Archive for May, 2009
Monday, May 11th, 2009
This summer we’re all going Star Trekking – glued to our seats thanks to Simon Pegg and Zachary Quinto in the newest take on an old favourite. So if we’re thinking futuristic and techno, what’s happening in the world of optics?
Spectacle lenses constantly evolve, because as technology moves on in leaps and bounds, so do the products. If you are very long or short sighted, you do not have to suffer the weight and bad cosmetics of thick, heavy lenses. High density, machine thinned lenses reduce the bulk of the lens, even if your prescription is high.
Glasses frames change every season, a fashion item that serves a purpose – you can look good and see well! Space age materials such as titanium and stainless steel make for thin, light, strong frames. Plastics improve all the time too – the stuff used in the 1950s was flammable and went a funny yellow colour! Thankfully times have changed. Plastics come in all sorts of colours and finishes, from plain and simple to bejewelled and engraved.
If you’re still not convinced by glasses, you could opt for contact lenses – which can now be worn for a day, a week, or a month, with simple, cheap cleaning solutions. You can sleep in them, swim in them, and apparently chop onions without tears! Or if that’s still not techno enough for you, you can have your eyes lasered – suitable for a huge percentage of patients nowadays.
So, we may not be able to beam ourselves up yet, but times are changing and will continue to so. Check out opticians websites and keep up with the future of optics.
Tags: chop onions without tears, contact lenses, eyes lasered, glasses frames, machine thinned lenses, opticians website, optics, prescription, Simon Pegg, spectacle lenses, Star Trekking, titanium, Zachary Quinto
Posted in Celebrity, Helpfull Info, Humourous | No Comments »
Sunday, May 10th, 2009
If the Weather men are right – and when aren’t they? We’re set for a scorching Summer. Our Celebs are going for it this week, with some enormous sunglasses perched on their cute little noses. Want a bit of their style? Then let’s check out what they’re up to in May. Accessorise those fetching little swine flu masks with the perfect sunnies and let the sun shine on……reach for the Stars Fashionistas………
Sarah Jessica Parker – Out shopping for those divine twins she’s got on the way. Cool in HUGE Aviators with a funky mirrored lens.
Madonna – The press are showing no mercy but she was showing off a v cool Chanel with the trendy rose logo – a big story for their jewellery.
Jennifer Anniston – her love life may be in tatters but her shades are very classy – huge, square, a perfect fit on that neat little nose.
Nicole Ritchie – White oversized shades no less! Why not buck the trend for black! Massive on her petite face, very eighties revival.
Gwen Stefani – Massive aviator shaped wrap frame but with very chic, very slim sides. Sounds just like Gwennie herself!
June’s issue of Harpers suggests we all try statement sunnies – looks like all these girls took the advice! Shine on Celebs…..
Tags: aviator, Aviators, Chanel, enormous sunglasses, Gwen Stefani, Gwennie, Harpers, Jennifer Anniston, Madonna, Nicole Ritchie, Sarah Jessica Parker, scorching Summer, sunnies, swine flu masks
Posted in Celebrity, Glasses Fashion | No Comments »
Sunday, May 10th, 2009
If you’re out there in Cyber space thinking of trying online glasses shopping, then let me share my experience with you. It’s cheap, it’s quick, it’s pretty exciting when you get them in the post, and it’s easy when you know how – and with a little help from your friends!
I ordered online because I broke my foot, and in the same accident my metal rim glasses. I wear them for driving, so I thought I’d have time to get them and try them before I could get back on the road. I researched lots of websites, and chose one where I could speak to a real person.
The easy bit was the frame. I liked browsing styles, and went for something similar to my old ones. Glasses frames have a size printed inside the side arm, so I chose a size the same as my old ones. I phoned Charles at the IGC, who confirmed that this would be perfect, and anyway they refund if you don’t like them. I chose the same anti-scratch and non-reflective layers that I always have.
Then you measure the distance from eye to eye – pupil distance. When my girlfriend came round we followed the instructions on the website, more fun than we’d had in ages!! I rang Charles again and he talked me through what we’d done, and was happy with our result. It’s not difficult and I let the website take me through ordering.
I got my glasses last week, and they’re great. I’ve already ordered another pair, having realised that I need a back up. They came to less than I paid at the High Street Optician. Thanks to Charles for his patience!
Tags: anti-scratch, glasses, High Street Optician, metal rim glasses, non-reflective, online glasses, pupil distance
Posted in Shopping Online | No Comments »
Saturday, May 9th, 2009
Now we all know that fifty is the new forty, but try telling that to your eyeballs! The Botox can keep those wrinkles at bay, a dash of (because you’re worth it!) dye can disguise those pesky greys, but before you know it you’re perching a pair of bifocals on your nose and wishing your arms were a bit longer! You’re not alone though, so read on for the good news…….
As your knees get a bit stiffer, so does the lens inside your eye. It looses the ability to change shape and focus close too. So you end up squinting at menus in dimly lit restaurants, giving up on threading needles, and claiming that the print in phone books is getting smaller. Nightmare! You’re turning into your Mother!
The good news I promised you:
You needn’t worry about your wrinkles anymore because you won’t be able to see them.
You don’t need to waste time plucking your eyebrows because you can’t see those either!
You have a perfect excuse never to sew a button on ever again.
If the news is too depressing – Swine flu, Gordon Brown, the Credit Crunch, expensive identity cards etc – no problem, newsprint is too small to read.
There’s also the shopping opportunity. Feel free to spend madly on delicious Diors, or gorgeous Guccis, with prescription reading lenses or varifocals. Not an exercise in vanity, more a medical appliance with a fashion twist. You’ll be able to catch up on the news when it gets better, and at least you’ll be able to read the Government leaflet on how not to spread viruses.
You might need several pairs, to keep by the phone, the computer etc. Log onto the online optician and do it the cheap and painless way. More painless than Botox anyway!
Tags: bifocals, Botox, Diors, Gordon Brown, Guccis, identity cards, lens, online optician, prescription reading lenses, shopping, Swine flu, the Credit Crunch, varifocals
Posted in Helpfull Info, Science | No Comments »
Saturday, May 9th, 2009
You may choose your sunglasses or tinted prescription glasses purely according to your taste. You may think that lens colours are simply a fashion choice, but if you are choosing a tinted lens let us help you to make a more educated decision.
If you want the most natural view of your surroundings, choose a grey tint, which is the most neutral colour and will not alter your perception of colours. Perfect if you like to go out and paint landscapes. Grey is flattering to most complexions, and suits frames in black, silver, and shades of blue and mauve. It’s a cool choice with red or pink frames too.
Brown will warm up our English skies, adding a subtle glow. It will alter your colour perception slightly, but you’ll still be able to pick out brake lights etc clearly. It’s great with frames in all types of brown and tortoise, as well as gold and bronze.
Yellow is perfect if you’re a hunter by nature, or a keen golfer! It maximises contrast, especially in low light conditions. So you’ll see your targets clearly or the contours of the greens. Choose your frames carefully though – yellow looks really cool with gunmetal or is a dramatic contrast to black.
Then there are those rose coloured spectacles – well that’s simple – they make everything pink! Gorgeous matched to the right shade of pink frame, warm in a cool mauve or blue frame. The darker you go with any tint, the more effect you will get from your chosen colour. Just remember not to go dark for night driving, it’s illegal to wear tinted lenses at night, and if you’re arrested the world won’t be so rosy!
Tags: frames, keen golfer, pink frames, rose coloured spectacles, spectacles, sunglasses, tinted lens, tinted prescription glasses
Posted in Helpfull Info | No Comments »
Sunday, May 3rd, 2009
Whether or not you are a specs wearer you may have heard of a lens called a Varifocal. It goes by many names – progressive lenses, multifocals, PALS (progressive addition lenses) or the world famous brand name of Varilux. They all refer to the same thing, a lens which blends together your distance, intermediate and reading prescription to give you back the sight of your youth.
This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of a lens which many customers think is some new fangled idea that will be difficult to wear and is expensive. History speaks for itself though, this is a tried and tested product which has made millions of lives easier, using technology which has constantly evolved.
The varifocal lens was launched in 1959, the first true innovation in optics for many years. These early lenses were hard to adapt to, but in 1972 the product made great leaps forward and the usable areas of the lens increased. As time went on the lenses were improved further by adapting the lens design for different prescriptions, and reducing the distortion on the edges of the lens that made it difficult to wear.
These lenses are now available for most prescriptions, in different materials to make them thinner and lighter, go dark in the sun, or for tinted sunglasses. They fit in most fashionable frames, and there are different lenses for specific jobs, hobbies and professions. If you need help for reading and distance, then varifocals are the state of the art solution. They’ve grown up at the age of fifty, along with the Baby Boomers who now use them to make the most of their busy lives.
Tags: Baby Boomers, fashionable frames, fiftieth anniversary, multifocals, PALS, progressive addition lenses, progressive lenses, reading prescription, sight, sunglasses, Varifocal, varifocal lens, varifocals, Varilux
Posted in Helpfull Info, News | No Comments »
Sunday, May 3rd, 2009
If we told you that you could have more comfortable sight at the computer, be safer driving at night, and even look better, wouldn’t you jump at the chance?! Today’s technology can achieve all of this with one addition to your prescription lenses. This wonder product is an anti-reflection coating, and if you’re a clued up spectacle shopper you’ll have heard it mentioned, so lets take a look at it in more detail.
Wearing specs creates all of the problems above. Your shiny new spec lenses reflect light like a mirror, making you see ghost images. Reflections from the front and back surface of the spec lens also interfere with clear sight. This can be tiring as well as distracting, and in the case of night driving possibly dangerous as it makes it difficult to see headlights clearly.
Anti-reflection coatings are not visible like a tint, although you can see them if you tilt the glasses under a strong light. Then you can see an effect a bit like oil on water. The coating is a complex process, so now for the science bit! Think of light travelling as a wave, and if you can make the light waves travel out of phase with each other they will cancel each other out. Layers of coatings are used to cancel out different wavelengths of light.
The result for you is dramatically reduced reflection and therefore sharper, clearer vision. If you have a strong glasses prescription then your lenses won’t have that bottle bottom effect that we all want to avoid. The other advantage – as your glasses will look totally clear, when your other half is gazing into your eyes, they’ll see you, and not just themselves reflected back!
Tags: anti-reflection coating, clearer vision, ghost images, prescription lenses, safer driving, spec lenses, spectacle shopper, strong glasses prescription, wavelengths of light
Posted in Eye Health, Helpfull Info, Science | No Comments »
Saturday, May 2nd, 2009
If you’re loving the chunky fringe this season – a hot hairstyle seen on everyone from Lady Ga Ga to Beth Ditto – then you might want to know how to add the perfect eyewear to enhance your look.
You need a good relationship with your hairdresser, as this fringe needs a regular trim every couple of weeks to keep it off your specs. Even if you don’t wash your hair daily, you can just shampoo the fringe. It will smudge your spectacle lenses if greasy – not a good look! Keep the fringe length just over the brows, and choose a glasses frame that sits slightly below this level.
If you’re got the perfect hairdresser and therefore the perfect straight bangs, you’d look cool in a chunky plastic frame – geek or chic and sleek – with a straight top rim that follows the line of your fringe. The Rayban Clubmaster shape is good, it has a thick top plastic rim and a lower metal one. This type of frame is everywhere this Summer, for sunglasses or clear prescription eyewear.
If you take the fringe higher, then a fifties cats eye shape is fantastic, and gives you a really definitive look. Think Dita Von Teese rather than Sheila’s Wheels though! Whether brunette or blonde you can add drama with dark plastic frames, and tortoiseshell or a bright colour pop can be fantastic for summer. Thin metal or rimless frames will fade into insignificance with this style, so go onto the online optician and grab a couple of bolder pairs.
Tags: Beth Ditto, chunky plastic frame, dark plastic frames, Dita Von Teese, frame, geek, Lady Ga Ga, perfect eyewear, prescription eyewear, Rayban Clubmaster, Sheila’s Wheels, spectacle lenses, sunglasses
Posted in Glasses Fashion, Helpfull Info | No Comments »
Saturday, May 2nd, 2009
Obviously here we all love our glasses, whether for work, play, the beach or the office. We are aware though that some of you might not be convinced yet, so if you’re a guy who still thinks that specs aren’t sexy, then let’s take a look at some leading men who might just inspire you to love your lenses and embrace the joy of spex…..
If you’re the strong silent type, then think Men in Black – remember the cool style of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in their RayBan Wayfarers. (Do not at this point conjure up the Blue’s Brothers – not quite the image we’re going for here!) Or for the more dramatic among you, The Matrix – Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne in their uber funky, lightweight shades.
For that true retro look think of Tom Cruise, the ultimate Top Gun, in the ever classic Aviator. He was still rocking those sunnies in Mission impossible, astride his motorbike. Iconic specs that defined a look as well as an entire era. Although – you could say the same about Austin Powers – but we’ll gloss over that one!
Of course it’s not just sunnies that star in the movies, just ask yourself, where would Superman be without the brilliant disguise of his geek glasses? Would you recognise Michael Caine without his version of the same? For the red carpet or on set, the movies love specs, so embrace your inner screen God and order your own slice of star style!
Tags: Austin Powers, Blue’s Brothers, classic Aviator, geek glasses, glasses, joy of spex, Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Men in Black, Michael Caine, Mission impossible, RayBan Wayfarers, sunnies, Superman, The Matrix, Tom Cruise, Tommy Lee Jones, Top Gun, Will Smith
Posted in Celebrity, Glasses Fashion | No Comments »
Saturday, May 2nd, 2009
Summer’s definitely on the way, hopefully we’ve seen the last of the Winter snows. As you’re slapping on the factor twenty and enjoying the Spring sunshine, are you thinking about your eyes too? Few people know that exposure to the UV rays in sunshine can increase your risk of eye diseases like cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
The amount of UV that reaches you can vary at different times of the day, with the height of the sun, altitude and cloud levels. You’re more at risk in hotter climates, and near water where rays are intensified by reflection, but even on a cloudless sunny day in a UK city maximum exposure time should be no more than fifteen minutes.
The best protection for your eyes is a pair of good quality tinted lenses, whether prescription glasses or non prescription sunglasses. Make sure they have a 100% filter to stop UVA and UVB. Wearing lenses that don’t offer this puts you in more danger than not wearing glasses. A dark lens will make your pupils open up, allowing even more UV to pour in.
A hat with a big brim and keeping to the shade will shield your eyes further, and the fit of sunglasses is important too. A shape that hugs your face will stop the sun from getting in, and go as large as you dare for maximum protection. At last – a fashion that’s both cool and sensible!
Tags: cataracts, eye diseases, glasses, lenses, macular degeneration, maximum exposure time, protection for your eyes, tinted lenses, UV, UVA, UVB
Posted in Eye Health | No Comments »
