Posts Tagged ‘specs’

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One for All!

Monday, July 19th, 2010

I didn’t need glasses until my early forties, when my previously perfect sight let me down and suddenly I couldn’t see to read. I could still manage if I squinted and held things at arm’s length, but obviously this became somewhat impractical as time went on and one day my poor tired arms simply became too short! The optician told me this happens to everyone but to be honest this was wasn’t much of a comfort! So I ended up gradually collecting glasses to help in different situations.

I had reading glasses, and after a nightmare meeting when I ended up with a raging headache and very tired arms when I forgot my specs, I started keeping one pair at work, one at home, and one in the car just in case! Then I started to need help for the computer, and couldn’t really see the dash board clearly either. This meant another pair of computer specs for work, one for home, and one for the car! This worked until I’d go home with the work pair in my bag etc and then end up with all of them in the wrong location! Then of course there were my sunglasses, which I wore for driving, but still couldn’t see the dashboard.

Exhausted by all of this, and fed up with my worn out glasses that got squashed in handbags and were constantly bent, I went back to talk to the optician again. I still didn’t need glasses for distance sight, but we decided that the time had come to go for varifocal specs. The advantage for me was huge – one pair of glasses that I could leave on all the time, so they wouldn’t get worn out or left anywhere. I could also have them going dark in the sunshine, so instead of seven pairs of specs scattered around my life, I had one pair that I could keep on for all situations!

This was life changing! My varifocals let me see to drive, at the computer, the dashboard, and all my close up vision. I don’t have to take them off and they’re always with me. The lens goes dark so I don’t need sunglasses, and they are clear when I’m indoors. The lenses looked expensive when I first got a quote, but of course they were less than my vast collection of specs and look an awful lot nicer!

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Look me in the Eye…..

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

With growing awareness of body language and eye contact, nowadays we’re more conscious than ever of the importance of how we come across to others. The pressure is increased even further if you suffer from an eye condition that affects the way you look, especially when it comes to the super sensitive issue of your eyes.

One of the most common problems patients suffer from is lazy eye, or  as people often call it. One eye wanders and does not focus as with as normal eye. This can make it difficult for other people to tell where you are looking. It can be successfully operated on, so do bring it up with your optician, it may be possible for you to be referred to the hospital eye service for assessment.

Cosmetic problems with the coloured part of the eye, the Iris, are more unusual. We have patients with different coloured eyes, or with a segment of the Iris missing. This can be treated with coloured contact lenses, which we can use to match the different colours, or to disguise a gap in the Iris. This can produce excellent results without resorting to surgery.

Ptosis is a term which covers drooping lids due to muscle defects. The muscles which control the eyelids are a complex mechanism and any difficulties with the system can impair vision if the lids droop down across the eye. Surgery can help in some cases, or you can have a slim metal prop attached to your specs which lifts the faulty lid.

Any of these issues may also be helped when it comes to changing your specs – small and fashionable frames, possibly with a light tint will give your more confidence and a small measure of camouflage. It’s never to late to look into solutions for these problems, and new techniques may give you options now that weren’t possible a few

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Form & Function

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

We’ve often said that it can be a pleasure to buy specs if you treat yourself to a lovely trendy frame and possibly splash out on a Designer name to give you confidence in yourself and the good quality of the product. Glasses must look good to make you feel happy wearing them in your everyday lives. You do however have to take heed of advice from opticians and optical assistants when you make your choice, because the frame does more than just look good on your face – it has to be the perfect blend of form and function to suit your prescription and your lifestyle needs.

It’s all very well to fall in love with a frame and be happy with the colour, shape and size, and for many patients with simple prescriptions the decision is easily made just because you like the looks of the frame. But it can get complicated if you choose a very curved or a very big frame, because the annoying rules of Physics prevent us from making up any old lens power in any size or curve!

Specs for sport or sun wear sometimes lead a client to choose a very wrap-around or very large size frame, and ask us to glaze it with their prescription lenses. This is a situation where form and function requires careful thought. The dispensing optician who helps you to make your mind up on the frame and lens combination needs to consider your prescription, the size of your face, the detailed measurements of the frame and the amount of curve. So if you can’t always have your first choice of frame there is a good reason for it! We always do our best to work with the patient to give them what they want, but sometimes the frame will simply not suit a prescription lens. Lens power gives the lens a specific curve, and this may not fit within the frame. Or the wrap of the frame may give rise to distortion at the edges, which is uncomfortable and possibly even dangerous if you’re driving or cycling in them and need to be perfectly aware of upcoming vehicles in your peripheral vision. We may need to order specialised curved lenses or source an alternative frame for you. Consideration of your requirements and careful selection will give you a form of lens that fulfils your required function perfectly.

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Think Skin

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

Clients often ask us for direction when it comes to what’s hot in frame fashion. Most people don’t want to wear something that’s dull and boring, if they’re going to have to wear glasses they want something they feel good in. Colour is everywhere in specs at the moment, with plastics and metals in a stunning array of rainbow hues. The key to choosing the right colour is to pay attention to your skin tone, because a frame that goes with you will flatter your natural good looks and make people notice you, not your specs.

If you’re an English Rose, with pale skin that has cool blue undertones, then you can take a dramatic frame in strong, clear, bright colours. Blue-red, black, silver, cold purple will all make your eyes glitter and will draw attention away from fine wrinkles on your delicate skin.

If your skin is fair but warm, with a Californian sun-kissed gleam, you need honey, gold and butterscotch brown tones to add a golden glow and set your skin ablaze with Autumn colouring. Reds for you should veer more towards the orange end of the spectrum. If you want something neutral then look for a tan brown or a khaki green. These colours won’t wear you – people will focus on your eyes, not the frame.

If you have a dark or tanned complexion you can take strong colours that will stand out against your sultry skin. Black and white will be a knockout, warm orange and lime will zing and make the whites of your eyes shine out. Hot orange-toned-red and fuchsia pink will pop and look incredible on delicious dark skin.

Olive skin, which is warm in tone, can take all those subtle tones that pale skins can’t. Your red should be yellow based, but you look stunning in all tone of khaki, rich brown and darker shades of the Autumn palette. You’ve probably got dark eyes, and you’ll know you’ve found the perfect colour because gold tones in your eyes will be enhanced.

When you’re trying new frames, look at yourself in natural daylight, and girls, try them with and without make up so you can examine your skin tone. If you have a cool complexion try them when you’re wearing black or white, warm complexions should try them with cream or brown. These basic background colours will allow you to focus on the effect on your face. Are your eyes alight? Do your teeth look white? Is it highlighting shimmers in your eyes or hair? When you find the one, your whole face will come into sharp focus, and not just through your shining new lenses!

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In Recovery

Monday, June 14th, 2010

With our new Government finding their feet and stores such as Boots recording record profits, it would seem that we’re making tentative steps towards believing in a recovery. Are we seeing signs of this in the Optical market, and is it affecting what we sell?

Several big names have sounded optimistic about their prospects through 2010, all backed up by their sales records for the first quarter of the year. One of the world’s biggest luxury frame manufacturers reported a return to normal sales figures for 2010, with signs of growth for the upcoming months. Ultralase, who perform Laser surgery for vision correction were 25% up on consultation bookings at the beginning of the year, and obviously these are two key areas where luxuries, not necessities are showing marked signs of improvement.

Last year manufacturers were being cautious about new product, scaling down new collections and showing a more austere approach to design. Ostentatious bling was replaced by more subtle styles, and there was a retro feel to many new styles which hinted at a return to classics that would stand the test of time. Disposable, faddy fashion was gone, in favor of styles that would stick around.

Designer fashion held back a little too, with showy logos replaced by discreet styling and detail. To be taken seriously in the workplace clients wanted smart specs with a grown up attitude. Some even ordered frames with no power lenses to add to their studious image! Some contact lens patients switched back to specs in an effort to lower costs.

So as 2010 progresses, we see some of these changes going into reverse as we go into recovery. The High Street shopper is gradually losing their caution and sales of sunnies, contact lenses, and luxury brands are on the increase. Despite news of Government cuts and the cloud of the deficit hanging over us, we’re gradually returning to our shopping habits within the Optical sector.

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Road Test – Varifocals

Friday, June 4th, 2010

I tried my very first pair of varifocals last week, and was asked to give an honest assessment of how I’ve got on, so for any first timers out there who are not sure if they should take the leap… read on!

I’ve always had perfect sight and never worn glasses, so it was a shock when I first needed help with small print. I struggled on for a while with ready reading glasses, but they looked pretty dreadful, I was always breaking them or losing them, and then I began to find the computer screen difficult too.  I discussed this situation with my optician, chatted to friends, and finally took the plunge after further advice from the InternetGlassesCompany. The specs arrived in the post with a helpful note about how to wear them. So I sat at my desk and nervously tried them on…

The small print was absolutely wonderful, and I could read totally clearly for the first time in a couple of years! It seemed blacker and sharper than before. I could also thread a needle and see things like stitching. The computer screen was clear, but the edges seemed to slope sideways.  I had been warned about this, apparently it’s because I have a little bit of Astigmatism, and is common with vari lenses anyway.

I worked quite happily for a couple of hours, but did suffer a slight headache. When I stood up the floor seemed to be on a bit of a slope, but much better than trying to look down with my reading glasses!

Although I didn’t need the glasses power for driving I did try them in the car, and it was great to see the dash clearly, and useful when I went to pay for petrol. You do have to turn your head more to see to the side, but I got on ok with this.

Two weeks on, I’m not sure how I ever managed without my varifocals. I wear them all day because it’s easier than trying to find them every time I put them down! The headache went after a couple of days, and I’ve adjusted my screen and things on my desk for perfect comfort. No going back, and I’m happy I stuck with it for the first few days when everything felt a bit odd. Thankfully my screen and my floor also now look like they used to!

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Emergency Measures

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Over our years in practice we’ve seen many ingenious ways that people have made temporary repairs to broken spex. In the process they’ve often caused more damage than the original disaster that has befallen their frame! So here’s what to do and what not do in an eyewear emergency!

Firstly, prevention is always better than cure, so make sure you have an up to date spare pair of specs. A four year old prescription pair will not be useful if you’re illegal to drive in them or can only read huge print, so get online and pick up a cheap duplicate pair. Always make sure you have spare spex with you for driving, being stranded miles from home with a vehicle you can’t drive is not much fun.

When screws have dropped out of hinges we’ve seen frames held together with bent paper clips, plasters (a la Jack Duckworth!) twisted fuse wire and actually sewing around the joints! We’ve had lenses stuck together with black electricians tape, kid’s stickers and cling film, wrapped ingeniously all over the lens! Then there are the impromptu replacements; – a chap borrowing a side from his wife’s Leopard print frame, a side arm made out of a drinking straw, and a big metal staple hammered through a plastic frame bridge. We never fail to be impressed by the genius involved in make do and mend!

So what’s the easy way to deal with all of this? Stay calm! If you have a breakage, and no spare, use a bit of sticky tape to hold things together. Use clear tape and get someone who can actually see what they are doing to put it in place. Don’t get anything sticky inside the joints on frames. Some serious words of warning – NEVER USE SUPER GLUE!! It makes the lenses mist over and will permanently gum up joints which we then can’t repair. It also damages the finish on the frames, and more importantly, it never works. It’s safer and more effective to just use good old sticky tape. We’ll never forget the case of one unfortunate gentleman who had to go to A&E to have his specs removed from his face when he put them on after gluing and got them stuck to his ear…

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Investment Dressing

Sunday, May 30th, 2010

Fashions come and go in every aspect of our lives, and love them or loathe them your glasses are as much a part of your look as your hair, clothes and accessories. Obviously your specs have to fit that look, and if you’re a classic dresser, and don’t appreciate constantly changing, have a think about the long term decision of investment buying in frames that never go out of style…..

For Women – Although this is the category where you can never be totally fashion proof, there’s always a neat metal in any Opticians collection. Gold is always around, in a size that fits your face without going oversized or minimally trendy. Simple silver is always an option too. Steer clear of decoration for true simplicity, and avoid trend setting plastic sides or twiddly bits. A Fifties type plastic in solid brown or black will always be sexy, functional, and in style. For something a little different but always around, a classic cat’s eye shape always hovers on the edge of cutting edge!

For Men – In a plastic frame it’s the Michael Caine heavy square shape, wildly on trend for hot young things, classic for the older gentleman! Useful in tortoiseshell or the most solid black. Steer clear of trendy by avoiding very chunky sides or wild coloured linings.  In metal there’s the simple dark silver or gold square frame, or an Aviator. The latter works well in gold, for a Seventies vibe that never seems to want to go away.

For Sunglasses – There are years when sunnies just don’t seem to alter at all, and shapes like the classic Jackie O round plastic have been around since before the Beatles! Some classic Rayban styles have been around for over fifty years too, without showing signs of going away. The gold Aviator with a green or grey lens, and the Blues Brothers Wayfarer shape are perennial favourites. These shapes and colour combinations have not changed since they first hit the scene. And if you’ve got any doubts about classics, just remember, if it’s good enough for Kate Moss, it’s definitely good enough for you!

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Glorious Glasses

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

Glasses are a pretty unique product, vital to our lives and fulfilling more than just the function of correcting our sight. Take the time to seriously think about this fantastic invention that many of us would struggle to live without, and be thankful that you have the opportunity to use them in your daily life….

Glasses are an interesting blend of function and fashion. There is no other product that’s essential to our safety, comfort and wellbeing but that can also be part of our persona and our wardrobe. People use glasses to give them an image at home or work, to hide behind, to add to their character. Would Chris Evans, Harry Hill or Dame Edna be the same people without their iconic specs? Would we even recognise them?!  They are woven into our body language and used as a prop, and an indicator of our personalities. Bubbly kid’s presenters wear wacky, fun bright colours. Scary stern people who want to intimidate us wear strict sharp metals, (Ann Robinson you know who you are!) Stars ramp up the glamour with oversized sunglasses, (anyone mention Victoria Beckham and Madonna?) And yet for all these superficial factors they are still an essential medical device to many.

Corrective glasses enable us to function fully as we go about our daily lives. We wouldn’t be able to drive, work, or read without them in many cases. Ever forgotten your specs and tried to read the menu in a dimly lit-restaurant? Or tried to drive without the lenses that give you twenty-twenty vision? On one of our trips to help out at an overseas clinic this really was brought home to us. We met a lady who had been unable to feed her family since she broke her specs. We recycle unwanted glasses to impove the lives of people in developing countries. We fitted her with new specs and now she can work again and put food on the table. Her gratitude and complete joy at having her sight restored was something we will never forget, and it changed the life of both her and her family. That’s how important glasses can be.

So if you have a visual correction, don’t moan about them being a nuisance, or begrudge paying out for specs – be grateful that you can easily and cheaply give yourself the gift of sight.

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Changing Times

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

Having watched many patients over the years cope with Cataract surgery, it’s very interesting to see the progress that has been made with both the operation itself and the aftercare. Cataract is usually a condition of later life, when the lens inside your eye – not the one in your specs! – Goes opaque over time. Contributing factors can be trauma, smoking, and UV exposure. More rarely babies are born with congenital Cataracts.

As opticians the first sign that we see are tiny opacities within the lens in the eye. We monitor these closely, and tell the patient a Cataract is developing when we are sure that changes are occurring. The operation can only be performed when the cataract is ready, so we refer to an Ophthalmologist and they make the decision as to when the eyes are ready. If both eyes need treatment this is done at separate times.

Back in the good old days, the op required general anaesthetic, a large incision, stitches that sometimes affected the resulting prescription, and very strong specs. The patient also needed drops for quite some time after surgery. This had a big impact on the patients daily routine, and as patients are usually elderly, it was difficult and stressful. If there was a lengthy wait between the two eyes the patient’s sight was badly affected until after the second op.

Thank goodness we’ve moved on! Waiting lists are now shorter and procedures have been simplified and streamlined at every step of the way. Local anaesthetic is used, and the opaque lens is now replaced with an implant, so even patients who were very short sighted before the op only need minimal prescriptions and are back on their feet immediately

It’s now as routine as having a tooth filled, and has little impact on the daily life of the patient. If their sight is fully corrected it may even be better than for several years before hand. Where we used to dread telling people our diagnosis, it’s now often a relief to be able to send patients on to actually have better sight.

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