Eyewear

Spectacles, Lenses and Contact Lenses

Since the mid 20th century eyewear choices have expanded year on year. The 21st Century has created new designs in eyewear bt ofetn as in couture fashion retro forms a big element in design with a 15 to 20 year cycle between trends often starting in Southern Europe with new innovations in sunglass design and fast moving Northwards and accross the pond to the USA

What was a practical design to hold corrective lenses in place has now become a fashion statement. There are now a number of options open to those needing correction for distance vision improvement such as spectacles, contact lenses and laser surgery.

We discuss the pros and cons of these groups on the relevant pages. Obviously each route offers a solution at a price but the end result is not always as precise as the quality of vision produced by your optometrist within the consulting room unless spectacles are your chosen route.

Because spectacles are made precisely to the prescription, if kept clean, they will provide exact vision the end result will usually give the best vision. Howver if your spectacles are bent or damaged and do no sit at the correct distance from your eyes your vision will decrease

In sport, and some working environments, and for occasional use and confidence building contact lenses offer a different route. It is however not a solution devoid of spectacles because a back up pair is always required in case of infection or illness as well as for use in unfriendly environmental conditions.

Spectacles and contacts worn in combination provide an excellent flexibility without intrusive surgery as in laser eye surgery. There are different schools of thought on the laser issue. It is certainly not cheap and there are small side effects such as light problems and ghosting effects seen by a significant number (perhaps 5%) , there are unfortunately a small number of failures resulting in reduction in vision. USA websites make interesting reading on the actions taken by the litigious Americans.

Often the vision is not as precise as would have been afforded by spectacle or contact lens correction but some people are willing to accept less vision for the advantage of no spectacles. What must be stated is that the over 40s will all need spectacles for reading whatever route they take.