Lenses
There are a host of different types of lenses available to you and the team will help you choose the best for you, your eyes and your lifestyle.
Lens Design
Single vision
Bifocal
Varifocal (progressive)
Single vision lenses are used to correct short sight long sight or presbyopia(an age-related inability to focus on close work). Single vision lenses can be somewhat restrictive when used to correct presbyopia as they will blur your distance vision.
Bifocals are used to correct presbyopia and distance vision. Simply put these lenses are divided into two portions by a visible dividing line. The lower portion is used for close work and the upper portion for distance vision. Some wearers find it difficult to tolerate the dividing line and sometimes find the floor ‘jumps’ up towards them when looking down. Others wouldn’t be without them!
Varifocal lenses or progressives lenses have a smooth progression of optical power from the top, which corrects your distance vision through to the lower part, which corrects for presbyopia. This progression of power enables you to see at intermediate distances through the middle part of the lens. Ideal for computer users. Another advantage is that they don't have bifocal lines, which can be unattractive and a telltale sign of age! Due to the very nature of these lenses there is some degree of blurring around the periphery hence a small minority of people perceive a swimming effect when they look through the periphery of the lens. Thus they find it difficult to adapt to these lenses. Consequently here at David Arnold Opticians all our varifocal lenses are manufactured by reputable manufactures such as Rodenstock and Kodak. And for extra peace of mind they come with a no quibble 90 Day Non Tolerance Guarantee. So if you've tried them out and you can't adapt to them, then bring them back within 90 days of when you first ordered them and we will swap the lenses over for either single vision or bifocal lenses and we will refund any the difference less a small glazing charge.
Lens Materials
To look good, you'll want your lenses as thin as possible. An excellent choice is high-index lenses. People with strong prescriptions love them because not only do they get rid of the hated "glass-bottle bottom" appearance, but they're also lighter to wear. No more sore nose!
Are you annoyed with swapping between your spectacle and your sunglasses? Or are your sunglass clip-ons cumbersome? Then you might want to look into photochromic lenses, which automatically darken when you go outdoors and return to normal when you go back and with today's photochromic lenses they are faster and lighter than those from years ago.
When safety is an issue, you must use polycarbonate: it is an extremely impact-resistant material, so it's ideal for sports.
Lens Coatings
Coatings can be for fashion and/or function. Antireflective coatings are both: they help you to see through the lenses better and keep glare from obscuring your beautiful eyes from others.
Scratch-resistant coatings are particularly handy for plastic lenses: while plastic is nice and light, it's more scratch-prone than glass. UV coating protects your eyes from the sun's harmful rays; you can get it in both tinted and clear lenses. Fashionable mirror coatings come in many colours and prevent people from seeing your eyes.
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