Archive for June, 2011

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Life Changing thanks to Light Changing!

Monday, June 27th, 2011

We’ve had a super sunny spring and hopefully an equally bright summer, and sales are already soaring this year for sunspecs and photochromic lenses. As we’re all more aware of the dangers of UV our increasingly active lifestyles demand sun protection for our health as well as our comfort. Photochromic lenses alter depending on light conditions, to give you the protection you need, when you want it. So are they right for you?

In different formats, photochromic lenses have been around for many years, from the earliest glass lenses, to the sophisticated plastics we use today. The lenses work thanks to crystals within the material which change colour as UV, and to a certain extent general light, stimulate them. The first versions were an interesting colour, in a ginger brown, or blue grey, then as we progressed we had green and true blue. These versions could be further enhanced with some amount of constant tint so they never went totally clear.

The first plastic photochromics were a huge step forward for safety and comfort for wearers, but oddly started off a weird shade of brown and then went sort of blue! They also had a fairly short life span, as they lost their reacting capabilities over time. Thankfully, several generations of lens on, we now have fast, effective light changing lenses that give UV protection and work brilliantly at cutting glare. You can have them in every lens format, from single vision to varifocal, and they have an excellent colour range, showing barely any residual colour indoors, to swiftly going as dark as the best sunnies when you step outside.

They will suit you if you have a busy lifestyle, and are constantly on the go, dashing in and out of the car, sightseeing on holiday. You don’t have to carry clear and tinted specs everywhere with you, and you don’t have to worry if you’re out late on the roads – patients have been caught out when they find themselves needing to drive home at night and they only have sunglasses with them. You can add an anti-reflection layer for extra safety at night, and all versions come with a scratch resistant, hard layer as standard.

Varifocal lenses

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Fashion Forward

Sunday, June 26th, 2011

Following our British Optical trade fair in April, new styles of frames are filtering onto the market after their launch at the show. This is an exciting few months for new fashions, as we see exhibition samples reaching our shelves. Nothing stands still in fashion, and our designers aim to compliment clothing and accessories with inspiring eyewear.

Rimless are still a steady niche product for some, and styles have been updated with coloured plastic and metal sides, and edgy new shapes that echo standard frame styles. Sharp rectangles for men, deeper shapes, and even round eyes are creeping back in for Summer/Fall 2011. Go a bit bigger than your previous model for up to date style with no boundaries!

Geek shapes are the norm rather than the trendy exception now, and they are bang on trend with new colours and materials. Now produced in sheet cut metals and skinny plastics rather than just chunky acetates you can go retro and traditional or fresh and funky within this look. Layered lime with purple, pink and red, a far cry from the Ronnie barker solid black plastics!

Metal frames, once simple and plain, are given the make-over treatment with deeper shapes, chunky rims, and wide plastic sides bearing every kind of decoration you can imagine! Dior are using engraved and touchy-feely texture, Fendi some rather chic wood grain pattern, Gucci a swirling mix of colours fading into one another. Prints are popular too, with inspiration form nature – butterflies, flowers and abstract patterns – and techno-geometry.

So whatever your personal choice, you can stick to your signature look while bringing things smartly up to date this season. Rimless, plastic, metal or a combination of all three, the choice is endless and very fashion forward!

Varifocal Glasses

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Falls Awareness

Saturday, June 18th, 2011

The National Charity Age UK is running falls awareness week during June, highlighting the connection between lower standards of vision and potentially life changing falls. Opticians and other healthcare professionals will all be getting involved in raising awareness of the importance of eye examinations and the advice and help that the elderly can access.

If you are a relative or carer of someone who may be vulnerable to falls, then do encourage them to visit their optician and discuss their lifestyle needs. As our lives move on, spec requirements change, and patients who needed varifocals for work or bifocals, may now be safer with different lenses if it improves their mobility. Using the most up to date prescription will also help, plus wearing clear rather than tinted lenses indoors.

The problem with bifocals and varifocals is that vision can be blurred through the lower portion of the lens, which could lead to trips and falls on steps and stairs. While separate specs for reading and distance is not ideal in a working environment, it may be safer for a patient who has a more sedentary lifestyle and needs reassurance while getting around the house.

You can get a copy of the prescription form your optician and help the patient to make a purchase online if extra pairs of single vision specs will make life easier. A combination of glasses in different formats should help with getting around and managing to keep going with hobbies and activities.

The fear of falls rather than the actual calamity happening can reduce confidence and trigger loss of independence. Helping patients to retain their lifestyle for as long as possible can be helped with something as simple reassuring them that their specs are up to date and they’re doing everything they can to give themselves good balance and confidence.

Varifocal Glasses

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Terrific Tints

Monday, June 13th, 2011

While for some tints are simply a fashion accessory (Ozzy Osbourne, you know who you are!!) for others they are a medical necessity that can change vision and therefore day to day lives. We’re referring in this instance to colours dyed into the plastic lens material, in very specific shades that filter different wavelengths of light to give the wearer a specific view. For some visual problems and lifestyle choices a tint can make a terrific difference…..

Tints for Dyslexia – For many dyslexic patients a tinted spectacle lens or a coloured plastic sheet called an overlay can make reading more comfortable and much less of a strain. We’ve even had kids learn to read for the first time thanks to these specialist tints. You need analysis by a trained Optometrist, who will help to find the most effective colour for you. The glasses can look any colour, with hues of every shade from violet, yellow, green, blue and everything in between. They cannot be replicated by just guessing the shade – they are built up of different filters to perfect the exact shade.

Tints for Migraine – Recent research has shown that precision tinted lenses can have a therapeutic effect for migraine sufferers. The specially tuned tints work by normalising brain activity – researchers noted abnormal brain activity when migraine patients saw odd visual effects and patterns. Wearing the tints calmed this down. These lenses are of a similar type to those for dyslexic patients.

Tints for Driving – While it’s illegal to drive in tinted lenses after dark, high contrast filter tints can make driving safer and more comfortable by day. These specialist tints cut glare but allow colours to show true, so you’re not dazzled by the sun but can still pick out brake lights easily. These lenses are usually a rich reddish brown colour, sometimes with a mirror layer on the front for further glare reduction.

Tints for Clarity – If you have a hobby like shooting, you’ll have seen some yellow tints worn by the professionals. These tints make vision sharper, enhancing the good sight you already have. By providing extra contrast you’ll get a better image of the target. They don’t cut sunlight glare – they actually make your day as well as your score look brighter!

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Celeb Watch Summer 2011

Sunday, June 12th, 2011

Summer’s here Celeb watchers – why else would Lady GaGa be out wearing nothing but a body stocking and handful of strategically placed sequins as an evening gown?!! Now we all know fashion is as short lived as Cheryl Cole’s US career – (Sorry Chezza, we still love you and welcome you home!) So as the temperature hots up so do the fashion stakes, and it’s time to shop shop shop…….what’s inspiring us this week?

January Jones – Hot Mamma-to-be, wins the most original look this week, in a tres retro butterfly shaped rimless with high joints and high fashion kudos. Perfect colour match to her dress too – perfection all round.

Pippa Middleton – Are we the only ones looking at her eyewear, not her derriere? Chic tortoiseshell plastic with a hint of understated bling at the temple trim. Her sister may be a Duchess but surely she’s a style Queen…..

Courteney Cox – Our fave Cougar hitting the town in a funky round frame, a nice juxtaposition to her tiny features.

Lady GaGa – If attention could be diverted from the afore mentioned unmentionables, note the groovy round sunnie lenses suspended from a geometric top bar. But really, who would be looking?

So that’s our week Celeb watchers, four distinctive girls in four distinctive styles, that’s a lot of sunnies to buy……a dirty job but someone’s got to do it…….

Varifocal Glasses

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Through Thick & Thin

Saturday, June 11th, 2011

We may be able to put a man on the moon and do endless fascinating things armed only with an i-phone and a handful of apps, but here in the world of optics we do still have a few limitations that frustrate our clients and give us quite a bit of explaining to do!! Here are a few problems that we still can’t resolve as yet…..

We can’t give you a photochromic lens that goes the shade you want, when you want it……..photochromics are amazing lenses that go dark in the sunlight, and clear when it’s dark….are you following?!! They’re a stunningly clever idea that gives the wearer sunspecs when they need them. Sadly, they do like cold weather, so if it’s a clear, bright, but cold winter’s day, you do still look like a mafia boss! But at least you have full UV protection and excellent dark lenses on sunny days all year round.

  1. We can’t give you a varifocal that feels perfect immediately – like all good things, it takes time – but usually only a few days. Start wearing a varifocal, and you’ll see straight away that you can read, look at the computer, and see far distance all with this one, miracle lens. It’s all blended together, but for the first few days it can feel a bit odd – some patients say drunk, others say seasick – we all hope for the former!! But when that wears off you’ll never go back to anything else, so stick with it.
  2. We can’t give you really thin lenses if you have a high prescription…….the stronger your lenses, the thicker they are, simple Physics unfortunately. What we can do however is supply specially made, thinner material lenses, or flatter designed lenses, or especially ordered tailor made lenses to fit your frame. You just have to order the thinner lenses options, and we’ll do the rest – looking after you through thick and thin!

Varifocal Glasses

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Decoration, Decoration, Decoration

Friday, June 10th, 2011

Hunting for some ancient files in the Internet Glasses Company archives, we came across some antique (!) frames, gathering dust since the late eighties. Re-visiting these old friends was a fascinating trip back in time, and if anyone thinks all frames are the same, and you can wear the same old pair for ten years then you’re very much mistaken!

The materials, shapes, sizes and most noticeably, decoration on frames has changed in a variety of ways over the past few years, as new technologies enable us to come up with ever more inventive designs. In the eighties metal frames were very uniform in colour, with the only excitement in coloured plastic rims that clipped around the frame edge. These chipped, peeled, split, and burned our fingers every time we tried to replace them for patients! Plastic frames were adorned with inlaid colour in the acetate material, or colour laminated onto other plastics. The former faded and the latter could flake away! How thankful we are that times have changed!

Recent trends have seen the introduction of layered colours, inlaid decorative items such as crystals, engraving, and super-intricate jewellery-like filigree metals. High quality fixings and materials mean these fancies are durable and last the life span of the frame. For the boys there are laminated materials, geometric patterns, and sophisticated faded and blended mixtures of coloured materials. Even metal frames can be successfully adorned – and adored!! New colour finishes are beautiful, interesting and make eye wear as interesting as any other accessory. The hybrid blend of chunky plastic side and metal front, both exhibiting toning colours and mixes of pattern and decoration, are a funky new look from the past couple of years.

So while we enjoyed sifting through our dusty old friends in the cellar, we were happy to put the lid back on the box, and step out into the sunlight with our Swarovski emblazoned Diors glinting – it’s all about decoration, decoration, decoration!!

Varifocal Glasses

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Back to Varifocal Basics

Monday, June 6th, 2011

The one topic that crops up again and again in opticians across the land is patient’s worries about varifocals. Everyone knows someone who didn’t get on with them, or tried them twenty years ago and they didn’t work………so here are the basic truths about these wonderful lenses, which in reality really will change your life in a very good way…..

Around the magic age of forty plus life begins – and so does the problem of Presbyopia. This is a natural ageing process of the eye, where you lose the ability to see fine detail close to, making it tricky to thread needles, use phone books and read the small print. Varifocals allow you to have your far distance and close work prescription in a single lens, with no visible line. The lens power is blended from near to far, with middle distance in the centre. Thus you can sit at your desk, see the clock across the room, read fine print close too, and have comfortable sight for the computer. So what’s the catch? What is the problem with these lenses?

Firstly, you do have to take time to adapt to them, and many patients are very impatient about this! Hide your old specs away, pop the varifocals on. And get on with your life. For the first few days you might feel your floor is sloping, you might get a headache, but this wears off quickly if you stick with it. You may have to adjust your working distance to your computer screen, or your car seat, and in working with the specs in this way you’ll adapt easily.

After a week or so you’ll have forgotten you’re wearing them, but it does take a few days for the swinging sensation of the different distances to calm down. Don’t be tempted to swap back to old specs, even for a few hours. Your poor little brain will switch back to it’s comfort zone and you’ll be back to square one with the new lenses. Here at the IGC we understand your concerns, so if you try any lenses from us that don’t work, we will refund you – no quibble. So what are you waiting for? A no risk opportunity to make life easier, what could be more basic than that?!

Varifocal Glasses

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Insight into Sports

Sunday, June 5th, 2011

If the sunny start to flaming June has inspired you to visit the great outdoors, then a spot of gentle sport might be on your agenda. Your game is only as good as your general health and fitness, so your sight corrected to the best possible standard and with vision enhancing lenses may well raise your game. So, firstly, visit your optician and have an eye exam to ensure your prescription is fully up to date. If ordering corrective specs, then think about the tint that would brighten your day, and your score card………..

For precision vision and spotting the ball…….for golf or tennis you need to see the ball clearly against the background, on the court or the course. Copper coloured lenses improve depth perception, to allow you to read the green more effectively, and in muting the grass while enhancing the blue of the sky you’ll see the ball more sharply. On the court a blue green tint allows blue light waves through, which highlights the background in contrast to a yellow ball.

Water Sport – Light bouncing off the horizontal surface of water causes glare, so a polarised lens will cut this, making vision more comfortable. And if angling is your sport you’ll actually see the fish! Waterskiiers, Sailors and Surfers will have a more soothing day in a polarised lens, which will cut the sun’s rays and those of the water. Neutral grey is a good general purpose colour, and is perfect for looking into deep water. If however you’re fishing in shallow water, an amber lens will enhance the sandy river bed.

Cycling – You need protection from UV, glare, and a high contrast lens that allows you to see hastily applied brake lights! If there’s anything slippery on the road, like ice or oil, you need to see that too. Look for high contrast lenses, usually a coppery-brown colour, which enhance contrast but still darken down the sunlight. Look for a wrap around frame shape which will cut out light and eye watering wind from the sides.

With your sporting eyewear taken care off, you’ve only yourself to blame if you’re not on top of your game this summer!

Varifocal Glasses

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News Flashes for June

Saturday, June 4th, 2011

The world of Optics never stands still, with new technology, new products and of course gossip flooding our inboxes and trade magazines every week. So what’s new in the news right now, and how does it affect you, our precious clients?

Optos, a company who are pioneers in the science of retinal imaging, are getting ever closer to perfecting a test for early signs of Alzheimers disease. There has long been interest in the concept of eye examinations providing further general health screening, and there have been several studies into the relationship between retinal changes and Alzheimers. Optos retinal imaging shows up signs of retinal defect which could be linked to changes in the nervous system. Research is ongoing at present.

Dame Mary Perkins, founder of Specsavers has become Britain’s first female self-made billionaire, if the Sunday times rich list is correct in it’s data! Dame Mary set up the optical chain with her husband Doug, and now has over one and half thousand stores across ten countries. They have a 30% share of Optical business across the UK, but watch out – we’re on your tail!!

Online Opticians are working hard on our client’s behalf to change legislation and make it part of the eye examination results to give pupil distance measurements to patients. As online opticians continue to grow, more patients request this measurement, which Opticians are presently not legally bound to give you. We say come on opticians – no sour grapes – there’s room for all of us, and you would be making your patient’s lives easier! Andrew Lansley, secretary of state, has said that there are no plans at present to change the ruling, but watch this space!

The University of Aberdeen has been granted funding to study the results of free eye care services in Scotland. This change of policy began in 2006, to encourage the public to visit their Optician, and to cut down waiting lists for referrals to the Hospital Eye Service. The research will examine whether eye exam numbers have increased, and which sectors of the population this has affected.

Varifocal Glasses

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