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How understanding your prescription can save you hundreds on eyeglass purchase.

If you have a basic understanding of your prescription you will be able to shop more wisely and save a lot of  money in the process. Minus lens correct nearsightedness (Myopia-those who have problems seeing in the distance) and plus lens corrects  farsightedness (Hyperopia-those who are having problems focusing on close objects). You will see it written on your prescription usually in this format:

O.D. or Oculus Dexter is Latin for right eye and O.S. or Oculus Sinister is Latin for left eye.  D.V. is distance vision and N.V. is near vision.  Add refers to the correction needed for reading. The above prescription is for someone who is Presbyopic, that is, they need bifocals or correction for both near and far.Presbyopia, or greek for "elderly vision" usually occurs after forty, as the muscles of the eye loses its power to accommodate objects at near distances.

The first set of numbers or the spherical numbers represent the correction needed for distance, or the power the lens have to be, in order for you to see objects in the distance correctly. The second part or the cylindrical value corrects for astigmatism. Astigmatism occurs when the cornea is shaped more like a football instead of a basketball.

Because the eye rotates on a 180 degree axis, the axis part of the prescription represents the meridian where the correction is needed.

Eyeglass lenses are made of one of three materials; they are all made of plastic with what they call different indexes. Basically, the higher the index, the thinner the material is. CR39 or basic plastic is 1.498, poly is 1.586, and high-index comes in a few different flavors, with index ratios between 1.53 and 1.71. The higher the index, the thinner, lighter, and more expensive the lenses are.

Polycarbonate is good for safety, while high-index is recommended for someone with a high prescription, such as -5.00 or above. If you have a really thick prescription, polycarbonate or high index is thinner and is the recommended material for you.

CR-39, meanwhile is a good for someone who just needs basic glasses to read or to see far, but don’t want  to spend a lot. It is for someone with a low prescription. It is also good for a backup pair. However, I would not recommend it for someone with a need for safety. Polycarbonate is the recommended lens for those with a need for safety eyewear such as children and those who participate in impact sports and those who need safety eyewear in the workplace.

Coatings to protect your eyes

Anti-reflective coatings helps to reduce unwanted reflections and helps to alleviate glares and eyestrain from monitors, and glares from oncoming traffic when you are driving at night.

Ultraviolet protection(UV)also help the eyes from harmful radiation.

Prescription sunglasses also protect the eyes from harmful radiation while correcting vision.

Those who prefer to wear only one pair indoors and outdoors can opt for photochromatic lenses that change to sunglass outside and back to clear indoors.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT FRAME

When choosing you’re frame it helps to keep in mind the correction that you need. So for instance, someone who is myopic(objects in the distance appears blurry), would need a frame that is more flat in the front as opposed to one that is curved.

Same thing goes for those who are Hyperopic (close objects appears blurry, you will look for a frame that has a little curvature to it.

This is because when an optician surfaces a lens the front of the lens is flat or what they refer to as having a low base curve. Lens curve Bases go anywhere from Plano, which is perfectly flat to .50 and up. A low base curve makes lenses for myopic patients thinner, especially those who have a high prescription and vice versa for hyperopic patients.

When you choose a frame with the right curvature and they insert the lens it will look very cosmetically appealing. So a lot depends on choosing the right frame based on your prescription rather than looks.

Choose frames that are the opposite of your face shape.  You can have a good idea of the size of the frame you need by looking at the inside temple of the one you are currently wearing. You will see numbers such as 50-17-135. The 50 represents the measurement of one side of the frame in mm's or what is commonly referred to as the A measurement. The 17 represents the bridge size or the distance between lenses(DBL). The 135 is the length of the temples. Thde B or vertical represents the height of the frame.

Face shape fall into several categories.

Round Face-Rectangular frames will make a round face appear slimmer and longer.

Heart Shape-Face that is wider at the forehead and the temples, with a narrowing at the chin. Don't be afraid to try rimless or semi-rimless glasses. They tend to work well on a heart-shaped face.

Square-Angled, with chiseled features, well defined cheekbones and a strong jaw. This type of face shape will look best in a frame with gently rounded looks such as ovals, almonds, curved cat eyes or aviators.

Here is a peek at some of the frames we carry from the I-dealoptics Reflection line. http://www.i-dealoptics.com/omaCMS/uploads/pdfs/VCPN%20Feb07.pdf

Vinc wrote on http://groups.google.com/group/glassyeyes/browse_thread/thread/cdeb929e3ac298d7?hl=en

My new prescription was about -10 and my ophthalmologist recommended
progressive lenses. I also had some titanium Marchon Flexon frames I
liked. The frames were nearly new but the prescription was badly out
of date. My eye doctor was supportive about getting lenses on the web
and made sure I had all the information I'd need from her.
I'd been reading the forums occasionally in preparation for ordering
lenses online when the time came. I worked out some lenses I liked on
39dollarglasses but ran into some questions about SMARTshades vs
Transitions VI lenses as well as refractive index.
I received a nice email from Tej at SaveMoneyOnGlasses.com suggesting
I consider Varilux Comfort poly transitions from his site.
I didn't find much information about the company with Google but Tej
was knowledgeable, helpful and prompt and I ended up ordering on
January 18th, a holiday.
My order ended up at $245.95 with 1.67 Varilux Comfort progressive
Transitions lenses with Crizal AR.
I mailed my frames on 1/19 and waited. Tej let me know he'd received
them on the 21st and asked if I wanted the edges polished or not and
let me know it would be about a week before he'd be sending them out.
I was very anxious and emailed him quite a few times with questions.
We spoke by phone too. He'd been concerned that my new prescription
was very different from the old lenses on the frames I'd sent. We
confirmed the numbers and I gave him my eye doctor's phone number in
case he wanted to check with her. We also reviewed PD and Seg HT.
Tej emailed on 1/29 with the USPS tracking number, some advice about
getting used to progressive lenses, and a note that he'd replaced the
nose pads.
I'm just waiting on the post office as I write this.
The glasses have just arrived and my initial impression is that they
look great. I know the lenses are 48 mm wide and I see they're
reasonably thin. I pop the glasses on and I'm seeing right away. The
next couple hours fly by making dinner, watching TV, and moving my
head up and down like a bobble head watching things go in and out of
focus. I haven't tripped yet and I'm not going to try driving with
them right away. But you don't want to know about me getting used to
progressives.
I carefully clean the new lenses and put my acute myopia to work
examining the workmanship. The lenses seem to have a perfect, snug fit
with the frame bezel. The frame is still like new. Peering at the AR
coating I see no defects but I can make out some neat symbols and
numbers. I seem to remember seeing that before on lenses from a brick
and mortar shop.
I'm pleased with my purchase as of right now. The optician up the road
wanted about $600 for a similar set up. Other than Priority Mail I
think the turn around time is similar. I'm going to wear them all day
tomorrow and I may ask another friendly optician to take a look and
give me her opinion.
I had no headaches placing the order, getting the lenses, and
literally no headache after wearing them around the house all evening.
I'm pleased. :)