Why Choosing and Fitting a Pair of Frames Isn’t As Easy As You Might Think

So, you’ve had your eye test and now have a new prescription in your hand. The next bit is the fun part where you get to choose your new frames.

The question is; do you stick with the same sort of design as you’ve already got, or do you try something new? If these are your first glasses you might be wondering where on earth to start in order to narrow down your options.

Clearly the look of the frames is going to be the dominant factor, but there are also a few considerations that you might want to be aware of, so that you can ensure that you pick the best frames.  This is where our Optical Assistants at Specsdirect2u come in - to help you.

Let’s start with the important bit; how the frames will look on you. This is a particularly important factor for anyone who is short-sighted as you will have to wear your glasses most of the time.  The question is how do you know which ones to choose?

If you come to Specsdirect2u, you can easily browse through a huge range of styles. You can try on any number of frames to see what they look like, whether they are the latest Tom Ford designer frames or our vast collection of budget frames.  Going into one of our Optical Practices is ideal if you live in Glasgow, but remember you can order your frames online, and if they don’t suit, you can return them. 

The Specsdirect2u website offers great discounts, but we are also available to speak to you, if you have any questions before processing your online purchase.  Our goal is to ensure that you feel you are receiving the best possible customer service, and making a cost saving at the same time.   The website shows designers by brand, so if you are specifically looking for a set of frames from Gucci, Prada, Ray Ban or Police, you can go straight to the range that you want.  We also have a search facility to show frames within a specific price range. 

So, what else is there to think about?  Well, another very important fact can be the thickness of the actual lenses.  At Specsdirect2u, we advise you how thick your lenses will be at the edge; this ensures that you can get an idea of what your glasses will look like from the side.  More importantly you don’t want to spend money on glasses and then be disappointed because the lenses are too thick, whereas if you had spent a little more money they would look and feel better.  

It is also worth being aware of the pantoscopic tilt of frames. You may well be wondering what on earth that is; it is the slope angle from the top of the lens in towards the face. The higher your prescription, the greater the effect of this angle.  If you feel like something just isn’t quite right then it is likely that this angle is slightly off from the ideal angle for your face. This is where Specsdirect2u can offer more than other online suppliers because all of the glasses that you buy online from us are made by qualified Optical Technicians. 

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog.  Please subscribe to ensure you receive future blogs, direct into your email inbox.  We are active on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and LinkedIn, so if you use these sites, we would like to connect with you. Our main website is http://www.specsdirect2u.co.uk

Day in life of an Optometrist - Lights, Charts and Machines

So, you’re off to the opticians for an eye test. If it’s your first test for a while you might be a little bit nervous about what will happen and the process that you will be going through. In a modern eye test there are many different charts and tests that you will see as part of your eye test, but they all had to be invented by someone, so this blog is to give you some background information about what the tests are, but also a little bit about where they all came from.

The Eye Test Chart

You are probably familiar with the standard Snellen Eye Chart, but what you probably didn’t know is that the first eye charts as we know them were designed in 1843 by Heinrich Kuechler in typical German efficiency in order to make the first attempt to standardise the charts to be used. There was an update to these first charts in 1854, but it was the Dutch ophthalmologist Herman Snellen who, in 1862, invented the test chart that is so familiar today. You might be wondering what was different about Snellen’s chart. It was all about the font, Snellen chose a square font so that letters had the same height and width, which reduced variations in performance.

The Ophthalmoscope

The ophthalmoscope is the small hand held device that an optician uses to shine a light into your eye to look at the back of your eye and also at the lens. In order to do this a beam of light is shone into the eye so that the optician can see the various structures. By changing the angle that they look at your eye your optician can spot abnormalities or any signs of disease. The very first ophthalmoscope was actually invented by Charles Babbage in 1847, who is rather better known for inventing the first mechanical computer. Although his ophthalmoscope was perfectly good, his sales skills failed him and his invention was forgotten. Only 4 years later Herman von Helmholtz, another renowned scientist and physician of the day, invented his own version of the ophthalmoscope and clearly made a much better job of marketing his device as it was used as part of eye tests until around 1920.

Glaucoma Tests

Intraocular pressure, or the pressure within the eyeball, is an important parameter to measure to monitor as a sign of glaucoma presence. Intraocular pressure has been highlighted since Sir William Bowman’s presentation to the British Medical Association in 1826. At this stage though the measurement was literally made by hand with the optician making their assessment of the pressure by palpating the eyeball with their fingers! Fortunately technology has come a long way since then through contact tonometry, where a mechanical device pressed onto the eyeball to measure the pressure, to the current practice of non-contact tonometry that makes the measurement by using a puff of air blown onto the eyeball. There are also other tests that are carried out to make more definite diagnoses of glaucoma as it is not a simple disease.

 

So, now you know more about eye tests and where the practices have come from why not head down to your local branch of Specsdirect2u to make your free eye test appointment to make sure that your eyes are in tip top health.  We also offer free home eye tests if you live in the Glasgow area, call us today on 0141 554 8886 to make an enquiry.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog.  Please subscribe to ensure you receive future blogs, direct into your email inbox.  We are active on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and LinkedIn, so if you use these sites, we would like to connect with you. Our main website is http://www.specsdirect2u.co.uk

 

Is Pinterest Cool?

Research states that Pinterest has grown by 4000% in the past 6 months.  So, with this startling fact in mind we at Specsdirect2u set-up Pinterest boards.  Some promote our Designer Frames, others promote stylish fashionista's.

But, we need friends on Pinterest - if you haven't followed our boards, please check them out here.

Pinterest is great for fun, promotion and sharing fashion styles, tips & mishaps. 

Here are a few of our boards:

http://pinterest.com/specsdirect2u/tom-ford-designer-glasses/

 

http://pinterest.com/specsdirect2u/prada-designer-frames/

http://pinterest.com/specsdirect2u/just-for-fun/

 

 

Sure you will agree our prices are fantastic, all frame prices include single vision lenses.  If you live in Scotland, please remember you can get your eyes tested for free. 

 

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog.  Don't forget to subscribe to this blog, and also to connect with us using the social media icons on this blog.  If you have any questions, we would love to hear from you so come into any of our 4 Glasgow Optical Practices, or pick up the phone.  Our main website is http://www.specsdirect2u.co.uk