Glasses direct blog

Dom Littlewood uncovers and investigates serious problems within the National Health Service. In this episode, Dom looks into the shocking fact that over the next 25 years the number of people going blind in the UK could double due to the cost of an eye test. Watch the show via the BBC iPlayer.

Recommended reading:

10 ways to ensure you never miss another eye test

One major issue that lots of people have with trying glasses online is wondering what they’ll look like on your face.

At Glasses Direct we have the most advanced facial recognition software in the UK industry on our site – which we will be developing. Rather than you having to put glasses on your face, our software recognises your facial features and then fits a 3-D model of the glasses onto your face at the appropriate angle.

I grabbed a couple of photos of famous faces – particularly various incarnations of Arnie – to see how it would cope.

All of these have had the glasses added by our software on our site.

The Governator in some cowboy aviators

Conan the specs wearer in margaritas

He can see the predator better if he’s wearing his glasses (lennox £15)

Kate Bosworth looking very alluring in some slightly manly specs (lennox £15 again)

Britney looking super sexy in a pair of Paris

Ms Spears in some Livewires (£25)

Lilo looking good in a pair of Prague (£25)

Who else do you think we should try?

Have a go yourself at www.glassesdirect.co.uk/virtual_mirror.

Try yourself, your mates, or any other celebs you think should be ’specced’. Send us in any images you end up with.

Our lead developer found it even worked for his cat, but our head of IT had less joy with a picture of a dog.

Glasses featured are new Kenneth Cole KC123

Sophisticated and contemporary Kenneth Cole New York eyewear comes in a range of colours, shades, geometric shapes and frame materials. What makes it so appealing is the luxury brand’s trademark attention to detail – such as the handcrafted arm tips, exquisite temple designs, and unique designs.

Kenneth Cole New York glasses start at just £59 including single vision lenses

Picture by merlinprincesse

Glasses Direct customers can rate and review their glasses following their purchase. We encourage customers to leave reviews as it helps us understand what customers are looking for and for potential customers it helps decide which pair is more suitable for them.

With news of a credit crunch effecting many of us, here are the top 10 highest rated frames for £20 or less including single vision lenses as reviewed by Glasses Direct customers:

9 out of 10 based on 127 customer reviews: Lauren glasses from £18 – Lauren’s classic thin metal full-rimmed oval frames are neat and discreet, making them great for wearing all day, every day. Soft adjustable nose pads promise a good fit, while plastic tips offer comfort behind the ears, and flex arms add durability.

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8.8 out of 10 based on 256 customer reviews: Sapphie glasses from £15 – Sapphie’s small rectangular frame with a thin metal rim and flex arms are designed for women with a small face who want a simple, practical pair of glasses; particularly those with a square-shaped face. Good choice if you like wearing your glasses at the end of your nose.

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8.8 out of 10 based on 407 customer reviews: Charmer glasses from £18 – Charmer are one of our bestsellers. A full-rimmed small rectangular pair of glasses, they’re one colour on the outside; another on the inside. While the thin rim is metal, the arms are plastic. Soft adjustable nose pads offer a personalised fit.

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8.8 out of 10 based on 348 customer reviews: Cowboy glasses from £15 – Cowboy are classic aviator glasses, with thin flex arms, double-bar bridge, and a strong durable metal frame – both highly practical and armed with on-trend retro style. Soft adjustable nose pads, and plastic arm tips help create a comfortable fit. They make very cool sunglasses for men and women.

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8.7 out of 10 based on 190 customer reviews: Ray glasses from £18 – Classic aviator glasses, Ray are all about retro style and modern design. The wide double comfort nose bridge means they can be adjusted to fit securely and comfortably, and are tougher than glasses with a regular bridge. If you like Ray, you might want to try Stan in our bendable collection.

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8.7 out of 10 based on 215 customer reviews: Harley glasses from £15 – Harley’s narrow oval shape is just the ticket for squarer faces. The bold, full-rimmed plastic design comes in subtle marble-effect colours. Flex arms make them more resilient to damage.

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8.7 out of 10 based on 175 customer reviews: Paris glasses from £18 – Petite and lightweight, Paris have small oval (almost rectangular) lenses surrounded by an elegant thin metal frame, and very thin arms. Their plastic tips are designed for comfort, while soft adjustable nose pads offer a personalised fit.

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8.7 out of 10 based on 110 customer reviews: Kibby glasses from £18 – Black full-rimmed oval Kibby are something of a modern classic. Soft adjustable nose pads offer a personalised fit, while flex arms with plastic tips promise comfort and durability. The small lens diameter makes them suitable for high prescriptions.

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8.7 out of 10 based on 308 customer reviews: Judge glasses from £15 – Judge are a classic full-rimmed single-bar pair of square metal glasses. The flex arms with plastic-coated tips, and non-slip soft adjustable nose pads make for a resilient and comfortable set of spectacles – ideal if you’re the practical sort. A particularly good frame for bifocals.

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8.6 out of 10 based on 144 customer reviews: Impetuous glasses from £18 – Two-toned Impetuous’ colour-contrast plastic tips make for a sophisticated, designer-like finish to a pair of full-rimmed small rectangular metal glasses. A double-bar bridge, soft adjustable nose pads and flex arms offer extra reinforcement and comfort. Colour-contrast plastic tips. Choice of three classic colours.

Picture by Melilotus

If you reach the stage of not being able to read up close, you may need to consider reading glasses. The need for a pair of reading glasses is in most cases the natural maturing process at work, however it might also signal a problem with your eyes so we always recommend booking an eye test with your local optician.

There are two types of reading glasses:

Ready-made (not available at Glasses Direct) – Ready-made reading glasses are off-the-shelf one size fits all with both lenses sharing the same measurements.

Custom made reading glasses – Custom made reading glasses are prescribed to your precise needs as most of us do not have exactly the same prescription in both eyes. By choosing custom made reading glasses there’s an option to add UV400 protective coating. Just as we use sunscreen to keep the sun’s UV rays from harming our skin, UV treatment in lenses blocks those same rays from damaging our eyes, giving you the “peace of mind” that you are providing your eyes the maximum protection.

My recommendations for an excellent pair of custom made reading glasses:

Rod glasses – Among our smaller full-rimmed glasses, Rod’s oval design would suit smaller face shapes. The sophisticated thin brushed metal front is complemented by straight plastic arms, adding a point of contrast to these otherwise very classic glasses. Soft adjustable nose pads offer a personalised, comfortable fit. 132 customers reviewed Rod glasses so far with an average score of 8.4 out of 10.
Trenton glasses – Small but bold, these small rectangular plastic frames are a great way to make a retro-style style statement. Typically very comfortable, they have plastic tips and a regular plastic nose bridge designed to distribute the weight evenly across the nose. Good for square and long-shaped faces, as well as small faces. 128 customers reviewed Trenton glasses so far with an average score of 8.5 out of 10.
Live wire glasses - Live Wire are among our favourite semi-rimless glasses. The combination of small rectangular frames, painted finish and contrasting colours create a sleek, slightly quirky designer look that’s rather sexy. Soft adjustable nose pads help make them a good fit. 304 customers reviewed Live Wire glasses so far with an average score of 8.9 out of 10.

Further reading:

Understanding glasses lenses and coatings.
How to order glasses online
All About vision guide to reading glasses

Picture by tahir

A massive milestone in our company’s development happened today

Hats off to the IT guys who made it happen, who are now bleary eyed and clutching Eat Breakfast rolls.

If you visited the website from 11pm-12pm you will have noticed an ‘out to lunch message’ instead of the homepage. In fact, the lights were on in our offices above Baker Street until 4am as the ‘classic’ website which has served us since 2004 was relegated and the website we referred to as ‘Beta’ became the new Glasses Direct.

What you see now as our website represents a significant step forward in customer experience . Here are my top 5 new features:

1. Our Virtual Mirror software. Developed in France by our brilliant facial recognition experts – what you see online now represents the pinnacle of innovation in try-on technology. The most exciting bit is that what’s live now is actually just the first iteration and there is much, much more to come. 3D try-on and exact measurement scaling is only a breath away, so watch this space.

2. More categories – you can now shop for glasses in many different ways. On the high street you look at shelves marked ‘semi-rimless, rimless, designer etc’ but not everyone wants to shop for glasses using those categories. Now we let you shop by gender, price, material, lens type, whether they are rock ‘n roll glasses, designer brand – and many more which we are still working on such as face shape.

3. Reviews, videos, measurements, data – we give you much more information than you will ever find on the high street about our products. No sales rep in Specsavers can furnish you with the amount of data the web can…. And we’re building up a library of it. You will soon find celebrities who wear similar pairs of glasses to the one you’re looking at, staff reviews from GD, and also we are going to let you know in more detail what other customers are buying. I particularly like the bendable video David did to illustrate the indestructibility of those frames. More to come

4. Inputting your prescription and choosing lenses. We have undoubtedly the most advanced system to prompt you and help you as you enter your prescription and choose lenses. We’ve been on our backs underneath the car since day one, fiddling with the nuts and bolts, chopping and changing and finding the best way we can help you to checkout. 4 years of experience is rolled into this new order process and we hope that you like it. Because it’s not exactly simple –all this – and our mission is to make it so.

5. This blog! David and Ran are the mainstays of this blog, doing a fine job producing great articles. Keep checking and contributing.

There is so much more that goes behind the website –which tracks your glasses through the laboratory, which gives our customer service teams the information they need when you call, that tells us how many pairs we have left till we run out….. but today represents a big big step forward for the front-end customer experience. Round of applause for the David Carruthers, Head of User Experience and the IT team that made it all happen!

Picture by Clara en su mundo

Have you noticed that people with glasses always have very attractive other halves?

We always suspected that wearing glasses is sexy, though we are somewhat biased. So we started researching what people think about those of us who wear glasses and whether wearing glasses is sexy, geeky or perhaps both. David clearly feels that glasses wearers aren’t geeks but then he does own 11 pairs

In forums/blogs – the overwhelming opinion seems to conclude that wearing glasses is sexy. The forums are full of people suggesting possible explanations as to why that is. One of the most amusing ones I found describes the fantasy librarian look and what would happen when the glasses come off, and they let their hair down. Others suggest that glasses give the person wearing them a more sophisticated and impressive look which some find sexy or that choosing the right frame turns them into a fashion accessory which compliments ones look. This last view ties in nicely with our top tip on how to look 10 years younger wearing the right frame can really add definition and character to your face.

On Facebook – there are a number of Facebook groups promoting the idea that people wearing glasses are sexy. In fact together those groups have over 5,000 active users and comments from both glasses wearers and non glasses wearers (who seem to be the majority…). The consensus is that the right glasses can definitely give you that extra vavavoom (thanks Renault!) and that the connection between wearing glasses to intelligence is attractive.

This together with the fact that glasses are considered a stylish accessory rather than a medical aid (see A-list actors, including Johnny Depp, Jack Nicholson, Wesley Snipesat, Lindsay Lohan and Sharon Stone) is helping the sale of glasses with plain lenses which just proves that wearing glasses is sexy.

Do you agree that people wearing glasses are sexy?

Picture by micsalac

Your choice of lenses and coating is an important part of buying your glasses. Lens thickness can make a real difference to how they look, especially for stronger prescriptions. An anti-reflective coating increases the amount of direct light reaching your eyes, reduces unwanted and distracting reflections and helps eliminate scratches which we covered in the post clean your glasses.

Thinner lenses for thinner frames as size does matter

Standard optical plastic lens – FREE with every pair of glasses.

Thin lens – 14% thickness reduction compared to standard optical plastic lens which includes ultra violet filter and scratch resistant coatings.

Extra thin – 33% thickness reduction compared to standard optical plastic lens which includes ultra violet filter, anti-reflective and scratch resistant coatings.

Ultra thin – 39% thickness reduction compared to standard optical plastic lens which includes ultra violet filter, anti-reflective and scratch resistant coatings.

The options and reductions in lens thickness depend on your prescription – those shown are a typical guide.

Coatings can make a big difference

Coatings can make a huge difference to the style and durability of your glasses. Our coatings options include scratch resistance, anti-reflective, UV filter, colour tints, polarisation and sun-reactive. Visit wikipedia for further information on optical coating.

Scratch-resistant – no lenses – not even glass once – are scratch proof. However, if a clear, hard coating is applied to the front and back they become less susceptible to scratches.

Anti-reflective – by far our most popular coating. A thin, hard film over the lens dramatically reduces reflection and makes your eyes more visible to others.

Teflon® EasyCare (New) – Teflon is our premium coating combining any-reflection and scratch resistance with anti-static to reduce dust build-up and hydrophobic properties that repel water. Your lens stays clearer for longer and water just beads off – If you want a coating that’s bulletproof to the British weather, this is the one for you.

Teflon® EyeCare coating is currently available from our call centre on 08456 88 20 20 and will become available online soon.

Own a piece of eyewear history while you can. High fashion designer brand Kirk Originals is available from today at Glasses Direct with a limited edition range. The glasses all handmade in France feature lightweight frame in incredible colours and part of the production process can be viewed below:

Glasses pictured above are Kirk Olaf The Shadow

Picture by obo-bobolina

So you just spent your hard earned cash buying a pair of prescription glasses. Whether you bought them online or on the high street, you should take extra care when cleaning your glasses.

Here are a few methods we recommend:

1. Rinse the glasses under warm running water – do not let dirt sit on the lens for any extended period of time. If dirt has accumulated over time, it is recommended to clean the lens several times. This allows the dirt to weaken and break up with every clean.

2. Rinse the glasses under warm running water together with a mild soap solution – do not use ‘miracle’ chemical cleaning solutions, unless they have been tested like Glasses Direct cleaning spray and remember when drying the lens that excessive rubbing can lead to scratching if the lens still has some traces of dirt (The same can occur if low quality paper towels are used, make sure to use a micro-fibre cloth).

3. Dry with a soft micro-fibre cleaning cloth – never dry with a tissue, handkerchief or your jumper as it collects dust, dirt and washing powder grinds, where a micro-fibre cloth is exceptionally soft and hold its shape well with an excellent ability to absorb.

Useful tips:

1. It is also recommended to get an anti-reflective/hard coating or at least a scratch resistant coating when buying glasses as no lens material — not even glass — is scratch-proof. However, a lens that is treated front and back with a clear, hard coating does become more resistant to scratching. Anti-reflective/hard coating, in addition to scratch resistant properties, has the added benefit of reducing reflections so the lens is more efficient at transmitting light, and making the lens look so much better. This means you will save money in the long run by not having to replace your lenses as often

2. When removing your glasses, always use both hands so the frame won’t bend.

3. Make sure you work on a clean soft surface and the glasses are securely placed down.

4. If you have a hard case use it!