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It is easy to view your glasses lenses as a simple piece of plastic. However, the most common reasons people struggle with or dislike wearing their glasses is down to the use of poor quality lenses, or the wrong choice of lens.
Developments in technology have revolutionised the design of spectacle lenses, leading to sharper, high definition vision. The materials can be made thinner, lighter and stronger than ever before and modern surface treatments can make the lenses clearer and tougher whilst also protecting your eyes from harmful UV light.
Robert E Lloyd, as independent opticians, have the freedom to work with the industry leading manufactures and developers of spectacle lenses including Essilor, Zeiss and Shamir so that we can supply the highest quality spectacle lenses and ensure our customers are always offered the most modern lens products that suit their needs.
We understand the importance of choosing the right lens for each individual and take time to get to know you and your needs so that we can find the right option for you.
It can sometimes be difficult to understand all the different options that are available. You can learn a little more about these options here.
Having the correct power of prescription in your glasses doesn’t guarantee the sharpest vision.
An uncoated lens is more likely to scratch, collect smudges and reflect light causing glare and reducing the clarity of your vision.
Good quality anti-reflection coatings almost eliminate reflections on the lens surface, allowing more light through the lens which improves not only your vision but also the cosmetic appearance of the lens.
At Robert E Lloyd, our first choice coating is Crizal Forte UV. As well as reducing reflections this coating also offers significant UV protection, repels water droplets and dust and is resistant to scratches.
High index lenses are thinner, lighter and stronger than standard lenses.
As the strength of our glasses prescription increases, the curvature of the lens and therefore the thickness of the lens increases.
This causes several problems;
High index lenses are made from more dense materials, giving the lens more focussing power. Therefore, a flatter, thinner and lighter high index lens will have the same focussing power as a standard lens but will make the glasses more comfortable to wear, look better and avoid the unnaturally small or large appearance of the eyes that some will notice through their glasses.
The benefit of a high index lens increases the stronger your prescription is. Our Optometrists and dispensing opticians will be able to advice you if you would benefit from a high index lens.
Photochromic lenses are clear indoors and darken when exposed to UV light.
Not only is this convenient, as you don’t have to carry around your prescription sunglasses but they are also effective at protecting our eyes from damaging UV rays.
Over the years, these lenses have improved significantly and now very rapidly adapt to changes in light conditions. However, they are not the right choice for everyone so it’s a good idea to discuss this carefully when choosing your glasses.
Progressive lenses help people see across all distances, without the need to take off or swap glasses.
A corridor of different powers run down the lens giving the wearer a seamless channel of vision from objects in the distance to the intermediate and near by looking through different portions of the lens.
In recent years, our visual demands have changed significantly. Many of us now use hand held devices or work on a variety of different screens from desktops to laptops and tablets for long periods each day.
We need to be able to move effortlessly from one task to another, without worrying which pair of glasses we need on.
In the past, some have found progressive focus lenses difficult to use, having to constantly move their head or being distracted by out of focus regions to the periphery of their lens.
Modern techniques for designing and manufacturing a progressive lenses, with a more bespoke approach, has significantly improved the performance of these lenses. The highest quality lenses, when chosen specifically for you and your prescription now provide clear vision across the lens, making them comfortable to wear and easy to use for all tasks.
