Buying glasses online

TheMarlin

 I'm tall, with a proportionate head, so not many frames fit me well.  I looked into online specs, but I don't think it'd work out for me.   
Glasses are like shoes.  You really need to make sure they fit well and look good before buying. 

BloodEagle

DiscoStu said:

BloodEagle said:

Its not, just get your PD from your prescription (though if youre an adult male it will generally be 63mm)

Completely untrue.

Can you or can you not get your PD from your prescription? So what I wrote is not 'completely untrue' then is it, rude prick.

vasselmeyer

Generally PD is not on your prescription but you can ask whoever completes it to add it.

stickyfiddle

BloodEagle said:

DiscoStu said:

BloodEagle said:

Its not, just get your PD from your prescription (though if youre an adult male it will generally be 63mm)

Completely untrue.

Can you or can you not get your PD from your prescription? So what I wrote is not 'completely untrue' then is it, rude prick.

Wow, pot kettle a little...

I've never had it written on my prescription - it's always been done by the fitting people after I've chosen frames.

sev112

Ok, I'm 50, I have had glasses since I was 18 months old !  My prescription is quite high so it actually takes some effort to make a pair of lenses fit well and meet their intent!  In the 1970s (glass) lenses were hand crafted and shaped in a number of factories between Tottenhma Court Road and Holborn I recall.

when plastic lenses came along in the 80s that all went to pot.  I have never had such poorly engineered lenses as I had at the most inappropriate time of my life (teens and university) with an accompanying stupid price increase.

so, I have always been on the case of the high street opticians who bought out all of the little opticians who used to do a good job, and then brought in 12 year olds to fit them.
It was not uncommon in my 20s and 30s to go back several times and even give them their glasses back and ask for my money back - seriously : the quality of lens crafting just disappeared and these people CANNOT fit anything other than a big standard low prescription into a bog standard frame.

(Bear in mind I know all about the super thin plastic lenses and how "fantastic" they ar, as well as the multitude of rubbish coatings that you get sold)

so, until I got varifocals 4 years ago, I cam across glassescrafter.com I'm China

with trepidation I gave them ago and was astounded by the quality of the lenses and in particular the crafting of the lenses. NO massive edges hanging over the frames, no refraction around the edges, a fabulous pair of glasses that I could honestly say we're the best pair I have had in well over 20 years.  The cost was a quarter of high street prices.

DiscoStu

BloodEagle said:

DiscoStu said:

BloodEagle said:

Its not, just get your PD from your prescription (though if youre an adult male it will generally be 63mm)

Completely untrue.

Can you or can you not get your PD from your prescription? So what I wrote is not 'completely untrue' then is it, rude prick.

Excuse me?
Some Opticians may give you your PD but not all. And 63mm is not everyone's PD. I am 64mm, my father was 72mm.

What you may not realise is that I worked in Optics for 20 years, I ran a laboratory and made glasses every day so I am qualified to talk.

TTBZ

I got mine from Glasses Direct and have no complaints.

Sporky

BloodEagle said:

Can you or can you not get your PD from your prescription?

I checked my last three prescriptions (not all from the same place) and not one included my PD, so no, anedotal data suggests you cannot. Feel free to call me a name if it makes you feel clever though.

ourmaninthenorth

KKJale said:

Find frames in high street shop, note model number, size and colour code, order online for loads less, then send them off to http://www.ciliaryblue.com/ for lenses. Highly recommended. 

This. Used them half a dozen times on single vision lens...very very good indeed. 

Just scored a handmade frame from the States for bloody buttons, and once glazed makes the job about £140 complete. As opposed to probably £500+ on the high street.

TheBlueWolf

If I'd known about this a month ago I could have got bling frames for my latest prescription.

I'd have become far too handsome though

holnrew

I only need them for screen stuff to avoid eye strain. I might just wait until I can get another free pair on the NHS

This is my prescription, no distance measurements. 

http://i.imgur.com/M6PCWzL.jpg

DiscoStu

For the record, I have made over 200,000 pairs of glasses in my time. I worked for one company, a high end local independent group, and not for any of the High Street chains. I've seen what gets churned out by some of them and it isn't great.
Everything we did was made to British Standards and the tolerances are very small with certain prescriptions. If it didn't meet tolerances it got failed and remade.

I would not order online because they don't have enough information plus they can't do the correct fitting and adjustments. There is more to a pair of glasses than just your prescription and PD. Heights, pantoscopic tilt, wrap angle, BVD all play a factor and can affect the end result.

Wasn't being rude, just pointing out fact.

BloodEagle

Apologies, I was out of line with my response, chalk it up to a hangover

DiscoStu

BloodEagle said:

Apologies, I was out of line with my response, chalk it up to a hangover

No worries.

sev112

DiscoStu said:

There is more to a pair of glasses than just your prescription and PD. Heights, pantoscopic tilt, wrap angle, BVD all play a factor and can affect the end result.

If that is indeed the case then why has none of the opticians that have fitted me glasses for 50 years never obviously considered " pantoscopic tilt, wrap angle, BVD" when they have ordered and fitted my glasses ?

You may well be right, but I have never had anyone ever mention those parameters when I've been fitted many times over the years

The biggest load of crap is that they don't have different sizes of frames. In the 70s and early 80s my optician would get a tray of exactly the same frame but in different sizes and find the one that fitted best.  These days they high street 20 year old doesn't have a clue when they "fit". .

DiscoStu

@sev112 those are measurements that would be taken and given to the lab for processing, so not necessarily given to the patient. They weren't used as commonly back in the day but now with Freeform lens technology they are essential to get the most accurate prescription manufactured.