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How it works
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Perhaps the question is lingering in your mind, why should I purchase my glasses online rather than popping into my local optician and buying glasses at the same time as I have my routine sight test check up? Online spectacle purchase is rapidly overtaking traditional optician purchase. The reason for such change is not only the ease of shopping from the comfort of your own computer (or if your really hi-tech, your mobile), nor is it your capability to avoid bonus seeking, pushy sale assistants. The predominant benefit of online spectacle shopping is the dramatic reduction in costs which is possible due to the reduction in staff required, meaning we have less overhead costs and can provide the same service at a much cheaper price.
In order to purchase glasses with us you need to have a valid prescription available (Within 2 years old.) You should ask for a copy of this from your optician at the time of the sight test appointment.
Please note: contact lens prescriptions and spectacle prescriptions are not the same so ensure you have the correct one.
What is often NOT written on the prescription is the P.D/ O.C measurement. This stands for either pupillary distance or ocular centre and is essentially the distance between both your pupils. The reason we use this is so that we can ensure that the centre of the lenses are aligned with your pupils, providing the best possible vision. You could ask for this measurement from your optician, but if this is not possible you could ask a friend (very nicely) to measure the distance (using a ruler) from the centre of one pupil to the centre of another. If this is not possible we can use an average PD measurement based upon large scale surveys.
From this stage we are able to help you on your way to get some lovely glasses made up for you. Here comes the tricky bit…deciding on the best frames for you. There are a few questions you need to ask yourself.
‘Do I want to choose a pair of glasses similar to what I am wearing?’ ‘Do I want to go for a change?’
If you like the style you all ready have, you just have a head start on the frame selection because you can simply select a pair with similar traits to what you already have i.e. plastic / metal / full rim / supra / rimless etc. If you want to go for a change then just spend some time browsing through our spectacle selection till you come across a pair that just screams YOU!
It is all very well and good to find a pair that you like, but it is another to find a pair that will suit you. If you have a fair complexion it is recommended that you go for the cooler colours like blues, purples, greens etc whereas if you have a mid-tone complexion you can opt for the warmer colours such as orange, reds etc. And if you have dark skin you can go for the brighter colours or often the more striking, bold frames are suited to such skin tones.
Face shape is also a common ‘determiner’ during frame selection, the trick is to go for frames which are complimentary to your face for example; if you have a rounded face go for a more squared frame and vice versa. This is because if you have angular features by choosing highly squared frames will only draw attention to the angles rather than softening your look which will be possible with a more oval shaped frame. Similarly if you have a rounded face shape, opting for a rounded frame will exaggerate the curves of your face and in this circumstance a more angular/ squared shape would probably be more appropriate.
Contrary to this theoretical fashion advice, we do stress that there ARE EXCEPTIONS to this ‘fashion system.’ On occasions there have been style guru’s who have broken out of these fashion rules and have ended up with a very stylish, fresh look!
Once you have chosen your frames, you are then able to choose lenses. Once again another gift of online shopping, YOU who are empowered to choose the lenses you want, rather than having the optical sale staff pressuring you into purchasing expensive lenses you don’t really understand the benefits of. Here is a break down of the different lens options.
First things first do you need to establish how many prescriptions your glasses need to cater for. i.e. if you require; single vision lenses, bifocals or varifocals.
Single vision: These are the most common and these are for either just reading or just distance or intermediate/ computer use and only contain one prescription in them.
Bifocals: These cater for two different prescriptions in one lens. It enables you to look in to the distance and read. This is the lens with a line in the middle of it. It is perhaps not the most cosmetically pleasing, however is much more practical than swapping between reading and distance glasses and is good for having a wide field of vision of both regions.
Varifocals: These lenses are as close as we can get to natural vision as they cater for three different prescriptions in one lens, they account for distance, reading and intermediate (computer) vision. Unlike the bifocal it blends one prescription to the next so you don’t have the distinctive line across the lens. What this means is at the sides of the lens (the peripheral areas) you have areas of ‘soft focus’ which is where the vision is not as clear as the centre parts of the lens.
After you have established the ‘design’ of the lenses (i.e. how many prescriptions it should cater for) you are ready to choose the lens material.
Thinner and lighter lenses: The higher your prescription the thicker your lenses are. To prevent ‘bottle topped’ lenses you have the option to have your lenses thinned down. By increasing the refractive index of the lens, this denser lens material is not only thinner and thus more aesthetically pleasing, but it also means that your previously heavy lenses are now a lot thinner and are able to sit more comfortably on your face.
Hard coatings: Having scratched lenses are a common problem for many spectacle wearers and many a time we have come across people who seek indestructible scratchproof glasses. The only element that has scratchproof properties is diamond- now as snazzy as diamond lenses would be; unfortunately finance isn’t behind us on this one so we have to settle for scratch resistant glasses. These make lenses stronger and less susceptible to scratching but is not by any means scratch proof.
Anti-reflective coatings: Also known as anti-glare/ MAR etc. This lens includes the scratch resistant coating (as described above). This coating allows more light to pass through the lens resulting in less reflections which means that not only is it optically advantageous as it is clearer to look out of your lens (i.e. you don’t have to look past the reflections) but it is also a lot more cosmetically pleasing as people are able to look straight at your eyes rather than focusing on the reflections seen in your lenses. This is particularly recommended for driving and computer work as these are times where there is intensified glare of the computer/ T.V screen/ headlights etc.
U.V coatings: This is a clear coating which protects the wearer from the negative effects of the sun on the eyes and reduces the rays and thus lowers the risk of the formation of cataracts. This is the coating needed on sunglasses alongside a tint, but can also be used on clear glasses for extra protection.
Tints: There is a range of coloured tints available to darken the appearance of the bright sun. There is the option to opt for a darker or lighter tint depending on what you intend to use your glasses for. Standard sunglasses use the dark tint.
Polaroid: These lenses are a type of sunglasses and they reduce glare in the horizontal meridian. Light travels in all directions; Polaroid lenses block light in all directions but one, ensuring much clearer vision.
Transition lenses: These are also known as reaction lenses and they react under the presence of U.V light to gain a tint, so effectively they are clear indoors and react outdoors. Please note: they are not suitable for driving (unless you drive with the windows open or you have a convertible) as the windscreen has a U.V block preventing the lenses from reacting with it.
Once you have chosen your lenses you just need to input your prescription and PD (papillary distance) and any additional information and once you have read the terms and conditions and agree, tick the box and proceed to check out and pay. Once this is completed you wait a few days (can sometimes be longer for more complicated prescriptions/ lens options) till you receive your order.
If you have any further queries regarding lenses or how to place your order please contact rimless glasses on 020 8942 5965. |
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