Posts Tagged ‘prescription’

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A Problem Shared….

Friday, April 2nd, 2010

There are many reasons why a client does not get on with their glasses. The prescription could be wrong, the order may have been made incorrectly, but the most common problem is misunderstanding – what is the prescription suitable for? What are it’s limitations? And can we do anything to put things right? Here are a few common issues that people raise.

I could see my computer in my old reading specs, but not in the new ones. What do I do now for work?!

This is an easy one, and we come across it fairly regularly. To enable you to see to read we give you a magnifying lens that allows you to see small print and fine detail. When you need it strengthening, the focal length will be shorter than in your old weaker pair. You’ll see to read in the new ones, but not see so well far away. Just use the old pair for the screen, as they are what we would prescribe for a middle distance lenses. If you constantly refer to small print and the screen however, you’ll need varifocals or vocational lenses, to allow you to do more than one thing at once.

I love the look of my new flat lenses, but my table is weirdly sloped away from me, and the walls are kind of curving in!

If you switch from a standard to a flatter lens design you will see some distortion at the edges of the lenses, but it will wear off. It just feels very odd to start with, so the key is to put the specs on and leave them on! Your brain will adjust and after a day or two the odd effects will be gone.

I know I’ve got Cataracts starting and my sight isn’t as good as it was, but I can’t see as well in my new glasses as with my old ones. Are they wrong?

Of course there could be a problem with the prescription or with the way the glasses have been made, but the answer here may be about your Cataracts. The lens inside your eye will have little opacities in it, which obscure your sight. If the old specs are weaker and you’re not seeing as clearly then you won’t see the opacities as clearly either! The new power is probably showing your visual defects up. Get the spex checked out, but patience is probably all that’s required, when you are ready for your Op your sight will be restored.

If you have any concerns about your glasses or your vision then mail us at the Internet Glasses Company for an individual and confidential reply.

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Can You Dig It?

Monday, March 29th, 2010

So it’s officially Spring and the sun is finally shining. Time to dust off the gardening gloves and hit the greenhouse, full of vim and vigour for the new growing season. Now before you start madly plating and digging, let’s think about the perfect eyewear to help you see the woods for the tress!

There are three aspects to specs for the garden, physical safety, glare/UV protection and your prescription. So much to think about! So let’s take it easy – safety is fairly straightforward and common sense. Don’t ever garden in glass lenses, pulling up a tough weed or strimming may fling tiny particles up that could shatter your lens. So stick to plastic, with an anti-scratch layer, and wash them before polishing after use. For heavy duty work with a chain saw etc, wear protective goggles over your specs. Many Gardeners end up with nasty scratches across their specs from branches, so preferably wear an old pair rather than your best ones.

If you’re out in the Garden for hours on end, UV can be a problem even on overcast days. Just wearing clear specs gives some protection, but consider investing in a UV coat if your life is spent outdoors. UV can trigger Cataract formation and Age Related Macular Degeneration. If glare bothers you, have a photochromic lens, which change to adapt to the light conditions, useful if you’re out dawn until dusk. If you’re strictly a fair weather gardener then a dark tint may be better, and useful if you snooze off for a well earned siesta!

Prescriptions become difficult once you need help for reading. Bifocals are annoying, as without the middle distance area pruning and separating tiny seedlings is difficult. You also don’t want to mow over your toes! Varifocals are probably the best option, as they allow you to see delicate detail and admire the view. So sort out your eyewear and pray for that Barbeque weather this year!

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The Middle Way

Friday, March 26th, 2010

If you struggle with clear sight for a particular job or hobby, then it may interest you to know that we can calculate the perfect prescription to give you perfect vision. For far distance, that is driving, walking around, TV etc, the strength of your glasses is a set power. For close work it’s a different matter, as the amount of magnification you get is in proportion to your working distance.

If you have a hobby where you work at a set distance, we can alter your spec strength to give you the correct magnification. These are called middle distance lenses. If you do fine embroidery or tie flies in your spare time then you need high magnification but at a close distance. If you make curtains or spend all day at a computer then you need a little less power at a further distance. We’ve made specs for reading music, applying false nails, and quilling – whatever that is!!

So how do you acquire these magical, tailor made specs? All you need to do is measure your working distance – you just need a willing friend and a tape measure! Then ask your optician or online optical store to calculate the power you need, based on your reading prescription. Use the specs only at the working distance you have requested, and make sure you work in good clear light to get the most out of them.

If you’re going stronger than usual you may need a smaller frame, as your lenses will be thicker and heavier than in your normal reading glasses. If you wear them for long periods of time it may be worth investing in flatter, lightweight lenses. If you want them for the computer then add an anti-reflection coating, it will help to reduce the glare from the screen and make your vision more comfortable. Tell us what you want the glasses for and we might be able to make suggestions like these to make life easier.

If these super specs are for work, ask your employer if they are willing to contribute towards the cost. If glasses are for the VDU then your employer is legally obliged to help you, and pay for your eye exam.

So here’s our challenge – tell us what you need specs for and we’ll work out the power and help you with other ideas. Can you come up with anything we haven’t heard before?!!

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Make your Mind up Time!

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Of all the buying decisions we have to make, people often find frames to be one of the most daunting. With clothes or shoes we see them on other people or in magazines, and decide on a particular style. Specs are different – you may be limited by your prescription, they are less widely advertised and it’s rare to see them on fashion pages. It is however an important choice, as they are one of the first things people notice about you. So can we help?

If you’ve worn specs before, think about pros and cons in terms of comfort. Go smaller if they sat on your cheeks, felt heavy, or slipped down all the time and drove you potty! Go bigger if you could see the rims or felt them digging in at your temples. If you don’t like nose pads marking your nose or pinching find a plastic or a solid bridge. If plastic makes your face perspire or mists up easily then choose a metal. If metal discolours on you or marks your skin, look for a plastic or hypoallergenic metal.

If you want to change your look, glasses are an easy way to do it. Want specs to be less obtrusive? Look for a small metal, a rimless or a semi-rimless frame. Feel your glasses are boring? Pick a bold plastic or chunky metal with wide sides.

If you’re new to specs, then chat to friends who wear them, scrutinise fashion magazines, browse optician’s shops and websites. Try on as many as possible and take a friend with you, or choose a website that lets you try before you buy. Don’t rush into making your mind up. Fashion is as big a deal with glasses as it is with clothes and other accessories, so don’t feel it’s frivolous to ask about current trends and spend time thinking about colours and styles to suit your look and lifestyle.

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A Little Help

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Now that the halcyon days of the NHS paying for eye exams for everybody are gone, it’s often a bit of a blow to find that you have to pay for your tests. Do remember though that help is there for those in need, and you can get free sight tests through the Health Service if you meet certain criteria. Your optician should check this with you when you go for your exam, and will then ask you to sign a form. They also need your NI number, and may ask for extra information such as your GP’s name, or where you study. The test is currently free if:

  • You are over 60, or under 16 years of age.
  • You are under 19 but in full time education.
  • You, or your partner receives:
  • Income support, Income based job seekers allowance, Income related Employment and support allowance, Pension guarantee credit, Tax Credit and you are named on a valid NHS Tax credit Exemption certificate.

If you do not qualify under the heading above, but are on a low income, your optician can give you a form HC2, which you fill in with your financial details. The certificate you get in reply tells you if you get any help, and is also useful if you need help towards dental treatment etc.

There are also qualifying reasons under health grounds. If you are registered blind or partially sighted with your local authority, if you suffer from diabetes or Glaucoma, or you are at risk of Glaucoma. If you are the sibling, parent or child of a Glaucoma sufferer and you are over age forty, this also qualifies you for a free examination. If you are a prisoner or on leave from a prison you also qualify. You will have to give details of your GP/Hospital/Prison as applicable on the form. If you are very long or short sighted, and your optician will tell you if your prescription is high enough, you are deemed to have a complex prescription, and this also means a free test.

After your test you will be given a copy of the prescription. You can take this away with you and use it to order glasses from the online optician, in exactly the same way as our clients do with private eye exam forms.

Some who qualify for a free exam also get an NHS voucher, which gives help towards the cost of new specs. We do not accept NHS vouchers, but these are for a relatively small amount, and many clients prefer to pay our modest prices for something nice rather than use the voucher! We also get patients who have used their voucher at the optician to have a spare pair, and then buy their glasses from us for everyday wear.

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Night Driving Nightmare!

Monday, February 15th, 2010

Of all of the stresses and strains of modern life, one activity that worries many of our clients is driving at night. As the baby boomers grow older they are still leading busy, active lives, and none of us want to give up the way of life we are used to. So why does night driving pose a problem, and what can we do about it?

Night driving is an issue due to the optical effects of the windows and mirrors that surround us as we drive, and then if you have a visual defect you are adding to the problem of dazzle and reflection. Wearing glasses creates an ‘edge’ to your clear vision, and the added refraction as light hits the front and back surface of the spectacle lens creates extra interference that confuses and obstructs a clear view of the road and oncoming traffic.

Patients with eye diseases such as Glaucoma may also suffer from haloes round lights, which adds to the sense of confusion and discomfort. Contact lens wearers and patients who have had laser surgery may also be aware of haloes, which make it difficult to judge the distance of lights and therefore oncoming vehicles.

So what can you do for safer night driving? Firstly, even if you have a really low power prescription, make sure your glasses are up to date and always wear them at night. Make sure they are properly adjusted and carry a spare pair in the car. Contact lens patients may need to switch lens type to reduce the halo effect. The smallest scratch on a spectacle lens that does not bother you in daylight may seriously hamper your sight at night if it’s in your line of vision.

Never wear any sort of tint at night, and think about adding an anti-reflection coating to your glasses. This allows all of the light through and ensures maximum clarity. It does not add colour to the lens but will cut glare. You’re looking after the lives of yourself and your passengers if you take a little time to ensure you are doing all you can to drive safely after dark.

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The Magic of the IGC!

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

When you place your online order for specs with the IGC, obviously you’re dealing in Cyber space, and your transaction may be your only communication with the hard working team who process your specs. We do deal with actual people every day – we answer e-mail enquiries or phone calls – but just in case you didn’t interact with the human face of the IGC, here’s what happens to your precious specs before they reach you!

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!

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The Long & The Short of It

Sunday, August 30th, 2009

My husband and I had an interesting time this week, unravelling the mysteries of online optician ordering. We thought we were fairly savvy shoppers, but we realised we needed some advice when it came to buying glasses. After a few mails back and forth to the IGC’s customer service dept, and we’re now sorted, so we thought we’d share our new found knowledge.

My prescription is quite different to my husbands, a fact we’ve always been aware of as we can’t share glasses! I’m minus 4 ish in each eye, he is plus 3.5 and 4.75. Love really must be blind! Apparently, short and long sighted people have different issues when it comes to choosing spec frames, so this was a learning curve for us.

My husband wanted semi-rimless glasses, but this flagged up a potential problem with his lenses. We were told that if you’re long sighted the edges of your lenses are very thin – and if they make them thicker it makes the middle of the lens thick, and husband hates that magnified eye look he gets if his lenses are thick. A semi-rimless exposes the edges of the lenses, so this could make them prone to chipping. He also picked quite a wide frame, and the bigger shape increases the eye magnification.

I chose a big shape because I wanted a dark lens to wear as sunglasses. This was flagged up because with my lens power the lenses are thick on the edge, and the bigger my lens shape the more thickness I get. We were disappointed that we couldn’t have our choices, but pleased that there were explanations and advice for this.

I decided that even if the edges were thicker it wouldn’t bother me, as the tint would disguise it. The IGC agreed with me, and now that I’ve got them, I’m glad I was warned, and I’m happy with them. My husband decided to get a smaller frame with a full rim. We tried some at home first, and picked a pretty funky pair!! We’re pleased with those too, they’re cool and the lenses look really good. The advice helped us to make informed choices, and I was really glad that the orders weren’t just done, as we had the chance to pick products that were better for us.

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For Good Measure!

Friday, August 28th, 2009

The art and science of making glasses is an interesting blend of expertise, experience and complex physics. With respect to making your spectacle lenses, we have to take your prescription and accurately make your lenses to the powers stated by your optician. The strength they give us corrects your sight for the required distance; – far, intermediate and near.

Besides the power, we need another piece of information – the measurements that put the lenses in the correct place to make your sight comfortable. For all glasses we would ideally like to know the distance between your pupils, the inter pupillary distance. For very high prescriptions – over plus or minus ten, this could cause problems with eye strain if it’s not right. For lower powers it’s not too much of an issue, although we always make it accurate for any strength.

You can ask your optician to give you your pupil distance after your eye test, or if you haven’t got it, take it yourself – see the IGC website for instructions – could make for a fun evening’s entertainment if you enlist the help of a friend!

If you can’t manage this then don’t despair, we can still make glasses for you. Thanks to our huge amounts of data regarding patient age and gender we can calculate a pupil distance. We also check all of our orders as they come in to make sure that distances our customers give look logical for the data we have. If the pupil distance is ever wrong – and we’re proud to say that we’ve never had any spectacles returned to us so far – you would not suffer any long term ill effect. At worst you’d get a bit of eye strain or a slight headache, which goes when you take the spectacles off. Of course if you do have any problems with your glasses we’ll just change them for you.

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GUIDE : Reading Glasses

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

If you are at that certain age and you need help for close work, then you might need some guidance around the issue of reading glasses – for some hints and tips read on – if you can!

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.

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