Posts Tagged ‘prescription’

« Older Entries

The Frame Game

Sunday, May 29th, 2011

Many clients hate that moment when they stagger out of the opticians consulting room, reeling from the flashing lights and endless questions, and are then faced with the challenge of choosing a frame that will affect their sight and their appearance for some time to come. Sounds nightmarish doesn’t it? Well help is at hand, from the Internet GlassesCompany’s simple guide to the frame game…….

Step 1 – Does your prescription limit your choice? You can cut down the endless options by consulting the dispensing optician to begin with. For example – longsighted people with a higher lens power might be best to avoid rimless frames, which will not be durable with their thin lens edges. Ask first or regret later – falling in love with a frame and then being told it won’t work for you is heart-breaking!

Step 2 – Plastic or metal? This basic question of look and fit is a perfect place to start. Plastic frames are chunky, bold, have fewer bits to go wrong and sit all around the bridge of your nose. Good for sensitive allergic types, as you won’t react to them, high fashion types who like something groovy, and short sighted people who want to cover the edges of their lenses. Metals are skinny, slick, and good for those with an asymmetric nose! The individual pads can be adjusted for the perfect fit. They are less obtrusive than plastic.

Step 3 – Large, small, round or square? Shape and size are linked – and are related to the proportions of your face. Check our website for a detailed guide! Your frame size may also be dictated by your lens power, so again, ask for help before you choose. Fashion at the moment suggests big, deep square or round frames, oversized Aviators, and deep rectangles too.

Step 3 – Colour – are you a shrinking violet or a shocking pink princess? Colour dictates how bold or subtle your frame will look, and probably the situations where you’ll wear it. Lime green lined orange with inlaid flowers might be cool for clubbing or casual wear, just a bit OTT for the office! Think about your skin tone, hair colour, everyday wardrobe, and the general look. We can help you invest in few options for all situations! – that makes the frame game easy to win!

Varifocal Glasses

Tags: ,
Posted in Helpfull Info | No Comments »

Road Test – Anti-Reflection Coating

Thursday, October 7th, 2010

I came to order my second ever pair of glasses last month, and after discussion of my symptoms with the optician he suggested that I try an anti-reflection layer on my lenses. This was all new to me as I’d had a very cheap and cheerful pair of glasses just for driving first time around. So here’s my summary of how I’ve got on with this exciting new product!

When I got my first glasses I thought I’d only want them now and again for in the car, as I’m only a bit short-sighted. Now it’s been two years and I find I need them for TV, driving all the time, and more importantly, shopping! I don’t like driving at night because I find that headlights dazzle me. The Optician said that the anti-reflection layer is the only thing that would help. The good news is that he said it would make my eyes more comfortable at the computer and under our office lights too.

When my glasses arrived I was curious as to what they would look like. They’re amazingly sparkly and clear, when you look at them they don’t appear to have any lenses in. My husband’s comment was that my eyes look really bright through them. When I examined the glasses I could see they have a weird green reflection on the back under bright light, but on my face they’re super invisible!

For driving they felt fantastic. With my new prescription and the coating everything was really sharp and clear, with no distracting shadows and reflections in the lens. At night they are wonderful, especially compared to my old glasses. I used to see really bright and dazzling reflections in the back of my glasses, even my eyelashes were visible on the back of the lens! That’s all gone now and my sight is brilliant.

At work I don’t seem to get as tired through the day, my screen seems much more comfortable to work at for long periods. I find I clean the specs more, because smudges show up more clearly. It’s a 100% improvement on my original specs and I’m pleased I went for it.

Prescription varifocal glassesonline

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Helpfull Info | No Comments »

Good Looking Glasses online

Friday, September 10th, 2010

If you need strong spectacle lenses to correct your sight, you probably know that you have to take a little more time before you make a decision on your glasses. A dispensing optician can guide you through the choices, but if you want to buy online the options can be daunting. Here are a few pointers to give you some ideas, and remember we’re always happy to help via e-mail or on the phone.

If you are short sighted, your lens power will have a minus sign in front of it. Your lenses will be thicker at the edges than in the middle, and may have unsightly white reflecting rings around them. From about power -4.00, a thinner lens material will help to reduce thickness and weight. Adding an anti-reflection layer will cut down those dreaded bottle-bottom reflections and improve appearance.

If you are long sighted, your lens power will have a plus sign. Your lenses are thicker in the centre, and thin at the edge. Your lenses will magnify your eyes, and from about +2.00 a flatter lens design will help to minimise thickness, weight, and the magnification of your eyes.  Again an anti-reflection layer will help to make the lenses appear thinner when people look at you.

Whatever your prescription, flatter lenses will help, so look for aspheric lenses, where we change the optics of the lenses to reduce the curve while still giving you the strength you need. Choosing a small frame will also help, reducing lens thickness and weight. For long sighted patients we can also make the lenses to fit the frame, rather than cutting them out of a large lens to start with. Making the lens with your frame in mind reduces the centre thickness and makes it flatter.

If you’re short sighted, a plastic frame will disguise edge thickness and look trendy! A rimless or thin metal will leave all your edge thickness on full display. If you’re long sighted, your lens edges will be thin, so you can choose a metal, but rimless or semi-rimless will make the edges of your lenses vulnerable to chipping or breaking. So think about the practicalities before you fall in love with a frame – you might not love it after the lenses are fitted if they look thick or are heavy.

So, a little time spent before you press that enter key and make your purchase will ensure that you love your new look. If you want our opinion on your choice, don’t hesitate to ask. We’re here to help you look good as well as see perfectly!

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Helpfull Info | No Comments »

Practice Makes Perfect

Sunday, June 6th, 2010

At the InternetGlassesCompany we only employ fully qualified staff, and that includes opticians, dispensing opticians and workshop technicians. They each have a vital role to play in ordering and choosing stock, making up glasses, advising clients, and overseeing production and client orders. As well as spending time in the gleaming Lab and offices of the InternetGlassesCompany, they also work in the real world, dealing with customers face to face. Here are their thoughts on time in practice:

The Optician – I love the variety of our job, and mostly I love talking to patients too! The day can vary from zooming children up and down on my magic chair to reassuring elderly patients about their sight. Our job is part advisor, part clinician, and we try to put every person at their ease and work with them to solve their problems. My best consultation this week was fitting contact lenses to a lady who has always hated having one browny-blue eye and one hazel brown. They’re now both brown and she was over the moon!

The Dispensing Optician – My role is to match the perfect frame and lens to my customer. They want to look great and see well, and my job is to find out exactly what they need and suggest the perfect solution for them. I enjoy fitting first pairs of specs; it’s great to see people stunned by their new crystal clear vision! My best consultation in the last few days was helping a Lady to pick the right shade of frame for her Daughter’s wedding, we had the hat, the jacket and the bridesmaid’s fabric all laid out to get a frame in the right colour, and she can’t wait to come back for the new spex.

The Technician – I have to check every order and make sure that the finished glasses will live up to the expectations of the client and my demanding opticians! I don’t go ahead with an order if I think the combination is unsuitable and the client won’t be happy. I also source lenses and tints for specific purposes. My proudest achievement this week was tracking down a light-reacting lens for a chap who’s really short sighted, and never been able to have his strong prescription made into sunglasses. I never actually get to talk to the clients, but I hope he likes them.

So that’s what we all do, and both our cyber-space work and time on the practice floor are equally important to us. If you’re an online client already you know you can trust in our knowledge and expertise, we’re well practised!

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Helpfull Info | No Comments »

Learning to Love my Specs

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

I’ve been wearing glasses for about twenty years now, since my mid-teens. This is probably the worst time in a person’s entire life-span to become a speccy four eyes, just when every single cell of your body is causing you dread and angst! At least the glasses gave me something tangible to focus (!) my immense hatred on!

I could quite cheerfully have punched the optician when he cheerfully announced that my borderline prescription had tipped over into full blown short sightedness, and I needed glasses. The sulks over the next few weeks were immense! I hid them at the bottom of my rucksack and only dragged them out if my life depended on it. Quite often it really did, as I narrowly missed getting hit by cyclists and small children and wandered into roads thinking I was still on the pavement.

In my twenties I got contact lenses, and the world was changed into 3D and a landscape with birds flying, buildings with bricks etc. The real shock has been the last couple of years, when I’ve gradually drifted back into wearing specs. This new love affair started when I saw a Marc Jacobs frame and was instantly smitten. It was shiny black with sexy curvy sides, and with my chunky fringe and power bob I was transformed into an intellectual and serious force to be reckoned with. I’ve now become addicted to spex, with ten pairs in an array of colours doing all the work for me when it comes to accessorising.

I wish I’d done it years ago, as lenses were never perfectly comfortable on me and I was always smudging my makeup and fiddling with my eyes. So I’ve made peace with my myopia and at least I have an excuse to splurge on Designer fashion!

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Glasses Fashion, Helpfull Info, Humourous | No Comments »

The Perfect Marriage

Monday, May 10th, 2010

When it comes to making glasses, it’s not quite as straightforward as clipping a lens into a frame and sending the wearer your blessings! For the specs to give perfect vision, look good and feel comfortable, you need the perfect marriage of suitable frame, lens design and material and coatings.

Every optical establishment needs a qualified Optometrist and a Dispensing Optician in residence. The first step is for the Optometrist to look at your prescription and make sure it makes sense with reference to your age, optical history, and visual needs. Here at the InternetGlassesCompany we have a fully professional team who verify prescriptions and check with clients if anything looks amiss. Does the power ring true for your age? If there is a difference between your two eyes does it seem likely? While every prescription is different we do get some orders that would be a miracle of science!!

The next step is for the Dispenser to look at the choice of lens material and frame. For instance – a high plus prescription may be problematic in a rimless frame as the lens edges will be thin and may chip over time. A high minus strength will be very thick in a huge frame. They also look at your pupil distance, because if you’re petite and your eyes are close together, the lenses will be thick in a big frame. If they don’t think your choices would work they contact you to suggest alternatives.

They then consider your lens choice in relation to your prescription. Are Varifocals really suitable? Will a specific lens type be very heavy? Do you really need thin materials? Again, we occasionally have to verify with the client before we go ahead. It’s not in your interest or ours to produce a finished article that just won’t work.

When the order reaches the Lab, they again will look through everything and check that the glasses will do the job. Sometimes the Dispensing Optician will have sought their advice on technical aspects of lens finishing etc before they pass the job on.

When the glasses have been completed, success is once again assessed. If we didn’t foresee a potential problem then we start all over again!  Our precious work is shipped off to you with our congratulations on your choices, and we wish you happy ever after with them!

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Helpfull Info | No Comments »

A Little Extra

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

When you order specs, from the High Street or the online optician, there are some extra bits that you have the option of buying. Are they worth it? What do you gain form adding them to your glasses? Have a quick check and see if those little extras will enhance your life….

Thinner Lenses – these will benefit you if your prescription is more than plus 2.00 or more than minus 4.00 in the sphere section. Thin lenses are light weight, have less white rings reflected in the lens (goodbye bottle bottoms!!) and look nicer in your frames. They are not worth it if your lens power is less than stated above, unless the weight of your specs is unbearable.

Anti-Reflection Coating – this will benefit you if you use a computer and/or drive at night. They cut eyestrain and fatigue, make your sight sharper, and make your specs look better as people can see your eyes, not their reflection! The only downside is that they do show up smudges, so don’t pick this option if you’re in the middle of a building site!

Photochromic Lenses (Reaction lenses) – these go dark in the sun, so opt for them if you like nipping in and out of doors, and enjoy hobbies such as sight-seeing and walking. If you drive a great deal you may wish to opt for permanent tints instead, as photochromics are not at their best behind the windscreen, where they don’t go dark enough for some people.

UV Coating – If you’re an outdoor person, but don’t like dark lenses, these will protect your eyes against UV damage in all conditions. The UV protection is built into photochromic and tinted lenses, so you don’t need to add it to these options.

Tints – these are useful to turn a prescription pair of specs into sunglasses, you can go as dark as you like and in a colour that suits your chosen frame. Keep them in the car for daytime driving, but remember they are illegal for night driving, you always need to keep a clear pair with you.

Life may even be a little easier with these little extras, so have a serious think about what could benefit your lifestyle.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Helpfull Info | No Comments »

Step Back in Time

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

TV is currently steeped in days gone by, as we’re all confused by Ashes to Ashes, dazzled by the style of Mad Men, and of course new Dr Who Matt Smith is looking very retro in his bow tie! Fashion always goes in circles of course, and eyewear is no exception. Sizes are creeping up, shapes are looking distinctly familiar, but the trick is to keep one eye on the past and one on the future……

If you watch Ashes to Ashes you’ll have seem that Gene Hunt’s nemesis, played by Daniel Mays, is sporting a huge combination frame, that is a metal rim with a plastic bar across the top. If you’ve got one of these lurking in a drawer, don’t think you can get away with dusting it off and putting your new prescription in it! The updated version has less shiny metal, and is wider rather than deeper. The new shape is a different proportion to the eighties version, frames were deep then and in danger of wearing permanent grooves in your cheeks! Keep the shape rectangular, not square.

The Fifties cat’s eye shape, upswept at the top edges, is flattering on most women, giving lift to the whole eye area and making the face look slim. This was always worn in small sizes, but to be bang up to date the shape is the same, but super sized! Look for bold colours and interesting side detail. Unleash your inner sexy secretary and drive your man mad!

The preppie John Lennon round metal is creeping back in, but thanks to updated technology and better materials they’re a little less fragile than in the past. Round rarely suits anyone, so go oval. If you’re not brave enough to wear a rounded shape, you can echo the look with a very thin metal in a rectangular frame.

Just like shoulder pads and flares, we never thought we’d wear them again, so pretend you don’t remember them from the first time around and go back to be fashion forward!

Tags: ,
Posted in Glasses Fashion, Helpfull Info | No Comments »

Life in the Lab

Monday, April 26th, 2010

When we leap upon our new delivery of glasses in the post, and admire ourselves in our new look, do we ever give a thought to the processes and work that goes into producing those boring bits of plastic that give us the miracle of sight? Step forward the unsung heroes of the Optical Lab….

The Lab or spectacle workshop is an interesting mix of science and industry. We use devices that look like microscopes to examine your lenses, and scary looking grinding and cutting apparatus to create your prescription and fit the lenses into your frames. We also have an array of screwdrivers, files and vices that hold your frames for repair and assembly. Plus row upon row of lenses, frames, and spare parts, all waiting for the day when they grace your face!

Each job we do is unique – with the huge variety of lens powers and frame options, every pair of glasses is different. It’s rare to even make the same power twice in one day! All of our client’s measurements, lens types and tints and coats are different too.

The first step is to put your prescription on your lenses, constantly checking that the powers and angles are correct, as well as making sure that the lenses are as thin as possible. The Lab is kept as dust free as possible, as our men in white coats try to prevent scratches and surface flaws from spoiling your lenses. When your lenses have been completed, which may mean many separate stages of adding power, applying tints or coatings, and verification, they are then cut into your frame.

Our equipment traces your frame, inputs your measurements, and then places the lenses at the correct orientation. It grinds away the excess plastic and the edges are polished. We check the lenses again before popping them into your frames, when they are examined for errors or defects. Everything has to be 100% perfect before it gets to you!

The frames are then tweaked to make sure they are not twisted or out of alignment, and this is our chance to admire our finished work! Life in the lab is never boring – it’s very satisfying to produce a bespoke job that not only looks good but will help someone in their daily lives.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Helpfull Info | No Comments »

Specs for all Occasions

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

Thanks to the rise of good quality, affordable, fashionable and functional glasses available over the net, spectacle wearers have never had it so good in terms of choice and economy. Gone are the days when we had one pair of glasses that we wore for doing the shopping, work, and posh events. If you’re new to specs wear, or just thinking of updating your eyewear options, here are a few thoughts on what you need to see and look good for Summer!

Work/Daily Wear – you may be a high flying exec, or embroiled in the school run, but either way you need a frame to suit your everyday lifestyle. Think about the clothes you wear, and pick a frame that matches your daily uniform in terms of colour and style. For the office it may need to be sharp, smart, and non-frilly! For a more home based lifestyle, soft colours and detail but not shiny bling. A neutral shade that tones with your hair will match any outfit and make you look co-ordinated with little effort.

Evening Wear – this is an occasion to pile on the bling. Pick some shimmer or sparkle, in a darker colour to suit glam make-up and dramatic jewellery. If you’re an LBD kind of girl then black with diamante will be the perfect accessory. If you like an array of evening wear then you could go for a shiny metal that goes with your usual choice of jewellery.

Sports Wear – If you have a particular penchant for cycling, squash, or swimming, then you may need a specific type of frame or tint to suit your sport. You need to cover the aspects of safety, sun protection, and comfort. There are sport specific tints and frames that will raise your game, so talk to your optician, online or in person for help.

Sun Wear – With the depleted ozone layer and our awareness of eye disease such as Macular Degeneration, we all know that our skin and our eyes need protection in the sun. You can go for prescription sunglasses, which stay dark all the time, or photochromics (Reactions) which will adapt to the light conditions. Prescription sunnies look more like proper sunglasses, but you do have to remember to keep a clear pair with you. Photochromics don’t involve as much chopping and changing, but for some they are never dark enough. Weigh up the pros and cons for your lifestyle before deciding.

Hobby Wear – If you have a specific hobby then you may need a different prescription or type of frame to make life easier. We can alter your prescription for specific distances and situations, and suggest lens types that will work for you. Just tell us what you do and we’ll do the rest!

Mail us anytime if you need a specialist pair of glasses, or for advice on your eye care needs. The choice is endless, and the right eyewear for the right situation will make life much easier!

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Glasses Fashion, Helpfull Info | No Comments »

« Older Entries