Posts Tagged ‘specs’

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Going Glam to Geek

Saturday, November 13th, 2010

My eyewear has always been a thing of beauty, with enough bling, sparkle, glitter and glam to make Elton envious.  The more diamante, colour, embedded precious metals and stones the better, and no frame was too fancy. On a trip to the city in the summer, I did however start to feel a little over dressed in my Prada with added pizzazz – black plastic, encrusted with square cut crystals – as I noticed the eyewear of skinny bright young things around me. Where were the details? Where were the outrageous sides studded with shimmer? Everyone was in cool, chic, and above all, plain frames.

I studied this phenomenon, and then turned to the trusty pages of Vogue to look at the eye wear ads. In tune with austerity measures and classic tailoring for clothes, specs were heading the same way. Stripped down, with bold rectangular shapes and colour doing the talking. With a trip to the West end coming up in November, I got online and got ordering, Vogue clutched in my hand for guidance. Get me to the Geek!

The specs duly arrived and I didn’t unpack them with my usual excitement. No light hitting a swathe of stars and flowers. Just a shiny tortoiseshell plastic with a subtle mottle, and teeny gold rivets at the edges. I put them on. At least I could see, and the slightly deeper shape was actually more practical and made my eyes look bigger. I added more mascara and braved the streets. And then I was very pleasantly surprised. Friends were actually impressed and very complimentary. I can see your eyes! I hated that Dame Edna thing you always did (Why did nobody say this before?!!) It makes me notice you, not the specs!

A month on, I’m loving the new look and now have it in red, purple and black too. It feels clean and fresh and makes me concentrate more on makeup, accessories and interesting additions like scarves, all of which I kept to minimum, letting my specs do the talking, or rather screaming! I flash a bit of bling for a night out, but I love this pared down daywear look. Sorry Dame Edna, you’re on your own………

Glasses Online

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Up to Standard

Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

Although we supply thousands of pairs of specs via the internet, both here and abroad, there’s still that lingering worry in some people’s minds that your sight, or your wallet, may suffer from buying such an item when you’re not face to face with the practitioner. Surely it’s bespoke? Surely you need measurements? How can I be sure they’ll be right? Some of the worries that you may have before taking the plunge. So allow us to allay your fears and answer your questions, and then you’ll feel confident to go ahead and enter a whole new world of perfect vision!

Every pair of glasses that we post out is hand assembled to match your prescription, exactly as you give it to us, and taking into account your measurements, if you’ve supplied them. Specs are checked, checked, triple checked and checked again, at each step by different members of our team who are trained in their particular area of expertise. A fully qualified optician also looks at your prescription and your details before giving the go-ahead on your order. We’ll phone you or mail you if what you given us doesn’t look right. We have (sadly!)a couple of hundred years of experience between us, and we know instantly if your lens prescription doesn’t make sense, and with your reading power, even if it tallies with your age!

Your pupil distance measurement is good to have, and we always give it exactly if you’ve supplied it to us. If you don’t give it, we’ll use a standard, average measurement. For 99.9% of people this will work perfectly, but if you’re the one where it doesn’t – no problem – just send the specs back and we’ll refund you, or change the lenses if you do get the correct measurement. For the vast majority of people, with a fairly low lens power and a fairly standard head, our calculations will be perfect!

We make up glasses to the lens power that your optician has prescribed for you. We adhere strictly to British Standards, so the lenses will be exactly as if you’ve got them from any High Street optician. If the power you have given us is wrong, then of course there may be problems, but again, just let us know and we’ll sort it all out for you.

We have thousands of happy customers who know and trust us, and return for specs time and again, so what are you waiting for?!! Place your order, enjoy your new glasses, and trust in our very high standards to give you the best standard of sight possible.

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The New Retro

Sunday, November 7th, 2010

We all know that there’s nothing new under the sun, and fashion is certainly good at re-inventing the wheel in bringing us new looks that have evolved from old. This season the retro spex look segues nicely into our present fashion passion for all things fifties, with everyone from Louis Vuitton to Mango bringing out circle skirts, nipped in waists, and a general return to lady-like elegance. So can you re-cycle your Grandma’s specs from half a century ago? Sadly not……….

There are two big  fashion styles for the funkiest girls this season – the cat’s eye and the chunky unisex rectangle. But while the basic shape stays the same, the colour, size and decoration most definitely do not. The designers have done a fab job in updating the old into a fresh new look, which is less downtrodden Fifties Cinderella housewife and more Noughties belle of the ball!

The cat’s eye has gone from tiny and discreet to big and bold, with cheekbone skimming deep rims. In the past this was often a clear plastic frame with a dark laminate ‘wing’ accentuating the brow. For today the colour is everything, from a yummy cherry red Fendi to a polished chocolate brown Christian Dior. Nothing delicate about these bright slices of delicious colour, instead it’s hot and wild. Detail is provided by cut out shapes, and bold inserts of crystal or colour.

The rectangle is an update of the old plastic NHS standard issue, loved by Dr Who and any cheap skates who didn’t want to invest in their eyewear! Again it’s up scaled, with wide flat rims, going up two to four sizes from the standard NHS model. Colour here too – with vivid slashes of purple, hot pink and raspberry all warming up this old favourite that’s come in from the cold. Decoration here is minimal – visible pin joints in silver or gold, and more unisex versions of the designer logo which are discreet but show off your exquisite taste!

So don’t be afraid of the brave new world of the old look. It’s make you stand out as a fashion icon of our times, not a relic from a bygone era!

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Size isn’t Everything…..

Saturday, October 30th, 2010

When it comes to specs, sizing can be tricky issue to get right. It’s easy to select a size with shoes or clothes – you might need wellies in a five or they won’t stay on your feet, or jeans in a thirty waist so they stay up without creating a muffin top. Despite a bit of variation from store to store, and diet to diet, we all usually know what will fit us. When it comes to specs though, it’s a slightly different matter – there are several factors that govern the perfect spec for you. While fashion and your face size and shape do come into it, your lens prescription and your lens type also play a part in what will be suitable, in terms of the look and the vision.

Fashion often dictates the choice and availability of items we choose, and this is very evident with eyewear. Remember the seventies when we bumped our cheeks on our glasses every time we smiled or ate? Or the nineties when we could practically look around the edges of our frames? In those days, there was little variation the size of frames available. Big in the seventies, bigger in the eighties, minute in the nineties, creeping larger in the Noughties, and now we actually have a broad range of sizes on the shelves. This gives the consumer choice in their look, and is very practical when it comes to catering for prescription and lens types.

If you are very long or short sighted, then a smaller frame will give you thinner, lighter lenses. You have to balance the optimum frame size with respect to your lenses against what will suit your face. A wafer thin lens in a tiny frame that looks terrible is worse than slightly thicker lenses in a frame that flatters your face shape. Lens types also come into play – for sunglasses you need enough lens area to keep the sun out, for varifocals you need enough depth to the specs to enable the lenses to work.

So what’s perfect for you? The beauty ideal is a frame that doesn’t rest on your cheeks, and is roughly the width of your temples. Within that, you need to decide what suits your face shape, hair style and lifestyle. Look at the size stamped on your present frame for a guideline. Typically it will have figures something like 50/20. The first figure is the size in millimetres of the lens width or diagonal, and the second is the distance between the lenses where it sits across your nose. If your prescription is an issue, your optician will inform you of any limitations within your lens type. If ordering from us online, we vet every order to ensure that the specs will do the job for you.

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Spex Appeal

Saturday, October 23rd, 2010

Over the years us poor speccy-four-eyes glasses wearers have come in for all sorts of teasing, micky-taking, and even bullying and abuse due to our defective eye sight. Who remembers the dread of facing the school eye exam and the threat of NHS plastic blue frames?! How gladly did we embrace designer frames, contact lenses and Laser surgery? But if none of the above solutions is the right one for you, how else do you reconcile yourself to the news that you need glasses?

A recent survey showed that wearing glasses can add up to three years of age to people’s perceptions of how old you are. If you wear an outdated style, bifocal lenses or thick lenses, then you can age yourself even before people are close enough to see your grey hairs or crow’s feet. The researchers took 10 pictures of people wearing specs, and then photographed the same group without glasses. When asked to guess the age of the models, the first group were estimated to be an average of 3.3 years older than the first. So how do we turn this worrying statistic around?

Firstly, you need to take a long hard look at your specs. How old is your frame? Is it damaged, held together with sticky tape, discoloured or bent? Then there are your lenses. Generally speaking, bifocals, tints, and chunky lenses can add years to you, so have a re-think on your optical needs. A funky pair of prescription sunnies is more glamorous and more comfortable on the eyes than a general purpose light tint. Varifocals are not as ageing as bifocals and are easier to wear for everyday use. A thinner lens looks better and is more comfortable than a heavy standard lens if you are quite short or long sighted.

Your frames are the really noticeable aspect of your specs. Have you changed your style within the last two, five, ten years? Are people reminded of Ronnie Barker or Deirdre Barlow when they see you?! If so, it might be time for a change! Check out the fashion pages and look at what younger people around you are wearing for inspiration. It’s not like choosing clothes – you don’t have to worry about being seen as mutton dressed as lamb with specs, anything goes for any age group. A new frame can change your face shape, your colouring and your whole image all in one go, so experiment with a new look and knock years off too!

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Driving Forward with Prescription Glasses

Sunday, October 3rd, 2010

Some worrying research has hit the headlines this week, in the shape of yet another poll that suggests our roads are full of drivers with less than perfect sight. As the nights draw in, good vision becomes even more important, to aid in those split second decisions that really could be life or death. The poll surveyed just under two and a half thousand drivers, so a significant piece of research. Results showed that just over half – 53% do not wear the specs or contact lenses that they have been prescribed for driving. An astounding statistic – surely if you’ve been told you’re illegal to drive with uncorrected vision you would make some effort to actually put the specs on!

Delving deeper into this, a random selection of road users were spot checked. 9% could not manage the required driving standard of reading a number plate at 20 metres distance. The age of the drivers had an impact on this – the number rose to 18% in the over 55s.

Looking over the other results of the original poll, 23% admitted that their sight was less than perfect. So this is not an issue of ignorance, theses drivers are aware that they are putting themselves and others at risk by not wearing their glasses or attending for regular sight tests. 11% felt that their sight was worse at night. The Government put a great deal of effort into publicising the dangers of drink driving, but some emphasis should also go into the issue of making sure our drivers can see clearly too. Obviously if your sight is not corrected it will be affected by low light conditions too, with weather conditions giving rise to poor visibility also causing problems.

So as a responsible driver, what do you do? Have an eye test every two years, or more often of your optician recommends it. Please note we are bound by strict regulations – we don’t suggest tests unless we are concerned about your sight changing, and we don’t prescribe glasses if you don’t need them! Then make sure your specs are updated, and possibly add an anti-reflection coating if you’re worried about night driving. The Internet Glasses Company prices mean that fear of a big bill need not be a factor in keeping you safe on the roads. And at least you’ll be able to see all those other squinting people who aren’t as sensible as you!

Prescription varifocal glasses online

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Animal Instincts

Saturday, October 2nd, 2010

Designers often use print to add interest on the inner face of frames, using them as a lining. This gives a glimpse of colour to the onlooker, with the wearer happy in the knowledge that they have a splash of secret sassy style! Animal prints are useful because the common colour palette of browns, creams and black tones in beautifully with ever popular tortoiseshell, brown and black frames. We often see it as a flash of trim, or as a feature to embellish side arms.

Sunglasses by designers like Cavalli, Gucci and Dolce & Gabanna usually add a hint of the wild animal to their collections. Their dramatic, oversized frames and broad sides give plenty of scope for wild and wacky colour schemes and design features. Sunnies often allow the designers to show their wild side, where an ophthalmic frame needs to be a little more sedate for everyday wear and to appeal to most tastes.

So would you suit the style? You probably need dark hair and brown or hazel eyes for a start, unless you love a clashing contrast! The main colour needs to match your hair or eyes or things look a bit chaotic, so look for tones that blend with you. A cool chunky plastic is chic with a dash of animal, while using it as print on metal is subtle and very wearable. It’s a great winter colour scheme as it adds matching interest to heavy fabrics and dark colours. So browse the collections and dare to be bold – unleash your inner animal and bag the big game look!

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Facing Your Fears

Monday, September 20th, 2010

As opticians we are comfortable and happy in our little world, dispensing glasses, advice and prescriptions with a cheery word and a smile. We are aware though that not all of you love us as much as we love you, due to worries and fears about all sorts of things. Can we help you to see us with enthusiasm and without fear?

Some people are worried that they will be told they need to wear glasses. We love specs of course, and find it hard to believe that you may not feel the same! Still, it’s not the end of the world, and frames and lenses today are marvels of technology and style. Specs are light, comfortable and effective, and thanks to the likes of the InternetGlassesCompany, you don’t have to pay the earth for them. If you fancy treating yourself and you do want to splash out, it may be comforting to know that a Gucci frame is an awful lot cheaper than a Gucci handbag, and you’ll get more wear out of it!

Patients also worry about the health of their eyes, and what we might find. Thankfully for the nerves of ourselves and our patients, it’s pretty rare to discover anything nasty, and at least if the worst comes to it we can refer you quickly for treatment. In twenty five years of practice, testing all day every day, we’ve only come across one brain tumour, so you’ll probably be ok! We do warn patients about early signs of high blood pressure and diabetes, but again, it’s rare and relatively unusual that the patient had no inkling of a problem. We might just give you the nudge you need to seek help before matters escalate.

Another fear is that you’ll give us the wrong answers to our tests, and be given glasses that you don’t need or are wrong. We do several tests to verify prescriptions, double and triple checking your responses. You won’t be given glasses you don’t need – you would know very quickly that you couldn’t see! You won’t offend us if you take your prescription and order glasses online – there’s room for everyone and even in our online role we adhere to our professional guidelines when checking prescriptions and making up glasses.

So even if you feel the fear, go for it anyway, come to see us and be as pleased as we are about it!

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Here Comes the Night- Prescription Glasses coatings?

Saturday, September 11th, 2010

Light evenings are coming to an end now, as the sunset gets earlier and we think about hibernating! A big worry for many patients is driving in the dark, and we get many enquires as the nights draw in. So don’t give up on driving, just take a moment to think about your specs and soon you’ll be back behind the wheel with full confidence restored.

The first thing is to make sure your spectacle prescription is fully up to date. A change in lens power that your optician said was borderline may make a difference when light levels are low. Scratched or damaged lenses or coatings may all interfere with your vision. A new, sharp and clear lens may make a radical difference to your comfort and confidence at night. So if you didn’t change your glasses last time, or didn’t think you needed to, check with your optician as to any improvements that could be made. Make sure your prescription is up to date – was your test within the last two years, or whatever time scale your optician recommended.

Secondly, don’t wear any kind of tinted lens for night driving, for some people even the very lightest tint can impair their vision. Photocromic lenses which change in the sun always have some residual tint, and this gets darker over the life span of the lenses. You may need to invest in a clear pair specifically for night driving.

Thirdly, an anti-reflection layer will help. Light is reflected by the front and back surface of your windscreen, your lenses, and mirrors. Every reflection cuts down on clarity and dazzle from oncoming vehicles is at best uncomfortable, at worst dangerous as you are momentarily blinded. The coating makes sight sharper, cuts out interference, and damps down dazzle – it’s useful to know there’s’ one car coming towards you, not two!

So stay and comfortable on the roads this Winter, with a little thought and care and possibly the investment of some new specs.

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General Health Precautions Benefit Eye Health

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

Age Related Macular Degeneration is the leading cause of sight loss in the Western world, and research is increasingly discovering that we can all reduce our risk factors with a few precautions that make sense to help general health too. As our population ages diseases due to us ‘wearing out’ are increasing, and ARMD is an example of this. A lifetime of exposure to pollutants, UV light, and a diet lacking in essential nutrients can lead to retinal damage and loss of sight.

Protecting the retina is vital, so we should all wear UV filtering specs, on clear or tinted lenses when we’re outdoors. Interestingly, less people seem to wear specs on the beach than in parks, but note that more light is reflected back from sand and water than any other surface. This is important for children, who are likely to spend more time outdoors, and have less natural protection in the inner structures of the eye. This allows more UV inside the eye, reaching the vulnerable retina. Sunglasses are cool, so persuading kids to wear them should be easy! Make sure they fit comfortably and conform to EU safety standards for full UV protection. Wide brimmed hats will also help to screen the eyes.

The five a day we’re all meant to eat protect your retina along with all the other health benefits it brings in terms of reducing the likelihood of Colon and other cancers. Aim for a range of coloured vegetables, with the emphasis on the green and leafy! Carrots, tomatoes, parsley and blueberries are all excellent too, and supplements containing Lutein and Zeathanthin will help you to maintain high levels of pigment in your retina. Macular pigment filters out the harmful blue light which causes the damage.

Moderate exercise, taken daily, will benefit general health and your sight. Oxygen circulating in the blood stream benefits the eyes too, and arthosclerosis has been cited as a risk factor in ARMD. Give up smoking now! It’s a pollutant that affects the retina as well as every other organ in the body! Keep an eye on your blood pressure, and take your GPs advice if you’re told you need to lower it. Systematic hypertension has been proven as another risk factor to ARMD.

So without sounding like the nanny state, it makes sense that if we can help our eye health along with our general health, that’s more benefits for the same amount of effort – win win!

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