Buy Glasses Online

OK, so want to buy some online glasses but have no idea which lenses or frames you need and who to purchase them from. Don’t worry, buying your glasses online need not be the headache you imagined (excuse the pun) as there are some reputable online glasses websites who have a wealth of experience when it comes to getting your prescription right and giving good customer service. So let’s have a look at what you should expect when it comes to purchasing your bargain glasses and what information you will need to know beforehand.

First of all you will need an updated copy of your sight test prescription which should be less than 2 years old and 1 year if you are aged 70 and over. Surprisingly, for many people, this can sometimes be the hardest part as more Opticians these days are coming to terms with the fact that the general public are aware of the high mark up on frames and lenses and so are ordering their glasses online.

Buying glasses online is much easier and safer these days

This has become an annoyance to the high street opticians and so they are less than happy when you request a copy of your prescription and can become quite obstructive when handing it over. If this ever happens to you then all you need to do is politely remind them that by refusing to hand your prescription details over, they are breaking the law! This usually has the desired effect and now you can skip all the way home feeling triumphant in your first step for buying online glasses and thus saving a fair few pennies.

Your next step is to decide what kind of lenses you are going to buy when purchasing your spectacles. This is important because not every glasses frame can accommodate every type of prescription lens. For instance, a small and shallow fashion frame will not have enough depth for a varifocal lens because varifocal glasses need lots of depth to be able to accommodate both your distance and reading prescriptions. You only really need to think this part through if you have to wear glasses all of the time and need them for both distance and reading. If you have a high prescription (3.50 or above) then you may want to consider a high index lens which means that the lenses will be made thinner through a special process in the lab. This will not only make the lens look cosmetically better but it will also make the lenses lighter in weight. There are 3 main types of high index lens; 1.60, 1.67 and 1.74 (the higher the number, the thinner the lens). I would make sure before you buy any high index lenses that the supplier only uses good quality branded lenses such as Nikon, Essilor, Ziess, Hoya or Rodenstock as there seem to be many online glasses suppliers who are importing cheap, poorly manufactured lenses from the Far East which won’t give you the best visual acuity. Again, make sure this is so when ordering Varifocal lenses as this can make all the difference to you being able to adapt to the lenses or throwing them in the bin. If I had a penny for every patient I’ve seen who had previously gone into an opticians and been sold poor quality lenses only to give up and throw them away after 3 weeks, I’d be rich beyond my wildest dreams!

The next step is to find your online glasses supplier. I work in a busy opticians practice and talk to a lot of my customers about where they buy their glasses from and I am finding more and more people telling me that they prefer to buy online because of the convenience and most of all the huge savings they make. Many of the people I spoke to told me that they prefer to use smaller, independent online glasses sellers as they get good service that has a more personal feel to it.

Make sure the website is secure before buying

Having worked in the opticians industry for over 25 years, both making glasses and dispensing them, my advice to you is to go with an online glasses supplier who knows all about lenses and not just the frames. This is where a lot of people come unstuck by buying glasses from companies who know absolutely nothing about prescription lenses but can supply you with a nice discount designer frame. That’s all very well but the most important part of your glasses is the lenses themselves so it’s not a very good idea to compromise style over prescription correction. Unfortunately, there seems to be few online glasses companies who have the qualifications or experience in this field and just focus on selling cheap designer frames to which they outsource to lens specialists for glazing. As I said before, make sure you go with a company who know their lenses as well as their frames. Any online glasses supplier worth its salt will have a phone number you can call and a qualified person on the other end to answer your questions. Many people I have spoken to who buy their glasses online have told me that some of the bigger, well known online stores have supplied them with glasses for under £20 (bargain!) but then have fallen apart in under a couple of months. If it’s just a cheap pair of reading glasses to keep in the glove compartment of your car then this is a good option but if you rely on your glasses and wear them all the time then this isn’t really a sensible option. By all means it’s great to save money buy purchasing online but you should still invest a little if you want quality eyewear that will last before your next sight test is due. One other thing, try to ensure that whoever you go with, they have a secured and encrypted website when it comes to paying for them as you will have to enter a fair amount of your personal details and you don’t want that getting into the wrong hands.

I am confident that if you follow these simple steps then the process will be seamless and you will end up with a great pair of glasses at a great price that will last you for a couple of years.

Buying Glasses Online – A New Approach to Getting Prescription Glasses

 Before you even ask about why you should consider buying eye glasses direct from a website, just take a moment to consider the following statistics:

• 90% of eye patients will buy the glasses offered to them by their specialist. But more than 80% of them will not find the glasses they want. The prescription measurements and lens grade could be correct but the glasses themselves may not be a snug fit or would just look plain and ugly.
• 85% of those unsatisfied people would immediately consider replacing those eyeglasses with something else. The remaining 15% will stick with the glasses, even if they do not like them or are uncomfortable with them, until they break or get lost.

All of these problems could have been avoided if more people realised that they are not required to purchase eyeglasses from their personal eye doctor. Most people are aware that they can buy books, clothes, and movies online but the idea of buying glasses direct from an online optical shop is completely new to some.

Proper Measurements

First of all, how would you know if the glasses fit and are of the right strength? The answer to that lies in your own prescription information. You’ll need to get your PD (papillary distance) from your ophthalmologist, as well as your prescription specifications and frame measurements. When you go shopping online they’ll make you input these numbers to make sure that the only glasses you choose are those that will suit your needs. From there it’s only a matter of choosing the glasses with the style and colour that you want.

Convenience

You’ll also have to consider that this means you can browse and buy new glasses just about anywhere at any time. You could be in the doctor’s office just receiving the results of your eye exam and within five minutes purchasing your ideal glasses through your smartphone. You could be at home, browsing through several choices, while preparing dinner.

Always in Stock

There’s really no limit to the possibilities these days. One of the main advantages is that you have so many options to choose from when you shop for glasses direct. This is because the majority of shops don’t keep glasses “in stock”. Instead they list online what their suppliers offer. You’ll never have to worry about back-orders.

Going with the Trend

So why limit yourself to what you can get at your local clinic? Now you have all the freedom to get what you need and want right in the comfort of your home in your computer or any internet-connected device. You have at least a few hundred options to choose from, all of them with the right grade and measurements, and the entire process is quick and easy to follow with no worries about choosing something that is out of stock. Buying glasses direct from a shopping site is definitely the most efficient way to get your eyeglasses today.

Getting used to varifocal glasses

A great article on how people adapt to varifocal lenses if they have never worn them before.

Prada PR 10FV

I’ve been reviewing quite a few Prada frames recently as I am spending my hard earned cash on expanding my Prada glasses collection. As you may know, I’ve been giving the guys over at Fashion Eyewear quite a bit of business recently as they are the only online glasses retailer I have come across who offer the most competitive prices on all their prada frames.

One of the most comfortable frames I've ever owned

I hadn’t tried this frame on before I purchased it online so I was a little bit worried that it might not sit correctly or suit the shape of my face. I was, however, pleasantly surprised when it arrived as it is probably the most comfortable frame I have in my collection. The ‘chunky’ modern sides to the frame give a comfortable grip to ensure the frame does not slip down ones nose. The use of  a subtle contrast in colours on the front face of the frame made sure that the frame doesn’t look to heavy and bold which I was very pleased with. As always, the frame is sturdy and feels like it’s been well made – typical Prada premium quality. I had my reading prescription put into these frames as it disguised most of the thickness of my lenses (I have a very high prescription!). All in all I am pleased to say that these prada frames have ticked all the right boxes when it comes to looks, quality and the fact that they are the most comfortable pair of glasses I currently own!

Prada PR07LV

These prada frames are becoming increasingly difficult to find these days as they are currently at the height of fashion in southern European countries such as Italy and Portugal.

This beautiful Prada model is an icon of Italian chic and elegance

Because of their increasing popularity Luxottica, the Italian manufacturers of these beautiful frames, have very low stocks and only ever release them in limited batches. These would normally retail at around £220 on the high street (if you can get hold of a pair!). Thankfully the guys over at Fashion Eyewear are still able to offer this chic and elegant piece of eye wear for £157.54 which is an amazing price considering it’s limited availability and the fact that it is encrusted with beautifully carved diamantes on the sides of the frame. If you are looking for a frame that would suite the smart, elegant and sophisticated wearer then look no further than the prada PRo7LV.

Free Form Varifocal Lenses

Stop the press!! There is a new prescription lens in town and it’s taking the optical industry by storm. It is, of course, the new varifocal design that’s promised to change the way we buy multi-focal glasses in the future. This new technology now allows for more accurate calculations to made when producing these varifocal lenses – they call it 3D surfacing and it’s already been hailed by some lens technicians as a watershed in the history of prescription glasses and varifocal lenses. This new technology allow the wear to easily adapt into a multi-focal lens without the headache of getting accustomed to the peripheral distortion that generic varifocal lenses  accommodate. Unfortunately, I have yet to come accross any online glasses retailers offering this new technology but I’m sure that in time these new varifocals will be available through the top established online retailers for a fraction of the cost that high street opticians are selling them for. I was quoted by my local high street chain at £260 for a mid range free form varifocal lens from Essilor – I’d hate to think just how much a premium Ziess or Nikon lens would cost!!

‘Till next time….

Womens Designer Titanium Frames – with colour!

Traditionally women’s  titanium frames have always been fairly dull when it comes to colours and design because of the restrictions caused by the titanium material. However, designer brand Ferucci have come up with a couple of different looks that break that mould when it comes to titanium fashion frames. These new additions to the ferucci titanium collection add a little bit of colour and character without compromising the robustness of the frames. Theses new frames start at around £140 from your local independent opticians or around £90 if you buy online. I have yet to find these frames being offered anywhere with lenses included but will post any findings if I happen to come across any bargains.

Prada PR58LV Prescription frame

These Prada frames have become one of their most sought after models in Europe. It has the classic Prada Embroidered design on the sides of each arm which adds chic and charm to the style of the frame. Prada are well known throughout the optical industry, not only for their unique Italian styling but also for their use of high quality materials when it comes to manufacturing their frames.

The most sought after of the Prada Models

I first found these frames at Vision Express Opticians retailing at around £220. They come in a variety of subtle shaded colours including Pink, Tortoise and Violet. After much googling, I managed to find the cheapest deal on an online glasses web site who were selling these prada frames for a bargain £143 including single vision lenses. This has got to be the cheapest pair on the internet at the moment so I wouldn’t be surprised if their stocks are low by the time you read this. These frames will suit single vision lenses only as the depth of the frame will not accommodate any varifocal or bifocal lenses because of the lack of depth. As always, these prada frames have a real quality feel to them which just adds to the over all appeal of this beautiful designer frame.

D&G DD3048

Dolce and Gabbana have released these very funky styled sunglasses which I found when browsing their 2010 catalogue. My work colleague bought a pair last month, to the envy of every else in her department, and I have to say that they look fantastic.

Chick and Funky styling by D&G

She paid £130 on the internet for them after being quoted £165 at her local Sunglasses shop. I decided to scour the net to see if there were any cheaper prices and I stumbled upon an online retailer, who I’ve bought from before, who are selling them for a bargain price of £97.00 with free delivery!!  They come in five different colours including red, black, green and grey. The ones on the left are the Havana on violet.

Get over to fashion Eyewear and grab yourself a bargain before the sale ends.

Varifocal glasses

If you need glasses for both distance and reading then you may have tried varifocal glasses in the past. If you have then you will know all too well that these lenses can some time to adapt to because of the amount of distortion you experience around the peripheral sides of the lenses. This has put alot of people off buying varifocals in the past and has also led to problems with existing patients having to adapt from one brand to another. Although these problems still exist with older designs of varifocal glasses, don’t let that put off buying the latest ground-breaking design of varifocal lenses. The Varifocal glasses industry is going through some significant changes at the moment thanks to the introduction of freeform varifocal lens surfacing technology. The transition to freeform technology is going to be a watershed in the history of prescription glasses, much like the transition from bifocals to the original varifocals lenses.

The freeform varifocal range uses the latest advances in Ophthalmic prescription lens production – with CNC (computer numerically controlled) technology the surface is numerically controlled during the cutting and polishing process and the speed and positioning of the cutting tool is monitored with micrometric precision. Sorry if I just blinded you with a bit of opticial science but these lenses really are making an impact on the prescription lens industry.  This new technology eliminates all the disadvantages of traditional production methods . Free-Form optimized varifocal glasses will ensure the patient experiences the widest fields of vision in comparison to the older, traditional varifocal lens manufacturing, as much as 50% larger viewing zones will be achieved with freeform technology.

All the world wide major Prescription lens manufactures including Essilor, Nikon and Ziess have now incorporated the new freeform technology into their manufacturing plants and are only now becoming available from online glasses retailers. The advantages of freeform varifocal glasses are evident from the huge amount of customer feedback the optical industry has received over the past year since this technology became available . The lenses are much easier to adapt to because of their smooth transition and wider fields of vision.

Freeform varifocal glasses really are the next big thing in varifocal design but they also carry a heavy price tag with high street opticians offering them from £170 – £450. They are, however becoming available online and I will be reviewing the top 3 freeform lenses available over the internet later this month and finding the best bargain buys when purchasing your freeform lenses online.

Freeform – The latest varifocal technology