamental purposes, such as chandeliers and decorative vases.
