Category: lenses

Glasses of Binyon – Emily Ufkes

“Just wanted to let you know how great my Ovvo glasses are…”

… began an email from Emily.  “Several months ago, my toddler snatched them off my face and bent them in HALF.  Besides a small crease, the frames were unharmed and I’m wearing them daily.  But we had a long talk about  how fragile (most) glasses are.”

ovvo glasses toddler proof elizabeth park katheryn moran photography

Emily was referencing her 2nd out of 3 pairs of Ovvo Optics glasses frames.  She found her first pair in 2015, soon after her precious son Raylan was born.  Little did she know as a new mom she was making a wise investment in the most durable glasses frames.

Ovvo Optics Glasses Design and Technology

toddler wearing mom's ovvo sunglasses elizabeth park

What drew Emily to the Ovvo frames was how light and comfortable they are – plus fun shapes and colors.  These are two of Ovvo’s design goals for their frame line – the third was durability.  In seeking a material that was very lightweight and strong, the company could not find one that met their needs- so they forged their own metal, a combination of surgical stainless steel and titanium that had not been made before and is now manufactured with a patented process by Ovvo (more technical details here: https://ovvooptics.com/technology/).

This hypoallergenic material offers remarkable lightness, flex memory and strength.  From an optician’s standpoint the strong material is tough to move during an adjustment but we have confidence when we get it into position- it will stay there- preventing the relaxing that can happen with plastic frames.  I like to joke it’s the only pair of glasses I can fall asleep in and they aren’t at all crooked in the morning.

Emily’s hooked on Ovvo glasses

Back to Emily – she’s on her 3rd pair of Ovvo frames now as Raylan just passed his 3rd birthday.  Coincidence?  Probably not… toddler proof?  Definitely, as her story above shows.

ovvo glasses mom and son playing dinosaurs elizabeth park

When we sat down to pick her second pair in December of 2017- she said, definitely Ovvo.  We found one of the great pairs from the latest collection that incorporates a cut-out design, one of the latest eyewear trends.  She loved them, and when I pulled out the catalog to see the other colors, she fell deeper in love with the Sapphire color.  We ordered it in but started the lenses using the stock frame.   When the lenses came back she could choose between the two colors.  I love giving patients this option – they have two choices of frame color to pick from when they come to pick up their lenses and we can pop the completed lenses

into the favorites and they are on their way- looking amazing of course.

ovvo glasses mom playing airplanes with son elizabeth park

Don’t forget sunglasses!

Since I had the catalog out as we were looking at alternate colors- Emily started to look at their amazing sunglasses options.  I noticed she has an awesome insurance plan through the local credit union she works for and her insurance would be available again in January – mere weeks away.  She got a little giddy at the idea of having prescription Ovvo sunglasses.  I’d remembered seeing an awesome design at an Ovvo trunk show we had done and showed her the catalog.  “That’s the one!” she cried and we ordered it in in Shiny red!  When she came to pick up her new glasses and choose the color, the sunglasses had arrived!  We were able to make the frame measurements, wait until the calendar flipped to 2018 and order these beautiful sunglasses.

ovvo lolita sunglasses with toddler elizabeth park

Emily, Raylan and I had a marvelous photoshoot with the talented Katheryn Moran of Katheryn Moran Photography to highlight these wonderful frames.  It was fun to watch Mommy and son share such natural tender moments.  We are glad to see that these frames have become a beautiful part of her look and an indispensable tool in her mommy bag.  With all the things the Mama’s have to worry about- broken glasses can be crossed off the list with Ovvo eyewear.

ovvo glasses on a diaper bag with toddler essentials

Glasses of Binyon – Susan Johnston

A story of long-term community connections

When the kids and I walked into Galbraith Mountain Pediatric Dentistry office for the first time, I was understandably nervous.  The three year old wore her tiara and lugged along her stuffed elephant (named Sugar- great choice for going to the dentist) and the one year old is always unpredictable, because he’s one.  As new patients we were brought into a big room with an exam chair, and several bins of toys – mostly stuffed animals all outfitted with huge sets of teeth and giant toothbrushes.  A woman with cute glasses and a kind face entered the room and introduced herself as Susan, the dental assistant who would help us out on our first visit.

I noticed her glasses right away

pediatric dental assistant wearing anne et valentin glasses photography by Katheryn Moran Photography

Susan made sure the kids knew they could play with the toys in the room and explained this first visit is all about making sure they feel comfortable.

We sat down to look over the paperwork I filled out.  I answered a few questions then she said- “Oh! I see you work at Binyon, I’ve been seeing Mark for years!” (True story – I found her initial patient paperwork dated April 1992.)

“I wondered!” I answered, “I recognized your Lafont frames!  And these are Mark’s grandkids!”

“Too funny!” she replied, “That must make you Caitlin, I’ve known you since you were a kid!”  Before Susan worked at Galbraith, she worked for Dr. Richard Todd’s office where I’d been a patient growing up.  My memory went back to a tall, energetic woman with short brown hair that would call us back to the exam rooms and we laughed at the connection in our small Bellingham world.  Her hair is a beautiful silver now and her energy and smile are just as I remember.

Then it was her turn to come to the doctor!

pediatric dental assistant wearing anne et valentin glasses photography by Katheryn Moran Photography

A few months after our re-acquaintance at the dentist, Susan came in for her eye exam and was planning on updating the lenses into her current Lafont frames to her new prescription.

“You know I love fun glasses… Do you have anything new?” she asked.  I couldn’t wait to show her the new Anne et Valentin collection – bold looks with many petite options that I knew fit her style perfectly.  I grabbed a light pink frame and said, “This one.”  She put it on… and couldn’t take it off.  “Yes- this one.”

pediatric dental assistant wearing anne et valentin glasses photography by Katheryn Moran Photography

Later we came to photograph Susan in her element- helping kids at the dentist.  She explained she doesn’t always wear these new frames to work – she had a collision with another employee a few months ago which sent her glasses flying and we ended up repairing a broken temple.  She has several pairs of fun glasses and she tells me, “If you have to wear glasses, make it a part of your wardrobe! You need different frames and lenses for different needs and outfits.”

pediatric dental assistant wearing anne et valentin glasses photography by Katheryn Moran Photography

Susan and her fun glasses collection help to brighten kids’ day at Galbraith Mountain Pediatric Dentistry.  Thank you Susan, for taking part in our Glasses of Binyon feature and thank you to Katheryn Moran of Katheryn Moran Photography for the wonderful portraits.

 

Glasses of Binyon – Andy Thom

There’s a story behind every pair of glasses…

… and in Andy’s case, it’s two pairs of glasses.  As systems administrator at a local credit union, Andy spends between 10-14 hours per day in front of a computer screen.

systems administrator wearing the OGI Eyewear 4807 in grey demi photographed by Katheryn Moran PhotographyAll Photos: Katheryn Moran Photography

Andy has worn prescription computer glasses for several years.  Before the specialized glasses, his eyes were always tired and he fought daily headaches. In contrast, Dr. McEathron’s computer prescription brings the screen into focus for Andy and relieves his eye strain.

systems administrator wearing the OGI Eyewear 4807 in grey demi photographed by Katheryn Moran Photography

Digital Eye Strain

The Vision Council (www.visioncouncil.org) defines digital eye strain as physical discomfort that can occur after 2 hours of computer or other digital device use.  Types of physical discomfort include eye fatigue, headaches, dry eyes, blurred vision and neck and back pain. So, why does digital eye strain occur?  When you work at a computer, your eyes are having to focus and refocus as you read, look at your keyboard, look around the room and back to the screen.  In addition, the screen adds constant glare, contrast and flicker – plus it emits high energy blue light.  Blue light gives screens their brightness. Likewise, that bright, high energy light that can overload the visual system and add to the eye strain.

systems administrator wearing the OGI Eyewear 4807 in grey demi photographed by Katheryn Moran Photography

Shamir Blue Zero                                                 

Andy’s most recent lenses, computer glasses, use a new material called Shamir Blue Zero.  This material absorbs blue light, but appears clear unlike many blue-light blocking products that have a yellowish tint.  Finally, it combines excellent blue light protection with optical clarity- something that’s not available with any other similar product available on the market.  Blue Zero is available in single vision, office progressive and general progressive lenses manufactured by Shamir USA.  Contact us if you have questions on availability of this material.

Furthermore, when he’s not on the computer, Andy wears a different pair of glasses.  These are his distance prescription so they work well for driving, watching movies and hiking with his wife and dogs. He finds himself putting them on as soon as he goes away from the computer because he likes seeing the world around him more clearly.

systems administrator wearing computer glasses the OGI Eyewear 4807 in grey demi photographed by Katheryn Moran PhotographyAndy is wearing the OGI Eyewear 4807 in grey demi.

Thank you to Andy for participating in this photoshoot and your feedback on your computer glasses.
Grattitude to Camber Coffee for allowing us to use your beautiful location.
Much appreciation to the very talented Katheryn Moran of Katheryn Moran Photography.

Seven Reasons to NOT Buy Glasses Online- Part 2

In a previous post, we focused on how the lenses in online glasses could present vision and safety problems.  We return to this topic of comparisons by focusing on the frames first…

Reasons 4 – 7 to NOT buy Glasses Online…

4. How long do you wear shoes that don’t fit right?

If you’re a long time glasses wearer you might know what we Why it is better to buy glasses from an optician rather than onlinemean here…  A poorly fitting pair of glasses can really ruin your day.  You’re constantly pushing them up your
nose, your head feels like it’s in a vice or where it curves behind your ears seems to hit a pressure point that is aching by the end of the day.

It is obvious that you wouldn’t know about any fit issues unless you try the glasses on.  Some online companies allow you to do that- which helps. However, a few minutes on your face doesn’t necessarily equal a full 16 hour day of wearing the glasses with your lenses (which are heavier than the demo lenses).  The shoes felt so comfortable in the store when I tried them on…

We’d like to strongly advocate having a professional optician who is trained to see and explain any fit issues help you find something that fits comfortably!

Speaking of opticians- they are also trained to adjust glasses.  While they help you find the proper pair of glasses they are evaluating whether or not it’s possible to make adjustments to the frame to make it more comfortable or not- in some instances it’s not.  With a plastic bridge without nose pads (fixed bridge) – if it slides down your nose- it will always slide down your nose- there’s nothing that can be adjusted to prevent that.  However- if it bugs you where it’s sitting behind your ear?  Or is it sitting crooked because gasp!  your ears are slightly asymmetrical (don’t worry that’s 99% of the population).  An optician is here to help.

An ill-fitting frame can really cause a lot of problems.  Headaches, fatigue, red marks on your skin due to imbalanced weight of a frame on your nose… there are many well made glasses out there that will fit your face well and comfortably saving you lots of grief.

5. Just a slight adjustment = sweet relief

On the topic of frame fittings…  nothing stresses a trained optician more than adjusting low quality frames.  Inexpensive materials used to make inexpensive frames do not cooperate well and often lose form soon after an adjustment because of the shortcuts made in the manufacturing process to keep costs down.

Please consider this friendly warning- you might be beating a regular path to the optician’s chair for adjustments with online glasses.

The way glasses sit on your head can not only affect comfort, but vision as well.  Especially with progressive lenses, even the slightest adjustment can bring you into or out of focus.  Having a licensed opWhy it is better to buy glasses from an optician rather than onlinetician dispense glasses they ordered for you with the proper measurements and adjust to your maximum vision potential and comfort leads to a successful glasses-patient relationship.  Happy eyes = Happy day!  Well, maybe not but I promise you- unhappy eyes can really ruin your day!

 

6. What’s the warranty?

The online glasses retailers who carry many name brands often do not have a relationship with the manufacturer themselves and cannot rely on the service and warranty available from the manufacturer.  In fact, many of the name-brand frames you find online at low prices are discontinued models.  Depending on the manufacturer, the lifetime for a glasses frame model may be 3-4 years on average.

When a frame is out of production- if the temple breaks, nosepad arm falls off, lenses get a scratch, unfortunately you’re looking at buying another pair of glasses.

What happens if the prescription isn’t working for you?  You might go in Why it is better to buy glasses from an optician rather than onlineto see your optometrist again and find out the prescription numbers were not exactly right for your purpose… is there an option to have your glasses remade?  The relief of a patient satisfaction policy and warranty against damaged frames and lenses for a valuable medical device that helps you… see… is absolutely worth it.

7.  All Anti-Reflective Coatings are not created equal

There are two types of people in the world – those who love anti-reflective coating and those who hate it.  And you can spot the glaring difference a mile away.

Why it is better to buy glasses from an optician rather than online

A great anti-reflective coating provides many benefits – glare from light sources are all around us.  Shine that glare through an uncoated lens and it bounces around the lens- creating reflections.  When an anti-reflective coating is properly applied the light passes through the lens into your eye instead of staying in the lens and bouncing around. This does two great things. It allows you to see better, clearer even because you’re not competing with glare. And, you’re seeing the full picture.  Second the lenses look better.  You don’t see the glare and neither does the world looking at you!  They get to see your eyes- instead of a lens full of glare.

However- applying this coating to a lens is a complicated process!  It is necessary that the coating applies onto a certified clean chamber. Any dust that’s on the lens before it’s coated creates a flaw. That flaw can grow and grow into a cloudy lens that just won’t ever feel clean.  Have you had non-glare coating like that?  It might be a bad enough experience to put you in the hate crowd.

We’d encourage you to give anti-reflective coating another chance- from a store that can educate you about the quality of their coatings. And has a warranty against scratches and damage to back up their quality claims.

 

Thank you for bearing with us for this discussion on a topic we’re passionate about. And, for helping the glasses wearing community understand their options in eyewear and providing reasons why online glasses are not the best choice.  If you have any questions- feel free to email us!  We’d be happy to respond in a future blog post.  Thank you again and best wishes for happy eyes!

Seven Reasons to NOT Buy Glasses Online- Part 1

I read a blog post recently – “How to save money like by thinking like a millennial” (credit here) with interesting tips like opening a checking account that refunds all your ATM withdrawal fees, signing up for Amazon Prime and downloading the browser extension coupon finder Honey.  Then I reached – “Stop getting ripped off on glasses by getting Warby Parkers.”

Hmm…

Companies over the eyewear industry cut cost and quality for high margins. This has created distrust of the eyeglasses prescription dispensing by brick and mortar optical retailers.

But when you see a cost difference of $39 for online glasses to over $200 from a store- you at least wonder why.  I’d like to say the differences and convince you that even for $39… online glasses are not worth it.

Seven Reasons to NOT Buy Online Glasses

1. Standards do not apply

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has developed 14 standards. These describe the acceptable degree of error in a pair of eyeglasses, to the written prescription by the doctor.  Here’s an example:

If your prescription is -2.50 in your right eye, the acceptable range of power for the lens is -2.13 to -2.63 (±0.13).

What do these numbers mean?  With every click of the phoropter when the doctor is measuring your prescription and asking “Which is better, 1 or 2?” there is a change of 0.25 diopter.

A summary of the standard for making lenses can be found here.  The standards are developed by a team of doctors and manufacturers to show what is acceptable to the patient’s visual needs.

When a prescription is outside of this standard, you won’t see as clearly.  Imagine using a pair of binoculars to see something in the distance- turning the dial until you see the image clearly.  Then you move the dial even slightly one direction or another.  That’s how wearing a prescription that’s not close enough can feel.  Less than perfect vision is already a disadvantage. And, it also has potential effects such as eyestrain, headaches or double vision.

For children, wearing the wrong prescription can have even worse consequences. Due to their visual system developing, the wrong prescription could cause one eye to work harder than the other. This could throw off the eye’s ability to work together and a muscle imbalance could lead to amblyopia (lazy eye).

At our office, we use a lensometer to double check every pair of glasses that is ordered to the doctor’s prescription. We reject any lenses that are outside of tolerance.  Do online retailers do this?  According to a study performed by the American Optometric Association (see here) where 154 online glasses were ordered and analyzed, 29% of these had an incorrect prescription.

One out of every 3.5 pairs of glasses that ships out from an online retailer will not have an accurate prescription.

Every pair of glasses that is dispensed by our opticians will have a prescription within the tolerances laid out by the ANSI standards.

2. Duty to Warn

Optometrists have a professional and legal “duty to warn” patients about the proper use and safety issues associated with ophthalmic products (aka glasses and contacts).

So, it is important to have an optical professional- an optometrist or licensed optician to provide educated recommendations for lens materials and lens options. Therefore, this will protect one of our most valuable assets- our eyes.

Thankfully there are also manufacturing standards in place to address the integrity of glasses lenses. How do glasses purchased from an online retailer match up to the safety standard?  Not well.  Because, in the same study by the American Optometric Association referenced above, 23% of online glasses failed impact resistance testing.

Almost 1 in 4 online glasses do not pass ANSI safety standards for impact resistance.

Definition of failure of the impact resistance test?  Cracks through the entire lens thickness into two or more pieces.

3. Those licensed dispensing opticians?  Armed with knowledge and experience.

An average conversation about lens styles, lens materials and lens options at our office is at least ten minutes long.  An optician should ask lifestyle questions about how you use your eyes and what your visual needs are. Then, will make recommendations on which lens will be best for you.  Explaining the benefits of different lens materials in relation to your prescription helps you make a good decision between Trivex and Hi-Index plastic.  A conversation about how you care for your glasses will help the optician recommend the best anti-reflective (non-glare) coating.

Becoming a licensed dispensing optician is a three year apprenticeship program in Washington state.  After a written and practical exam, an apprentice becomes a licensed optician.

Licensed opticians bring experience and knowledge to help each patient make educated decisions on their individual eyewear needs.

Even Siri doesn’t have the answer to which progressive lens will work best all week at the computer or Saturday at the golf course.

In the next blog post, we will continue with an additional 4 reasons. Finally there is only one good reason to buy online glasses as stated above. You will save money on the initial purchase.

I hope you take our reasons to not buy online glasses into consideration before making a decision to purchase them.  Furthermore, the purpose of glasses is to help you see. They shouldn’t cause harm to your vision or put your eyes at risk in the process.  Please carefully weigh your options and let us know if you have any questions!

Thank you and have a great day!

Let’s talk about the glare out there…

Rain – SUN – RAIN – SUN

The weather today could NOT make up it’s mind!  When I dropped my kids off, it was pouring- my 3 year old cried, “We need a boat Mom!” as we ran into her preschool.  When I picked them up four hours later- the sun was out, sky was blue, a perfect PNW afternoon.  But… the road was still wet… so I was temporarily blinded by the concentrated sun rays hitting the puddles going right into my eyes until… I put my polarized sunglasses on.  Sweet relief.

polarized lenses to minimize sun glareI’ve recently come across some really great explanations of how polarized lenses work to reduce glare – and I hope to shed some light (pun intended) on how these work- so you can hopefully gain a new appreciation of this great technology!

The glare of the sun on flat wet surfaces- such as roads, the surface of the ocean, snow reflects from that horizontal plane- concentrating all that light into a blinding reflection.  Polarized lenses have a polarized filter oriented vertically to block light coming in horizontally.  Besides removing the intensified and scattered horizontal light, the vertically aligned light polarize lenses allow to pass is preferable to the visual system- creating a significantly more comfortable view.  Non polarized sunglasses indiscriminately filter all light- horizontal and vertical.  They reduce glare but don’t eliminate it.
By filtering all components olight- a less sharp image is the result.  The selective light filtering of a polarized lens actually creates a sharper picture!

Summary of the benefits of polarized lenses:
  • Eliminates glare
  • Improves visual comfort
  • Improves contrast and clarity
  • Reduces eyestrain
  • Reduces reflections

Not all polarized lenses on the market are created equal. The quality of the filter used and how the lenses are manufactured determines the glare reduction. Drug store “polarized” sunglasses may only cut out 10% of light, where premium polarized lenses such as Xperio lenses by Essilor cut out 99% of reflected light.

polarized lenses to minimize sun glare

Next time you’re driving on a gorgeous day when the storm has lifted and the sun is shining down on large puddles of morning rain and reflecting right into your eyes- consider an investment in a quality pair of polarized sunglasses.  They will greatly improve your driving experience!