Should I Buy Online Or From My Optician?
Let’s be honest, ordering products online is easy and convenient. You can be sitting in your pyjamas with a drink in your hand and surfing the internet in relative comfort. There’s no need to wrap up against the cold only to browse different retail outlets; it’s time consuming.
In a busy world, with just a few clicks of your mouse or taps on your tablet and phone, you can make quick comparisons and have the product delivered to your door. Isn’t it great, or is it?
When shopping for clothes or electrical items, it’s relatively easy to return them if you find them to be inappropriate. We rely on this safety net so it becomes a risk worth taking. However, with glasses, it’s not so simple.
You need to consider many issues when you buy glasses online because technically, every pair is a bespoke item. There is a plethora of frame designs and sizes together with many materials used to manufacture them.
The lenses should be an important consideration that requires guidance during selection. As everybody’s heads and faces vary in size, several accurate measurements are needed to achieve a comfortable fit and ultimately, to see clearly.
The Online Shop
There are numerous online eyewear providers and they generally operate in the same manner. They feature a catalogue that showcases a multitude of frames they offer and their permutations.
You can view the colours and read a short product description which encompasses the material they're made of.
You will then need to decide what lens material and which lens treatments, if any, you want to include in the package. You will be asked questions like:
Would you like plastic, trivex, polycarbonate, high-index or photochromic lenses?
How much UV light protection do you require?
How about an anti-reflective coating?
How are you going to distinguish between what you actually need and what is being offered?
It can be distressing and a ‘phone a friend’ lifeline comes to mind. If you're comfortable making these important decisions yourself, feel free to do so, however, if you are not, you may want to consult your dispensing optician instead.
The Tyrrells & Embery Touch
Once your eye examination is completed, our optometrist Haroon will hand you over to our dispensing optician Ozy for a lens consultation, followed by frame selection.
Ozy will make sure that the ‘right’ lenses have been selected to meet your prescription requirements and that they have been glazed into a frame that fits and looks nothing short of fabulous.
The main benefits of purchasing where you have your eyes examined are explained below:
[if !supportLists]1. Service
You get premium service and advice from a professional member of staff. With their knowledge and expertise, they should be able to efficiently direct you to some fantastic frames. You’ll then be able to try them on with them so that they can provide their honest opinion as well as some constructive criticism if needed.
2. Curated Range
All frames are organised according to quality, style and demand. All pieces will be handpicked by practice professionals from the latest collections available. Some people can easily be overwhelmed when encountered with too much choice, therefore, only the best is presented in our practice.
Pictured: Range of eyewear at Tyrrells & Embery
3. [endif]Accuracy Of The Measurements & Fitting
Professional staff in the practice will be able to interpret prescriptions, take appropriate measurements as well as make the necessary adjustments and modifications to the frames. Great Vision Requires Accurate Measurements. These include ocular centres, pupil heights, segment heights and many more. These measurements are essential to obtain optimum vision. If these aren’t right, your vision won’t be either. The dispensing optician will be able to guide you by delivering thorough explanations in a manner suitable for you as to why certain products would be a potential disadvantage to you as well. This level of guidance is priceless.
It's vital to note that the prescription strength and weight of your lenses also affect whether your eyeglasses will be comfortable and look good.
4. Product Knowledge
The level of knowledge acquired through experience by our practice staff is profound. At Tyrrells & Embery Optometry, we have over 60 years of experience between us.
Practices like ours can easily advise you of the pros and cons of most lens products. There are so many available on the market, it can be troublesome to make a decision on your own. That is precisely why a practice based optician is the ideal preference for most patients.
The Individual Experience
At Tyrrells & Embery, our wealth of knowledge has benefited our patients immensely over the years. We have been in a position to save lives as well through accurate diagnosis during eye examinations. This is a phenomenal achievement and it gives us great satisfaction and the zeal to carry on delivering a fantastic service all-round.
Our patients truly are treated as individuals and their needs are catered for meticulously; whether it’s their eyes, glasses or even the way they like their cuppa. That is why our clients choose us.
