Reduce eyestrain with Kodak Digital Varifocal lenses

Kodak lenses incorporate the latest digital technology to actively reduce eyestrain. This short film explains how:

Oakley TrueDigital Lenses

Oakley True Digital lenses now come as standard with all Oakley prescription sunglasses. After a cross-over period during which both traditional Oakley lenses and OTD lenses were available, as of the beginning of the year, Oakley has decided to concentrate on purely digital lens products.

True Digital lenses are designed for sportspeople, athletes and all those who demand the best possible vision in wrap-around sunglasses and sports eyewear. Traditional lenses often cause blurring and distortion, especially in the peripheral vision area. Oakley True Digital lenses are individually made, taking account of the unique combination of frame angles and dimensions as well as your prescription and how the frame fits your face. The result is a lens that provides pin-sharp vision from the central field to the far periphery.

In order to obtain all the benefits of this technology, however, it's essential that the lenses are fitted properly by the optician. Normally, lenses are ordered using the lens powers (shown on your prescription) and your PD (pupillary distance) measurement. OTD lenses can be ordered using just these measurements, but for the best results, your optician should take a measurement known as OC heights. This is the vertical measure of where your eye sits behind the frame. When this measurement is included, the very best performance will be attained, with minimum distortion at the extreme periphery of your vision.

NHS Optical Vouchers

OPTICAL VOUCHERS

It's really easy to use your NHS voucher whether you buy online or in the high street. Many online opticians accept NHS vouchers for full or part payment of glasses, prescription sunglasses or reglazing glasses you already own. To search for a high-street optician that does NHS sight tests and will accept NHS Optical Vouchers, follow this link to the NHS website optician search

You can claim between £37.10 and £81.60 off the cost of your new glasses or lenses for glasses.

You can either use your voucher to cover the full cost of your specs, or you can use it as part payment and top up with your own money to buy something really special.

 

Are you entitled to help with the cost of glasses or lenses for glasses? 

The NHS has published a guide to claiming help with the cost of glasses and other prescription items, called the HC11. You can obtain a copy of this guide from your optician, local DSS office, or download a PDF of the HC11.

Transitions, SunSensors and other photochromic (light reactive) lenses

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed that we only offer genuine Transitions® lenses, amongst the many different brands of photochromic (light-reactive) lenses available. There's a good reason for this. We personally test every new lens product we can get hold of and based on our experience, we believe they're the best type of photochromic lens you can buy. In this blog post, we'll explain why.




A bit of history...

All photochromic lenses perform the same function: they go dark in the sun. The original photochromic lens, Reactolite, was introduced by Corning in the 1960s and proved to be hugely popular.

Although popular at the time, the original Reactolites has some notable limitations. Being made from glass, the original Reactolite lenses were heavy, particularly with higher prescriptions, and there are of course the usual safety issues associated with any glass lens. Also, they never faded back to clear, always having a light grey or brown tint.

Fast forward to 1991, and Transitions introduced the first plastic photochromic lens combining the benefits of a thin, lightweight plastic lens with photochromic technology. And, for the first time, Transitions provided a lens that would become virtually clear indoors and at night. Over the last 20 years, they've continued to develop the technology so today's Transitions lenses react to bright light in seconds, and fade back within a minute or two. As the longest-established product of its type, Transitions technology is now available in the widest range of different lens types, giving you the most choice, from single vision to the latest varifocals. 

For a technical explanation of how photochromic lenses work click here.

And today...

The market didn't stand still, of course, and other manufacturers have fought back. In 1999, Corning introduced their first plastic photochromic, SunSensors. Less expensive than Transitions, SunSensors has been popular with high street opticians and online glasses suppliers alike. However, in common with other non-Transitions products, they're relatively slow and always have that residual tint, like the original Reactolite lenses. This permanent tint can absorb up to 20% of the available light, which can be a problem, especially when driving at night.

We still recommend Transitions lenses though, because:

• SPEED - They go dark faster than any other lens we've ever tested - in some cases MUCH faster
• CLARITY - They fade to almost completely clear indoors and at night - other photochromics - especially the cheaper copies, have a noticeable tint all the time
• VERSATILITY - They're available in the broadest range of lens types, including varifocals and superthin lenses.