Vision NorthWest Optometry | Serving North West NSW over 30 years!

Today's demands require spectacles to perform differently, depending on our work and home environments, so lenses can be treated with coatings and special filters to deal with these differing conditions.

Anti-reflection coatings

It is often said that your eyes are the window to your soul and yet many spectacle wearers still hide their eyes behind glary spectacle lenses!

This can easily be overcome by anti-reflection lens coatings which prevent unsightly glare and so enhance the way you look when wearing spectacles.

Anti-reflection coatings also play an important practical role in our lives and help eliminate annoying lens reflections caused by the likes of TV and computer screens, cars' headlights and reading lights.

Indeed modern coating technology allows virtually all light to be transmitted through the lens, whereas un-coated lenses typically reflect 8-9% of all light which can make quite a difference especially, for example, when driving at night.

Light-sensitive lenses - See Transition Lenses

These lenses, known as photochromic lenses, automatically darken as the day brightens to give you comfortable, glare free vision all day long. They are especially useful for those leading an indoor/outdoor lifestyle and for those sensitive to bright lights. Modern light-sensitive lenses also give a high degree of UV protection.

Prescription sunglasses

Not knowing that they can purchase sunglasses with prescription lenses, many spectacle wearers revert to plain sunglasses when the sun comes out. Not only does this effect their vision but it can be dangerous, indeed illegal, when driving your car, for example..

Fashion tints

For those with an eye for detail, fashion tints are very popular. Available as a fixed or graduated tint, lenses can be supplied in almost all colours.

Until now you might not have given much thought to the design of your spectacle lenses but it's worth remembering that, whilst frames create style, it's your lenses that do all the work!

Depending upon your age and visual requirements, there are many ways in which your spectacle prescription may be dispensed.

Single vision lenses

Single vision lenses are used by those needing a correction for general distance or close up work. Single vision, as the terms suggests, assist us to focus at one distance only and would be used, for example, when driving or when reading. Spectacle wearers up to the age of 40 can generally manage with single vision lenses as any extra help required for reading is automatically catered for by the eye adjusting its own power.

Bifocal lenses

Bifocal lenses are effectively two lens powers combined together to assist with both near and distance vision. The most common use of bifocals is for reading correction in the lower lens together with a modest distance correction in the upper lens, giving sharp vision at two distinct distances. Bifocals can also be supplied with a clear (upper) lens for those requiring reading glasses but not wanting the inconvenience of removing their spectacles every time they look up.

Multifocal lenses

Multifocal lenses, also known as progressive lenses, provide the wearer with a multifocal capability over all distances from near to far, thus restoring, to a certain extent, the vision of youth! So whether you are reading, shopping, cooking or driving there will be a portion of the multifocal lens designed to give you the sharpest vision. Although multifocals have attracted the tag line 'bifocals without the lines', they do, in fact, offer far greater visual and performance comfort than any bifocal lens. Despite this, the absence of telltale dividing lines is a major plus for many wearers.

Aspheric lenses

These lenses are thinner and flatter than standard lenses to ensure the widest possible field of vision, particularly for short sighted (myopic) corrections.

High index lenses

These lenses are denser than standard index lenses and can be made thinner and usually lighter for any given prescription. This results is a more attractive and comfortable lens.

Duel Aspheric lenses

A new generation of multifocal lens that offers improved reading widths, especially those with occupations demanding the maximum reading width such as architects, musicians, or benchworkers for example.

Extended depth reading lenses

Traditional reading lenses tend to have a limited reading distance of between around 30cms and 40 cms. This can occasionally cause problems when working at a desk or using a computer, or even when reading in bed. New lenses now available give an extended reading depth of up to 2m thus, allowing your reading lenses to become far more versatile whilst maintaining the benefit of the maximum reading width normally associated with reading spectacles.

Address:

Why have my eyes tested?

The eye examination is a quick and effective method of determining any visual disorder or imbalance that may or may not require correcting with spectacles or contact lenses. It also offers an invaluable opportunity to examine the internal structure of the eye and to detect the presence of certain disease - Glaucoma or Diabetes for example.

How often should I have my eyes examined?

A visit every two years is sufficient for most, however the very young, the elderly and those 'at risk' because of family history or general health would be advised a more regular health check. Your optometrist will discuss this with you.

The important thing to remember is that your eyes are terribly important and, like your teeth, need regular check-ups. Certainly, in the case of eye disease, as in all illnesses, the earlier a problem is diagnosed, the earlier treatment can commence and the more successful it will be.