Archive for August, 2011

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A Leap of Faith

Monday, August 29th, 2011

Reviewing our stock and sales figures recently we were pleased to note how many pairs of varifocal lenses we dispense, and how few ever come back to us under our no quibble returns policy. When we set up the Internet Glasses Company we spent a great deal of careful thought on the subject of varifocals, as not many internet suppliers sell them. After much debate we decided that we would offer them to our clients, providing we could offer the reassurance of a guarantee.

The decision to supply them was tricky because of the many myths that surround varifocals. These magic lenses give the wearer far distance, intermediate and close work powers all blended together within the one lens. This means you can walk around, drive, use the computer, and read or sew etc without swapping specs around, a problem common to those of us over the age of forty! But many patients know someone who tried them and didn’t like them, people were worried that the measurements cannot be done in an internet purchase, that specs had to be fitted correctly for them to work properly – the list of potential hazards to the client goes on, and we do get e-mails enquiring how the specs can possibly work – so to answer that first query – they most certainly do! Our many happy customers prove that. So how do we do it?

Firstly, we only use premium products that do the job well. Regardless of any other considerations, we don’t use lenses that aren’t up to our strict quality expectations. Secondly, we only accept prescriptions that are straight forward, and will always communicate with patients if we feel we cannot provide a good service for them. Thirdly, we employ the skills of qualified staff, optometrists, dispensing opticians and technicians, who take pride in their work and bring many years of experience to the IGC. They use their knowledge and skills to calculate measurements, put specs together properly, and liaise with patients to ensure success.

In our years of trading, we have a miniscule amount of specs returned, and if you’re not happy, we refund you, no fuss or quibble. So if you’re toying with the idea of varifocals, take that leap of faith with the IGC – Vision Perfect – or your money back!

Varifocal Glasses

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What Goes Around……..

Sunday, August 28th, 2011

We all know that fashion is cyclical, and if you keep anything for long enough it comes back into vogue – and eye wear is no exception to this trend. In the past two years we’ve gone back to large frames, square NHS inspired geek frames, and for the new season –  a very vintage fashion really is coming around again…….

Historically, back through the centuries and up to the twenties and thirties, round or very small oval frames were simply the way specs were made. When the great NHS designed frames for the lucky British public, their most popular models were the Ronnie Barker type chunky black plastic and a tiny, skinny framed gold round eye, much beloved of John Lennon and every hippy revolutionary since!

As fashion has been very retro for the past couple of years, it was inevitable that designers would return to that tiny, minimalist round eye. It’s excellent for high prescriptions, it’s brand new to anyone under the age of eighteen, and it’s a welcome touch of nostalgia to anyone else! It’s unisex, classic, and as it’s usually made with no decoration and in plain colours, it’s a look that will take you anywhere.

As the NHS model was gold, or a dull silver metal, you can add your own spin with a radical choice of plastic, coloured trim in red or black, or opt for a chunky rim. Giorgio Armani are reporting fantastic sales with their vintage collection, which includes round eyes trimmed in tortoiseshell and all shades of brown and antique grey. Calvin Klein have gone down a similar route, with one colour frames in darker hues.

So is this the look for you? Not a wise choice if you have chubby cheeks, or a wide jaw, but a must for any fan of Harry Potter, Mr Lennon or The Great Gatsby! If you’ve got a slim face, a high lens prescription and a love of a vintage look, then look for a pair immediately! They can be a bit delicate, so treat them with love and care, and remember that they’ve been in fashion since the last millennium, so they could be a great investment!

Varifocal Glasses

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Celeb Watch High Summer 2011

Saturday, August 27th, 2011

Isn’t the summer simply fab celeb watchers?!! – all that lounging around topping up the tan and browsing the fashion pages. Plus the endless shopping opportunities, and even as we speak, the Autumn drop is hitting the High Streets and we can shop all over again for the new season!! Fab-U-Lous!! Need some inspiration? Look no further, we’re always here to help………..

Leonardo Di Caprio – our fave fresh faced man-boy rocking the chunky plastic aviator look this week, out and about in NY. Quite a beachy look for the city, but then again, it is summer and anything goes!

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley – channelling Wallis Simpson, Rosie has gone for the perennial round eye plastic, an excellent choice for the elfin featured among us, drawing attention to those luscious lips and delicate jaw line.

Katy Perry – Mrs B may change her hair like we change our pants but she’s less fickle with her sunnies. We’ve clocked her before in her slim rimmed metal, and we like it – the huge proportion is divine on her fine boned face…..better than your choice in men Katy?!!!

Shane Warne – splashed over every inch of newsprint, has his squeeze Liz taught him everything she knows?!! Shane looking very shiny and new man with his sunny delight hair and sparkly shades – tres metrosexual!! Not just an aviator, a graduated tint super-smooth aviator – watch out boys, there’s a new style God in town!!

Varifocal Glasses

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Myth Busting

Friday, August 26th, 2011

Both in the consulting room and in our e-mail inbox we get many queries about specs, sight and contact lenses. Here are the three most common from the summer months……..

1.I can’t wear contact lenses during the summer due to my hayfever………In the past, due to lens materials and in fact just poor advice, patients often felt they couldn’t wear their lenses during the dreaded hay fever season. Nowadays however, thanks to advanced lens materials – the snappily named nelficon A for one – lenses can actually work as a barrier to irritants that cause the misery of hay fever symptoms. Some lenses also contain lubricants to soothe the eyes, which are activated by blinking as you wear the lenses. So speak to your optician and see what the options are – hopefully no more red, itchy eyes will be one!

2. Light reacting lenses don’t work in the car……..some older types of light reacting or ‘photochromic’ lenses didn’t go very dark behind some windscreens. This was dependant on the type of windscreen and type of lens. While it’s true that all windscreens due inhibit the action of theses lenses, it’s less of a problem with the newest generation of lens materials. Speak to your optician, who may be able to loan you a sample lens to try in the car. They also work less well if it’s very hot, so try them out on a less than scorching day!

3.I can’t have my favourite sunglasses made with my prescription lenses………we often get sunglass frames brought into us to see if prescription lenses can be put into them. While we can’t promise to use just any frame you give us, plenty can be transformed into prescription sunglasses. Generally we have difficulty with any super huge, very curved or poor quality rimless frame, but that should still leave you with plenty of choice! Keep the receipt and make sure the specs can be exchanged if not suitable. We can check out the frame against your prescription and tell you if it can be used.

Varifocal Glasses

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Holistic Eye Care

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

Once upon a time opticians were dark and scary places, filled with dusty old NHS frames, chunky glass lenses and dimly lit consulting rooms. Now we’ve gone all groovy, with glittering arrays of designer specs, sexy sunnies, and gleaming white walls and fancy lit displays. Thank heavens for the new Millennium and the excitement of eye care nowadays.

Another change is our approach to discussing the patient’s lifestyle and thinking outside the box – the glasses box that is. We have to work holistically nowadays, thinking about a more varied approach than just sticking a pair of specs on your nose and sending you off with them.

With advances in technology we can adapt your eye care needs to suit your lifestyle, with products such as throw away contact lenses, specific sun and sport spec lenses, frames for different jobs and hobbies, and even suggestions to help with eye health solutions.

Our ageing population leads us to problems within eye care, as conditions such as cataract and macular degeneration become more common. So a consultation that begins with discussion on specs will lead us to talk about nutrition, the importance of exercise and stopping smoking, and wearing sun protection. All of the above can help to slow the progress of macular degeneration, and for at risk groups, can dramatically help you to reduce the effects of the disease.

New screening techniques also help us to discuss general health as well as eye health problems. Two and even three dimensional retinal imaging allows us the see detail within the eye that we’ve never seen before. Early detection of disease can lead to better treatments and preventative measures, and is a much more satisfactory way of helping our patients than just dishing out specs!

Varifocal Glasses

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That Difficult Age……

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

I never needed to wear glasses until the dreaded ‘difficult age’ arrived, and I found my arms were too short to see small print. Even threading a needle became a Herculaen task that only be achieved in bright light and then with the help of the nearest teenager! My optician told me I only needed glasses to see close up, so I duly ordered a pair of snazzy black frames with a simple reading lens. Little did I know my problems were only just beginning!!

The reading specs were great for sitting down with my favourite book, and at least I could sew a button on again. Everyday life however became a nightmare round of lost specs, a marked nose where I kept pulling them down to peer over the top, and pulled hair as I stuck them on top of my head and then got them entangled in my tresses!

So it was back to the drawing board, or rather the pc. I felt my optician didn’t think about my lifestyle when suggesting my glasses – a chair bound book worm would love my readers, but I’m a teacher and I need to move around, see what little Johnny at the back of the class is doing, and a thousand and one other things during the day. A bit of surfing (the net that is, I’m not that dynamic!) and I came across some really helpful info from the Internet Glasses Company. I browsed and after a chat with friends took the plunge and ordered some varifocal lenses. I wasn’t sure about getting them off the net, but the cost was low and I decided to give it a whirl.

One month on, and I’m over the moon with the varifocals. They let me see my book, the pc and little Johnny, without glaring menacingly over the top rim of my specs. They felt odd for a day or two but now they’ve settled down I just stick them on and forget about them. I’ve even just placed an order for another pair, with lenses that go light and dark, so I’m sorted for all day every day – and they look like plain lenses so I can forget the difficult age thing and pretend I haven’t got there yet!!

Varifocal Glasses

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Crystal Clear

Saturday, August 20th, 2011

While we love our specs with a passion matched only by our love of chocolate and Brad Pitt, even we have to admit that there are times when they drive us potty! Slipping on hot days, misting up in the kitchen, and the very worst – the dreaded smeary lenses…….so here are some tips for keeping those specs crystal clear……

Regular cleaning is the key to keeping specs shiny, and increasing the longevity of your frames and lenses. Think about what they are exposed to during a day of wear – make up, moisturising creams, hair products, atmospheric pollutants, perspiration, contaminants from your work place – the list goes on. Often, even if we have more than one pair, one old faithful gets used the most, so there is plenty of potential damage just waiting to inflict itself on your specs.

Cleaning sprays and wipes are often sold in chemists and Opticians, but bear in mind that sometimes these can do more harm than good. If you have anything abrasive on the lens, such as sand or grit, polishing with a wipe can grind it into the lens surface. Sprays will polish the lenses, but not the frame, and over time the frame can discolour or even become brittle if that isn’t looked after too.

After a day of wear, wash your specs as part of the routine you stick to in cleaning your teeth and taking off make-up. Dilute some washing up liquid or mild shampoo in warm water, and immerse the whole frame, to rinse away abrasive particles and grease and grime. Rinse in warm water (not too hot or the frame may warp) and dry on a clean, soft cloth. Fluffy towels will leave you with fluffy bits attached to your glasses! Then use a cleaning spray or wipe if you want the lenses to be extra sparkly.

Even if your lenses have a scratch resistant coating, remember that this does what it says on the tin – scratch resistant not scratch proof. Always wash specs under running water – wiping them on a shirt hem on the beach is the route to ruined lenses! Keep the spec case clean too – gritty bits in there will also damage your lenses.

The frame should only touch on the nose fixings and behind the ears, and if it sits against the skin then you may still get dirt building up on the frame, as your skin acids attack it. The end tips and bridge parts are designed to withstand skin, the rest of the frame, particularly if it’s metal, is not. So get it adjusted if it touches anywhere it shouldn’t!

Stick to our tips if you want sparkly specs that stay new looking until you get bored with them – yes, our love for Brad and choccie is eternal, out adoration for our specs only lasts until the next one comes along……

Varifocal Glasses

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Eye Wear Solutions

Friday, August 19th, 2011

In the past the high cost of glasses and contact lenses meant that for the majority of patients they could only afford one or the other. Limited choices also meant that many people couldn’t find contact lenses that suited their eyes, jobs or hobbies or prescription. It’s all change now however, thanks to services like the Internet Glasses Company – we increasingly deal with patients who need more than just one solution to their eye care needs…..

Alison, 39, new mother – “I’m short sighted and have needed glasses since I was twelve. I switched to contact lenses in my teens, and during my career they suited me really well. Now I have a baby and need to get up in the night, I’ve switched to weekly extended wear lenses, so I can see as soon as I wake up! I leave them out all day on a Sunday to give my eyes a break, so I have some funky specs to wear then. I’ve also got non-prescription sunglasses to wear over my contacts.”

Jake 27 – IT Consultant and weekend tennis coach – “I’m short sighted enough to need specs for driving, and on the tennis court, but I don’t need them in the office. I keep a clear pair of anti-reflection coated glasses in the car for driving at night, and wear Oakley prescription glasses with a tint when I’m playing tennis. These are great for driving in the day too. I also keep a few throw away one day contacts which I wear if it’s cloudy, or sometimes I put them in to go out in the evening.”

Peter 62 – GP – I didn’t need specs until I was 43, when I started to find small print difficult. I had half frames but felt they were intimidating to my patients! I also began to find the computer tricky, so I had varifocals made up, with no distance power, just close up and computer distance. These are good in the car for the Sat Nav, so I wear them all the time, in conjunction with a dark tinted pair for the sun. I keep that original half frame pair by the laptop at home, they’re great for the screen.

So have a think about your lifestyle needs and take a browse on the Internet Glasses Company site – you can find your eye wear solutions stylishly and at low cost!

Varifocal Glasses

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Low Vision Aid

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011

As Opticians we pride ourselves on providing a service as well as offering the best and newest designs in frames, lenses and contact lenses. Sometimes we pass patients onto consultants for treatment of problems such as Glaucoma, Cataract or Macular Degeneration. There is also a less well known step in the process where we can look after patients suffering from low vision who need a special type of magnifier or visual aid rather than corrective treatment.

In the UK there are more than two million people registered as blind or partially sighted. We can help these patients by assessing the standard of vision they can achieve, and prescribing devices that make life easier. These may be simple hand-held magnifiers, lenses or telescopes attached to spec frames, large print books and clocks, or computer based viewing systems to enable the patient to read once more. Tinted lenses or special filters may be prescribed, or high illumination lamps. Technology plays a part too, with electronic magnifiers and e-books with an enlarged image.

If you are a carer for a relative with a visual defect that can’t be corrected, then using Low Vision services may significantly improve their quality of life, and allow them more independence. Advice on using a white stick or referring them on to Guide dog services may be a life changing experience. Different devices help patients to get around more easily, manage day to day living, or enjoy hobbies once again. If the Optician says that specs won’t help the patient any more, then ask if a referral to a Low Vision clinic would be suitable. There is often much trial and error to find the solutions that will suit each individual, and patients may need a combination of aids to help them. Annual assessment is recommended, to make sure that as sight changes the patient still has the best aids.

Varifocal Glasses

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The Future’s Orange…and Lime, and Turquoise!

Monday, August 15th, 2011

As a nation we’ve been getting braver with our eye fashion over the past few years, going from bland and boring to brave…..and now bright. Colour has been a big fashion statement with specs of late, and now we’re taking the next step and going for every shade of neon and fluorescent.

Now this may not be a look that we all feel we can get away with, and even the most die hard fashionista will probably think twice before donning an acid yellow or searing orange frame. The way to wear this trend is with a subtle touch to start with, such as a colour pop lining in a funky pink or mauve, barely visible from the outside, but you can be smug in the knowledge that you have inner style! Keep the detail to a minimum, avoid bling and pattern, this is more of a sporty look – clean lines, maybe just a dash of stripe, with the colour doing all the work for you.

Even men’s frames have got into this trend this season – Oakley have a funky lime lining on an otherwise simple metal, Paul Smith add their signature stripe in rainbow hue as detail and decoration. Men are often left out of the fun, as the designers go to town on women’s frames, but this season they’ve come up with some fab ideas for the boys.

Having tried a dash of colour, you can graduate to maybe a slim metal in a coloured finish, or a plain front and bright sides. Then maybe the full Lady GaGa with a wide rimmed plastic in bold neon, or a chunky metal that shows off your colour sense to it’s full advantage. Perfect for enhancing your summer tan, and for being seen in the dark on sultry summer nights!

Varifocal Glasses

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