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Light as a Feather

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

Fashion dictates our choice of frames to stock for you, and your requests to us for what you want to flaunt on your face over the upcoming season. A definite feature of this years look is size – frames are getting bigger and bolder all the time. Now while this may hide your crow’s feet and make your specs easier to spot on a cluttered desk, it also means they are getting heavier, and for some patients this is a problem. There is a space age solution that leads to weight loss – the most super of super materials that we use to make frames – Tremendous Titanium!

Titanium is a metal which gives us frames that are super light weight, and super strong. Pure Titanium frames can be up to 48% lighter than an equivalent size metal frame – pure Titanium is classified as greater than 98% Titanium in content. Despite being thinner and lighter than standard metals it’s also super strong, so it’s durable, more so than any other metal alloy. It feels very flexible and bendy, but it’s this impact resistance that contributes to it’s longevity.

If you suffer from allergic reactions to metals, Titanium will even solve that problem for you. It’s 100% hypo-allergenic, so even if it touches your skin you won’t have a problem. Most metal frames have some percentage of Nickel in their alloys, and it’s this that most people react to. If you react to costume jewellery, belt buckles or watches, then chances are you’re allergic to Nickel. As Titanium is Nickel free, it’s suitable for even the most sensitive skin.

As trends give us bigger and bigger shapes, and heavier frames, the need for a lightweight option will increase, and we’ll be seeing more options in frames made of Titanium in the future. They are a little more expensive than nickel alloys, but for many patients they are the perfect solution. Sleek, space age, comfortable and tough. Look out for Titanium when you’re perfecting your look!

Varifocal Glasses

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Tags: Tremendous Titanium
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Into the Depths

Sunday, February 26th, 2012

Choosing new spec frames last month, my head was turned by the idea of updating my image for New Year, and a funky set of frames seemed much easier than dieting or giving up my fave Rose wine! Armed with a few back issues of Grazia and having taken a sneaky peak at my teenage daughter’s friend’s eyewear, I opted for a bold colour, and a deep frame – quite a radical change!

I’ve been wearing specs for about fifteen years, so I missed the joy of Deirdre Barlow mega frames my Mum had in the seventies, and my specs have got smaller and smaller since my first ever pair. I’ve done metal, rimless, and a rather cool pair with a plastic top rim and a thread holding the lower rim. Now I liked all of them at the time, but a recent trip to London confirmed my worst fears – I was behind the times, and an update was severely overdue.

My prescription is fairly low, so I was ok to try bigger, deeper frames. Apparently, if you have strong lenses then can be too thick and heavy for big frames, but mine were ok. I was warned that I might see a bit of distortion at the lenses edges to start with, as they are bigger. I chose a plastic frame with a moulded bridge, as this spreads the extra weight out, so specs will be more comfy. I went for a very cool Christian Dior in a warm navy blue, slightly softer than the teenager’s chunky square specs but still quite trendy.

A couple of weeks on, my new deep frame has been a complete revelation, and I cannot describe how much I love it!! I can see much more easily to reverse the car, I can walk down the stairs without fear of looking under my frames, and it hides the eye bags brilliantly after a night on the pink wine! The edges did feel a bit wobbly to begin with, but I adjusted really quickly. I think the more open look of the bigger lenses is flattering, and everyone says they take years off me – so bigger is better and I’m glad I’ve plumbed the depths!!

Varifocal Glasses

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Tags: Frame options
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No Stigma Attached!

Saturday, February 25th, 2012

One of the queries that comes up time and time again when communicating with patients is the confusion over a very common part of the prescription – the astigmatism. “I’ve got a toric eye.” Patients often tell us. “I’ve got astigmatism – does that mean I can’t have contact lenses?” And the perennial favourite – “I’ve got a stigma!” So here are our top five astigmatism facts, in an attempt to clear up the confusion once and for all!

1. What is Astigmatism? It simply means that your eye is shaped more like a rugby ball than a football. You can’t do anything to make it better or worse, it may fluctuate like all other aspects of your prescription, and by itself, it isn’t anything to worry about.

2. How does it affect my sight? Astigmatism stretches or distorts what you see in one direction, depending on the position of your ‘rugby ball.’ So looking at a row of H’s, some patients would see the uprights as blurry or distorted, some the horizontal bars.

3. How is it corrected? You need one correction for the long axis of the rugby ball, and one for the short, so your lenses are a little more complex than for a non-astigmatic eye. They also have to be held at the correct orientation.

4. How will it affect my options? You can still wear contact lenses, varifocals, photochromics, most lenses in fact. As I mentioned above, they need to be in the right place, so don’t attempt to put lost spec lenses back yourself, and if your contact lenses swivel around go back to your optician for a re-fit!!

5. How will my glasses feel? If you’ve been used to coping with the distortion, and it’s your first time with toric lenses that correct your astigmatism, you might feel a bit strange to start with. Patients sometimes complain of feeling a bit sea-sick, or shelves or door frames looking wonky. This does all settle down and the effects do wear off, so persevere with your new specs.

Your Optician should explain all of this when they prescribe your glasses, but if you have questions later don’t be afraid to go back. People do worry unnecessarily about such terminology, and we’re here to help you – there’s no stigma to specs wear nowadays!

Varifocal Glasses

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Tags: astigmatism
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Faking it!

Friday, February 24th, 2012

TOWIE has an awful lot to answer for – as well as mahogany tans and hair extensions gracing our High Streets; we’re seeing more and more ladies with extra luscious eye lash extensions and perfectly sculpted, arched super HD brows. Very attractive, and nice to see the beauty industry booming, but a nightmare for fitting specs! Of course you may be blessed naturally by sweeping lashes and brows to die for, but either way, here are our top tips for compatible specs!

If you have long eye lashes and they brush against your specs, this is a massive annoyance in so many ways. You constantly smudge your mascara and your lenses; it’s irritating and may even lead to ingrown lashes. Your first consideration is metal rather than plastic frames, as metals have nose pads which lift the frame further away from the eye. If you already have nose pads, squeezing them in slightly will lift the frame up – there is a fine line between feeling your nose is being pinched off and having the specs set at the right height, so go carefully! If you like plastic frames, then experimentation is the key. Even in the plastic moulded bridge style, they all sit slightly differently.

When it comes to eyebrows, the key is in looking carefully at the shape and curve of your brows – whether artificially enhanced or what God gave you! The top rim of the frame should follow the shape of the brow – flat, curved, or arched. Now that frames are shallower, your brows will be visible above the top rim, and if the lines don’t echo each other you can end up with a confusing double brow effect, and a surprised or confused expression! If you haven’t got much in the way of brows, then a frame can do all the work for you. A darker rim will give you your features back, and enhance your eyes.

Of course the other option is to fully show off all the artistry you’ve purchased – why not try contact lenses – they go with any brow or lash fashion!

Varifocal Glasses

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Tags: long eye lashes
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Who do you Need to See?

Sunday, February 19th, 2012

As avid readers of our blog know, the team here at the IGC may be virtual to our online clients, but are also seen in the flesh by patients in their optical practices. This is useful in allowing us to stay in touch with people face to face, and to enable us to highlight issues to all of our loyal customers via the web. One topic that often crops up is the confusion that patients feel over who does what when they have an eye problem. So here’s our speedy guide to who you need to see, if you’re worried you can’t see!

Optometrists – AKA Ophthalmic Opticians – these are the people you see in Optician’s practices. They are qualified to test eyes, fit contact lenses, and refer you for further treatment by a consultant. They can examine your eyes to see if you need glasses, they can check eye health and prescription with contact lenses, and they can advise you on eye health conditions, but they can’t treat them. They need to refer you on to –

GP – your general practitioner can prescribe medication for conditions such as eye infections, and injuries. Your optometrist probably has better equipment to examine the eye, and can then offer a possible diagnosis to your GP, who can then prescribe treatment. If the problem is simple and medication will do the trick, your visits end here. If however you need surgical intervention, they will refer you on to –

Consultants – Ophthalmologists specifically for eye problems, who deal with diseases including Glaucoma, Cataract and Macular Degeneration. Depending on the condition and progress of symptoms, they will use medication or surgery to treat you. This is often ongoing, but they will send reports to your GP and/or Optometrist so they know how you are doing.

Varifocal Glasses

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Tags: Consultants – Ophthalmologists, Optometrists
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Lessons in Lenses

Saturday, February 18th, 2012

In our fast paced world of ever changing technology, it’s easy to forget that we have an amazingly intelligent product that many people use every day, without even noticing how clever it is! It’s coming up for fifty years old, it works without flicking a switch or having to think about it…….. so what is this super smart piece of technology? The humble photochromic lens of course!

So here’s the history lesson – glass photochromic lenses appeared in the mid-sixties. They had a light tint when you were indoors, and then went dark when you stepped outside – how cool is that?! UV in sunlight triggered the change. The only disadvantage was that as they were glass, as all lenses were in those days, they were heavy, and of course could break if dropped. The lenses were slower to react than our modern versions, and over time, stayed darker in all light conditions. In 1986, the first plastic photochromic lens arrived, giving safer, lighter weight photochromics. The glass versions had been available in several different colour options, but these new fangled plastics came in light brown which then darkened to blue – choosing a matching frame was a challenge!

Now here’s the science lesson – the lenses work thanks to colourless molecules within the material that are excited by UV radiation. This breaks a chemical bond within the molecules, and they go dark! They fade back when the UV stimulus disappears, and you go back indoors.

Finally, here’s the practical lesson – what can these lenses do for you? Well, if you like one pair of specs for everything, photochromics give you clear lenses and sunglasses all in one. You don’t have to swap glasses around, and you only need to carry one pair with you, whatever the weather. Since 1986 several new versions of the material have been developed, and thankfully they are now available in grey or brown. Each new generation of lenses are faster reacting too.

So if you wear photochromics, or may choose them next time, take a moment to appreciate these quietly hard working, amazing lenses. That’s all for today’s lesson – class dismissed!

Varifocal Glasses

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Tags: photochromic lens
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What Goes Around!

Friday, February 17th, 2012

We’ve all seen the new specs fashion that has been around for the past couple of years – deep, chunky, bold square, geek chic frames. Loved for many years by everyone from Roy Orbison to the boys from McFly! Not a look for shrinking violets, and also not a good look for petite faces. But if you like a vintage vibe, or a touch of retro chic, there’s an alternative new look this year – round has rolled back in vogue!

If you’ve been Watching Call the Midwife, channel that style icon Miranda Hart, looking stylish in her circular lens specs. Now round is not a look for everyone, but it works on narrow jaw lines, slim faces, and the hippy chicks amongst us who never quite got over the Seventies! This year it’s all about tortoiseshell and amber plastics and metals, and retro styled plastics with visible pins at the joints.

Round is a perfect shape for higher prescriptions, as theses frames tend to be small in proportion, and are of course even in shape, which gives thinner lenses even in higher lens powers. Plastic rims are also thicker than metals, so they do an excellent job of disguising lens thickness, so it’s win-win for the very short or long sighted amongst you!

If you like trawling car boot sales or antique stalls, you might even find a round frame that’s truly vintage. The NHS made the round metal and plastic frames that everyone wore around the Sixties, and from the Thirties onwards there are plenty of plastic frames that you can still pick up for replacement lenses. Make sure there are no splits in the frame rim, which will then come apart when we heat the frame to try to put new lenses in. Areas that are discoloured white can also cause problems – they may be too brittle to use.

So whether you go for a modern version or a vintage treasure, you know what they say about fashion – everything comes round again!!

Varifocal Glasses

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Tags: circular lens specs
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Advice for Diabetics

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

Diabetes can be a devastating disease that can affect the body in many different ways. One of the problems is the affect on sight, due to a condition called Diabetic retinopathy. It is such a cause for concern that the NHS pays for yearly eye examinations, giving patients the extra peace of mind that the earliest signs of this problem can be detected and treated as quickly as possible.

Diabetic Retinopathy usually occurs when sugar levels are consistently high and unstable, and the longer a patient has had Diabetes, the more likely they are to suffer this complication. It’s also more likely to occur in Insulin Dependant patients. It can lead to small or large leakages of blood vessels within the eye, leakage of fluids, or formation of new blood vessels. These abnormalities can be sight threatening, and laser treatment may be necessary to seal the blood vessels.

As the patient may not be aware of the first signs of Diabetic Retinopathy, regular eye checks are essential. Last year Diabetes UK expressed concern that many patients were at risk of blindness in England and Wales because they weren’t attending check ups. It led them to produce a leaflet highlighting the care that Diabetic patients should expect, which include 15 care measures, ranging from monitoring kidney function, condition of feet, and eye examinations.

Most cases of sight loss could be avoided if symptoms are caught at an early stage. If you are Diabetic, or are a carer for a sufferer, then book to see an Optician, preferably a practice that will also offer Retinal Imaging. This sophisticated screening technique can study the retina for minute signs of problems, and store images for future comparison. Action can then be taken as quickly as possible. So take the time to book an appointment – yearly check ups will give you peace of mind, and may just save your sight.

Varifocal Glasses

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Tags: diabetic retinopathy
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Step into the Light!

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

Patients often contact us to ask our advice about specs which have thick, heavy lenses. They’ve ordered glasses at their opticians, or have an old pair that they’ve always hated, and realise it’s time to try some weight loss that doesn’t involve faddy diets or meal replacement drinks! And it’s not all about the weight – do your lenses look like the fabled bottle bottoms? So why are some lenses thick, and what can be done?

The thickness of your finished lenses depends on several factors. The strength of your lenses, the size of your chosen frame, and even the distance between your pupils all affect the lens thickness and weight, and where any chunky edges will show. If you are short sighted, your lenses will be as thin as physically possible in the centre, and thicker towards the edge. If you are long sighted, they will be thick at the centre, and will magnify your eyes, but the edges will be relatively thin.

Once your prescription gets above -4.00, or +2.00, you have to start being careful with your frame and lens choice. If you are petite, and your eyes are close together, choose a small rather than a larger frame, and choose a thinner material lens. These lenses are made of a dense material, that gives you the required lens power but with less bulk. Most modern lenses in high density materials are also made in a super-clever flat form nowadays, so they are less bulbous as well as thinner.

If you think your specs are too thick and heavy, contact us with your frame choice, and we’ll calculate the end result of your lenses. If a high density lens will reduce lens thickness your specs will look better, be more comfortable, and even give you sharper vision. Thicker lenses give increased internal reflection, which can interfere with your sight. Weight loss without the help of the gym or a celery stick – what more could you want!

Varifocal Glasses

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Tags: lens thickness
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News for Eye Health 2012

Friday, February 10th, 2012

The race is on in many areas of medical research to try to improve the lives of patients with eye disease, so what’s in the news so far this year?

The incidence of Macular Degeneration increases with age, and this disease is the leading cause of blindness in the developed world. University College London’s Institute of Ophthalmology have been looking into the use of Vitamin D to help to prevent the disease. Trials have so far suggested that it may be successful in safeguarding blood vessels that supply the retina.

A new camera has been developed for use within the National Screening programme for Diabetic Retinopathy. Diabetes givers rise to many debilitating symptoms, and can also affect sight. Patients should attend for regular eye examinations and retinal screening. The new camera, produced by Haag-Streit UK will offer users a range of screening options and easy transfer of images between eye care professionals.

Stargardt’s disease is a type of macular degeneration that causes sight loss in young people. Moorfields eye hospital has been given permission to perform a trial into retinal stem cell treatment for this debilitating disease. The technology was developed in the USA, and involves injection of stem cells into the retina. Trials are going ahead on 12 patients this year.

Cardiff University are looking at the treatment of clinical depression in patients with visual impairment. The study will examine the results of different treatments on these patients – whose mobility and independence can be severely restricted by their sight problems and their mental health. The study will enlist the help of patients at St Thomas Hospital London, and patients from clinics in Wales.

Varifocal Glasses

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Tags: eye disease, macular degeneration
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Archive for the ‘Helpfull Info’ Category

Light as a Feather

Into the Depths

No Stigma Attached!

Faking it!

Who do you Need to See?

Lessons in Lenses

What Goes Around!

Advice for Diabetics

Step into the Light!

News for Eye Health 2012