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

I’ve had the odd problem before with an allergy to Nickel, I can’t wear belts with metal buckles or costume jewellery. I didn’t really think about specs doing the same thing, as they don’t seem to touch my skin. When I went to the GP about the rash on my face she pointed out that the bottom edge of my glasses touches my cheeks some of the time, and when we examined the frames they have funny little pitted marks along that edge.

So I investigated further with my Optician – taking my flaming face and the glasses in for a re-fit. The problem was traced back to a slightly drunken (!) incidence over Christmas, when I sat on the frames. This had bent them and left them tilted down, so the lower edge now caught my cheeks when I was eating, talking or laughing – so most of the time really!! The contact with my skin had broken down the protective lacquer on the frame rim, which exposed my delicate little face to the nickel silver underneath.

The Optician had several helpful tips to help me. Firstly, you should always wash the frames every night with soapy water. This stops a build up of pollutants on the frame, which could eat away the protective layer. Secondly, check the fit periodically – the frame should only touch the skin behind the ears and on the nose where the plastic pads or bridge piece are. Thirdly, if you know you have an allergy, avoid metal frames. Choose plastic or Titanium metal, which is hypo-allergenic. Even if the metal does not physically come into contact with the skin, really sensitive little flowers like myself could react to the proximity of it.

I’ve now traded in my funky metals for a really groovy plastic, which has been a joy to wear and the rash has cleared up. You live and learn, and I won’t be rashly going for metal frames again!

Varifocal Glasses

If your teenager is suddenly short sighted, then be supportive and don’t show your dread if they’re told they need glasses. You may not want your little Princess to have to wear specs, but projecting your feelings onto them won’t help. Offer an opinion when selecting styles, but recognise that their friends or the dispensing optician will have constructive things to say too.

Investing in a frame that they love may colour their lifelong attitude to wearing glasses, so it may take a little time and money to find something they are happy with. Thinned lenses may cost a little extra, but what price the self-esteem of a teenager? Spec wearers can be a target for bullies, so keeping confidence high and making sure they are proud of their specs can save a lot of heartache.

Contact lenses can be fitted from childhood onwards, so if your teen is sporty, consider this option. They need to be motivated to wear them but offering this choice can make sure they are relaxed about sight correction, and wearing contacts for some of the time can make spec wear more appealing too – all teenagers love experimenting with different looks!

The NHS supply a voucher up to age nineteen (if in full time education) which should cover the cost of spec lenses. If you’ve used this, online suppliers can be a useful option for low cost extra pairs. Frames are funky nowadays, so with a little patience and shopping around you should be able to find a style they love. The geek look is

cool right now – just don’t tell them it’s like the old NHS pair you had to wear!

Varifocal Glasses

People are often not confident about selecting a frame as they’re not sure what’s in and what’s out every season. While you may not be bombarded with eye wear images as you are with clothes, there are still adverts in fashion magazines, friends with glasses you may covet, and media stars all flaunting their frames. The colour palette will be the same as whichever clothes are in vogue, so seek inspiration from High Street collections.

Some people think that just like hats, there isn’t a style of specs to suit them, and they just look wrong in glasses. Of course actually, you just look different, and believe us, there is a frame out there for you! The golden rule is to take your time, try plenty of styles on, and don’t be afraid to experiment. Ask your friend’s opinions, take advantage of our ‘try before you buy’ option, and have some fun with your frames!

Don’t be afraid of change – old specs are as ageing as keeping the same haircut from your teens to your fifties! Even if you feel some clothes are too young for you, the good thing about specs is that they have no age barriers, it comes down to what you feel happy in. Take note of what teenagers are wearing and try something fresh and funky yourself – it will give your whole appearance a lift.

If you can’t see when trying glasses on, take a friend with you, or if trying at home, get plenty of votes from your nearest and dearest. Take a snap with your digital camera – a large picture can then be examined on the computer screen while you’re wearing your prescription specs. Opticians often have a video system that works like a mirror, so you can store the pictures and watch them back with different frames on.

If you still can’t decide because you can’t find the one frame that goes with everything, then go mad and have a style for day and work wear, and a style for socialising, or one for sport, or one to match that wedding outfit…..the more you enjoy your glasses the easier your choice will be. And at our prices you can certainly afford to indulge your new passion for spec fashion!

Varifocal Glasses

With flu and the winter vomiting bug laying many of us low over Christmas, Conjunctivitis got a grip of quite a few patients as immune systems were hit by the dreaded lurgy. This is an irritating nuisance to any sufferer, and a nightmare if you wear contact lenses. Take lenses out at the first sign of irritation, and visit your Pharmacist or GP for drops. You’ll need antibiotics if you have an infection, so keep the course going as advised and don’t attempt to wear your lenses again until you are sure your eyes are clear.

Dry eyes are very uncomfortable, and can flare up due to cold winds and central heating affecting your tear layer. In the healthy eye tears sterilise and lubricate the eye, and give a smooth surface to help you see. If the tears do not function properly then the sensation of uncomfortable, gritty, sore dry eyes can make life a misery. Visit your GP or Optician for a check up, and they can prescribe lid massage or artificial tears to help restore the tear system.

Low light can make close work a real struggle if you’re on the verge of needing reading glasses. If you’ve been prescribed glasses, then make sure you wear them! If you were borderline last time or due for a check up then visit your Optician and get used to having reading specs to hand for small print and detailed work such as threading a needle. Ignoring the problem will lead to headaches and eye strain. A good quality reading lamp will make all the difference too, and is particularly important for elderly patients.

The other bothersome light problem is low sun, which can wreak havoc on the roads for drivers. Remember that sunglasses are not just for summer! Have them to hand for those rare bright days, but take clear specs too for driving home at night. Photochromic lenses love the cold, so will go super dark if it’s chilly and sunny.

With a bit of thought you’ll skip happily through winter and happily leap into spring and before you know it you’ll have summer problems to contend with!!

Varifocal Glasses

So are glasses made of glass?!

While glass was the original material used for corrective spectacle lenses, nowadays it’s all about plastic, and we use this for 99.9% of our specs. Plastic is lighter weight, and safer in that it’s shatterproof. It does scratch more easily than glass, but we hard coat it to make it more scratch resistant.

Why are some lenses really thick?

The end result of the thickness of a lens depends on several factors. Your lens strength, your frame size, and the distance between your eyes all have an effect. If your prescription if strong, if you are petite and your eyes are close together, if your frame is big, your lenses will be thicker. Choose as small as frame as possible and order thinned lenses if you want to improve the appearance of your specs.

If you wear contact lenses do you need glasses too?

Now that specs and lenses are so cheap, it’s not such a big deal to make sure you always have up to date glasses too. You’ll need a spare in case you loose a contact lens or get an eye infection. Could you drive or work if you couldn’t see? Specs might be crucial for everyday life if you have a contact lens problem. And it’s nice to have a change and wear your glasses now and again!

How can you get my specs right when you haven’t even seen me?!

For some prescriptions and sight defects we cannot deal with the order online. We also don’t provide glasses for children and NHS-defined-complex lens wearers. For the vast majority of the population however, we can easily supply glasses. If there is a potential problem we won’t accept your order! Happily this is rare, and we make thousands of new glasses for our clients. And if they don’t work we’ll refund you, so there’s no risk to you anyway.

Varifocal Glasses

Generally the eye is long or short sighted because the eyeball is the wrong length, so light doesn’t focus correctly on the retina, and your sight is blurred. Astigmatism arises because the curve of the eye is not even. You need help for reading because of unavoidable ageing changes within the eye. So don’t worry that you can accelerate your sight defect or indeed make your eyes better if you don’t wear your glasses.  Computers are also blamed for causing eye strain and making the eyes worse. In reality, you just notice a sight defect more if your eyes are tired, and constantly staring at the screen means your eyes feel slightly blurry when you look away. So is there any way that you can improve your own eye health?

Having an eye test every two years, or more often if your optician recommends it, will ensure that your eyes stay as healthy as possible and that any eye health problems are picked up from the earliest signs. Keeping your specs prescription up to date and wearing glasses as prescribed will save eye strain and keep the dreaded headaches at bay. Make an effort to blink regularly if you’re in front of a screen all day and glance across the room whenever you think about it to allow the eye to change focus. Gentle daily exercise increases oxygen levels in the eye, essential for healthy tissues.

If you wear contact lenses be strict with sticking to check ups and using the solutions your Optician suggests. Don’t exceed wearing time and if you buy them from the internet take care to buy exactly what your Optician recommends and make sure you order from an up to date prescription.

Varifocal Glasses

Dyed-in-the-wool contact lens patients might want to take the plunge and try going back to glasses for change. Frames are funky and more affordable then ever, and even non-prescription wearers are using specs just as an accessory. You can be studious, flirty, sparkly or serious with the right frame, and it will give your eyes a rest after the excesses of the party season. Thin material lenses make specs look good and feel more comfortable, so don’t be put off by heavy or unsightly specs you’re had in the past.

For spec wearers who want an update, up size to be on trend this new season. Go squarer, bolder, and bigger for a trendy look, with a unisex look for maximum style. Gone are weedy skinny metals, thankfully this is a fashion that’s practical! Bigger shapes are more comfortable for driving as you’re less aware of the edges, and will cover a multitude of sins as they draw attention away from crow’s feet and eye bags!

If you wear glasses but would like to try contact lenses, speak to your optician about the options available to you. Nowadays 99.9% of the population can wear lenses, so don’t think that your astigmatism or need for reading glasses will prevent you from wearing lenses. There are masses of lens materials, wear regimes and choices, and one will suit you, for part time or full time wear. Keep specs as a back up, or for work wear, and enjoy lenses for socialising or sport.

You may not have considered it but new eye wear can be life changing – from allowing you to make the most of your sight for a job or hobby, to simply boosting your confidence. Make a change and you’ll soon see the difference!!

Varifocal Glasses

Resolution 1 – Keep a Back up!!

Whether you are short or long sighted, need a touch of help for reading or are as blind as a bat, you’ll probably agree that your glasses are at worst a nuisance, at best a vital part of your life that you cannot manage without. So make sure you have a back up pair! That spare you refer to – a manky old pair of taped together frames with out of date, scratched lenses that you hated when you got them at age 16 – is probably not going to help much if you’re without specs and need them for a few days. Could you legally drive in your spare specs? Would you wear them on a hot date or to an important meeting? In 99% of cases, NO!! So get online, get ordering, and pick up a groovy and stylish extra pair, don’t think of them as spare, wear them in rotation with your present specs. You’ll look cool, keep both pairs for longer, and always bask in the smug assurance that your Jack Duckworths (RIP Jack) will never have to see the light of day again!

Resolution 2 – Learn to love your glasses!

They may be a medically prescribed necessity that you see as a sign you’re getting older or that you associate with child hood trauma, but let’s face it, wearing specs to give you perfect sight is not the end of the world. So if you’re got them – flaunt them! Pick a funky new pair that you love, by a chic designer or in an amazing colour that you adore. An accessory that you have to purchase- what a shopping opportunity! Experiment with new styles, play with fashion, shape and hue, it could change your whole look for 2011.

Resolution 3 – Try something new!

Embrace your eyewear and use it to dig you out of a style rut. If eyes are the windows to your soul, make sure the surrounding window dressing is fab-u-lous! Frames are bigger and bolder this year, with less bling and more chunky but simple styling. Don’t get left behind in the eye fashion stakes. Hopefully you haven’t got the same hair style and clothes as you had five years ago (and if you have – hit the sales right this minute!!) so don’t neglect your specs. Boys do make passes at girls that wear glasses, but only if they don’t look like their great-grandma!

So chuck out that gym pass, and crack open a post-New Year bottle of bubbly – finally some resolutions you can stick with!

Varifocal Glasses

Check your glasses for loose screws and missing nose pads before we close down for the festivities. You don’t want to be plastered all over Facebook in sticky-taped specs! Most Opticians will be able to quickly and easily do minor maintenance and repairs while you wait. Make sure you know where your spare pair is, and if lots of relatives are piling through the door, make sure you know whose glasses belong to whom!

If you wear contact lenses, stock up on solution or extra disposable lenses. Storing lenses in a) water, b) eggnog, c) three year old vintage solution is not good for your eyes or the lenses themselves. Spending the day in A&E with an inflamed eye is not fun for anyone. If you have the slightest suggestion of an eye infection, take lenses out at once and find the nearest pharmacist for anti-biotic drops. Follow their advice and don’t wear lenses again until you’ve finished the course. You want red eyes over New Year’s Eve because you had a fantastic party time, not because your eyeballs are on fire!

If you use ready readers, invest in an extra pair and remember where you put them. Squinting at the instructions on an endless round of battery insertion isn’t fun and isn’t pretty. You’ll also need them to loan to hapless relatives who forgot theirs, because after reading the cracker contents of everyone around the table the joke wears a bit thin!

So a bit of forethought will have you seeing in the New Year after a very Happy Christmas, not peering helplessly at it!!

Varifocal Glasses