Glasses as a gift may not sound that exciting, but by giving someone a specific prescription lens, or sunglasses that they always thought were an indulgence, or a bling alternative frame for evenings, you could be filling a niche in their eyewear wardrobe that they never even knew existed!

If your nearest and dearest loves embroidery, reading music, tying flies, hammering at their workbench, knitting…….the list goes on! Then their ordinary reading glasses may not be of the right focal length for these very specific tasks. Even varifocals, due to the angle they have to work at, might not be comfortable. A nice little luxury is the correct power for their favourite hobby. So how do you buy for them? Take a sneaky peek at their present specs and note the size on the side arm. Find an equivalent amongst our extensive range. Tell us their prescription, and the approximate distance they are working at. If you’re not sure, mail us, we can help you with suggested distances. We then calculate the strength they need, pop them in the post, and you get all the thanks! Plus, possibly, a yummy hand knitted sweater from a grateful Great Aunt into the bargain!

Prescription sunglasses are now often seen as a necessity, but for some, they might be a purchase they’ve never got around too. Equally easy- again, check their frame size, and choose any frame a size bigger in the eye size. This is the larger measurement that you read off their frame, usually between 48 and 56 mm. Sizing up means good sun protection. Then add a tint and UV layer to the order, mail us for advice if you’re unsure. You’ll be giving the gift of glamour, safe sight, and fewer wrinkles all in one – who could ask for more!!

For a bling fan who loves some dazzle in their eyewear, a funky frame will be the answer to their every Christmas wish. Pick something suitably snazzy, something a little daring that they won’t wear on a trip to Sainsbury’s, and you won’t go wrong!

So trust the Internet Glasses Company  to do the work of Santa’s little elves for you, and be a cracker this Christmas!

Prescription Glasses

Every pair of glasses that we post out is hand assembled to match your prescription, exactly as you give it to us, and taking into account your measurements, if you’ve supplied them. Specs are checked, checked, triple checked and checked again, at each step by different members of our team who are trained in their particular area of expertise. A fully qualified optician also looks at your prescription and your details before giving the go-ahead on your order. We’ll phone you or mail you if what you given us doesn’t look right. We have (sadly!)a couple of hundred years of experience between us, and we know instantly if your lens prescription doesn’t make sense, and with your reading power, even if it tallies with your age!

Your pupil distance measurement is good to have, and we always give it exactly if you’ve supplied it to us. If you don’t give it, we’ll use a standard, average measurement. For 99.9% of people this will work perfectly, but if you’re the one where it doesn’t – no problem – just send the specs back and we’ll refund you, or change the lenses if you do get the correct measurement. For the vast majority of people, with a fairly low lens power and a fairly standard head, our calculations will be perfect!

We make up glasses to the lens power that your optician has prescribed for you. We adhere strictly to British Standards, so the lenses will be exactly as if you’ve got them from any High Street optician. If the power you have given us is wrong, then of course there may be problems, but again, just let us know and we’ll sort it all out for you.

We have thousands of happy customers who know and trust us, and return for specs time and again, so what are you waiting for?!! Place your order, enjoy your new glasses, and trust in our very high standards to give you the best standard of sight possible.

Glasses Online

Over the years I’ve had lots of glasses frames, from sporty Oakley to big flash Roberto Cavalli sunglasses. I loved them all and they always remind me of stuff I’ve done etc, but I’ve never had a pair of dressing up going out specs. I was flicking through Grazia magazine and checking out the ideas for Christmas jewellery etc when I suddenly thought about a real original accessory – sparkly bling specs!

I got online and had a good hunt through. There are loads about, gorgeous hot colours and funky details, and my Mum said I could have them for Christmas – there was no stopping me! I really liked one site, and mailed them because they send you the specs to try at home. Check them out – the www.theinternetglassescompany.co.uk I also told them about a frame I’d seen in an opticians, you never know until you ask!

They sent me the frames I like off their site, and ordered my dream frame in for me. (Ok, so I kind of got two pairs – but they’re a medical necessity -right?!) I settled on a Christian Dior with a beautiful jewel flower on the sides. These are my bit grown up, very dressy pair. The dream frame is Oscar and Fitch – they have a way cool website and loads of styles. Those glasses are black with metal hoops for sides and little sparkly diamonds, these are my out with the girls more fun pair. I love them both and am now ready to party through the New Year!

P.S. The Internet Glasses Company were impressed by Oscar and Fitch and will be stocking them soon – just shows what a good shopper I am!!

The sign in front of my lenses strength is a plus sign, I think I’m long sighted. I never like my glasses because they make my eyes look really big – can I get a better pair of specs?

You are indeed long sighted, and as you have noticed your lenses magnify the eye when anyone looks at you. Your lenses will be thin at the outside edges, but thick in the centre. There are several things we can do to improve the look of your specs. Firstly, choose a frame that isn’t too big, as the larger the lens the thicker it will be, and this increases that magnification. Secondly, choose a thinner, flatter lens design, which takes away the bulk of the lens. Thirdly, we will order lenses which are specially sized for your frame and your prescription. These will be as thin as possible on the edge, and consequently thin at the centre, with as little magnification as possible.

My new glasses make everything look as if it slopes to the right – I went back to the optician and he told me to persevere. This doesn’t sound right to me, and I feel sea sick, help!

It can be a problem with a new prescription that your sight seems distorted, and things are wonky! Common complaints are oddly shaped books and computer screens, and the floor falling away from you. Sometimes this is due to the lens being fitted at the wrong orientation, but your optician will have checked that before he sent you off to try the specs. Usually it’s just a case of you adapting to the new power, so don’t panic and take the opticians advice, keep wearing them and soon things will be back to normal!

I saw a frame in an optician shop and I loved it, but didn’t have my lens prescription with me. I wrote down what it was, can you get one for me?

We’ll always try and supply frames, even if they’re not on our website. We make a selection of stock but obviously can’t cover every one that’s available! Just let us have all the information you wrote down, and we’ll let you know if we can supply one. Tell us the price to – usually we’re cheaper!

If the person in your life wears glasses, then there are endless opportunities to get them a useful and really thoughtful present. If they love gardening, then you could buy them a pair of specs for the great outdoors – lightweight, impact resistant plastic lenses with a photochromic lens for sunny days, and go for a frame with spring hinges so they don’t slip down the nose. Wrap them up in a Terracotta pot with a few packets of seeds and some sturdy gloves – how thoughtful is that?!

If they’ve got a trip planned abroad next year, then choose a large frame and order a dark tinted lens, with UV protection. We do a range of dedicated prescription sunglass frames, or just pick any frame and we’ll glaze the tinted lens into it for a one off, truly original pair of sunnies. Wrap up in a beach bag with the relevant travel guide and they’ll have a useful present and a welcome reminder of the sunny days ahead.

If you have an elderly relative who loves to sew or tie flies for fishing then get them a single vision pair of strong reading glasses, for comfortable, accurate high magnification. If they sew combine the specs with a cross stitch kit or some threads and a pattern, for lots of inspiration. Fishermen might appreciate some bits and bobs to make their trips more comfortable – a flask or basket – truly thoughtful and imaginative.

So how do you become the bringer of such bountiful Christmas joy?! Just sneak out the copy of their prescription, check the size on the glasses they use every day, and mail us if you need any extra help! Or if you can’t cope with that, we can send you a gift certificate to the value of your choosing, and you can pop that in the present along with the trowel, suntan lotion, or pot of maggots!!

Traditionally, men’s shopping habits have always been quite different to that of women. Girls like to touch textures, feel products, and try them on before they make a purchase. Men like to know the facts, learn about technical aspects, and then make a decision based on that data. Yet 50% of all our purchases are based on an emotional need, and that’s true of both of the sexes. So there must be more to it than just hard facts.

Eyewear is an interesting purchase as it contains elements of fashion; the frames and tint colours, and technical information; the lenses, the materials, the coatings. There is also a great deal of history and emotion tied to glasses – boys don’t make passes, bullying for being a four eyes – and nowadays we want to look good wearing our specs, and see as well as possible too.

In practice, we see that for both sexes fashion and function have to blend to give you the perfect pair of specs. Our data is roughly fifty/fifty for men and women taking up our try before you buy option, but of course we don’t know if they’re interested in the look or the technical aspect. We certainly have more male Internet shoppers, so this has obviously provided men with the perfect retail experience – they can collect information, assess the pros and cons, and they don’t have to trail around feeling and trying on the goods! E-mail enquiries are more likely to be from men too – are they less confident in making a decision without further help, or do they just like mailing?! Their e-mails are more likely to be of a technical nature too.

So when it comes to shopping boys will obviously always be different to girls even in cyber space, we just have to do our best to keep everyone happy!

I’d been in denial for quite a while actually, pretending that I could still see to read, ignoring the crows feet rapidly spreading because I have to squint after dark to see the paper. Guessing at menus in restaurants because they’re all small writing in fancy fonts. Several friends told me that this is what happens when you get to forty.  Not bad going then as I’m now forty-six,  so I went for my first ever test, quite liked all the gadgets and technical stuff, left clutching my glasses lenses prescription and a slight feeling of confusion!

I was too scared to talk to the optician, although she seemed really nice. Perhaps I’ve got some kind of consulting room phobia. I got online when I got home and played around with some internet glasses selling sites. I was quite relieved that I only need specs for reading, and at last they didn’t find any bizarre diseases or give me big chunky bottle bottom lenses. I pressed a few buttons on the keyboard and soon my specs were winging their way towards me.

I like wearing them actually, they’re kind of smart, and I feel they give me an intellectual air! I no longer have to pretend to do the Times crossword! Writing is blacker and sharper, and although I can still manage in daylight, they’re definitely better in the evenings. The optician says my near sight will get slightly worse over time, but I’ll just need stronger lenses. This is called Presbyopia, when you need glasses for reading. Just another part of getting older!

I’m getting a second pair so I can keep them at work, in case I do need them for reading very small print. They’re making life an awful lot easier, so I wish I’d gone a couple of years ago.

Orders are processed every day, as we are conscious of the urgency of most people’s glasses. You can manage if your CD or book order is held up, you can’t cope if you’re desperate to see! So unlike lots of Internet shopping, speed is vital. Your details are checked by two separate people, a trained administrator and an optician. They make sure that your prescription and order are logical and tally with our expectations of your optical requirements in relation to your age.

Your glasses are them made up in the Lab. Usually frames are in stock, and we then hand cut your lenses to fit the frame. The job is checked when parts are picked, lenses selected and cut, and then fitted into your frame. The workshop technician has them checked by a colleague, and he then passes your glasses to the optician when all the technical aspects are up to British Standards. The optician checks the power again, and lens thickness, and makes sure measurements are correct. We then make sure that the frame is head shaped, and they are put into a case with a cloth and a care slip. The post room admin staff are also trained for checking, so they give them a final inspection and polish before printing off your packing slip and entrusting them to the care of the Post Office!

Patients mail us back with testimonials or news if they placed an urgent order ready for a Wedding etc, and it’s always great to hear that out treasured specs have found their way to a happy home, so don’t be shy – tell us that you’re happy. Even those of us in Cyber space like to know we’ve done a good job!

When you have an eye examination, your optician will give you a prescription, which usually shows reading and a distance power. If you only have a reading power, then this is what you need to use when buying ready reading glasses. If you have a distance prescription, then the reading power is usually expressed as an add power – the reading prescription will say add next to it. Your optician will need to calculate the power of ready readers for you, so ask them what you need.

Ready readers work the best if your prescription is almost the same in both eyes, preferably exactly the same! Your pupil distance – the distance between your eyes also needs to be fairly average too. If this is not the case, then the glasses will still work, but may not be as comfortable for reading for any length of time. If your eyes are very different powers then you will need to have reading glasses made up for your individual prescription.

The beauty of ready readers is that they are cheap and useful to have around – a pair in your briefcase, your desk, by the books at your bedside. Keep older pairs with weaker prescriptions, they’ll be useful for tasks with less detail at a further distance – ironing, pruning, the computer.

If your ready readers cause headaches, then replace them with an updated prescription, or try them from a different supplier – some brands are made with more precision than others.

Spectacle frames have a size printed on them, usually on the inside of the side arm or across the inside of the bridge. This will read something like 50/20. The first number, which may range from 44 – 68, is the size in millimetres across the lens. This governs how big the frame itself will be. The second number, ranging from around 12 – 26, is the width in millimetres of the spex  bridge.

The current trend for frame size is around the 48mm mark for women, 50 for men, although fashion and style can influence this. In the Seventies when frames were huge the average size was about 58mm, and for sunglasses it’s usually larger. So what does this mean to you? Unlike with clothes, you won’t always have the same frame size, although looking at the size you currently wear is a good guideline.

Some frames are deliberately styled to look good in different sizes, such as the aviator shape for men, which is worn oversized. In the Eighties when round frames were trendy we wore these super small. It’s a good idea to find an online optician who will let you try at home before you commit to ordering, as this gives you the option to experiment with different looks.