Glasses direct blog

Yes it might be scary out there on All Hallows Eve, opening your door to find a 4-foot devil demanding something sugary to satisfy his wicked tooth. Or more than likely these days finding a gaggle on your doorstep requesting a treat of cash or offering a trick of eggs and flour!

I came across a few great pictures of spooky specs that might make you smile. See what you think and feel free to send in any good ones you take this Halloween to feedback@glassesdirect.co.uk and we’ll post them to the blog.

Photo from smellyknee

Photo from banna123456

Photo from eliya

Photo from Michael_L

Photo from klobetime

Photo from steveslep

Photo from PetroleumJelliffe

Today we are re-launching our varifocal glasses range which now covers 85% of our range and thought we will take this opportunity to shed some light on the ordering process.

Ordering varifocal lenses

* Post us your existing varifocal glasses
* We’ll take the measurements from them and post them back
* You save delivery time, and there’s no need for an appointment with us
* We can arrange fitting if you don’t have a pair you can send

You may order online, phone us on 08456 88 20 20 or ask for a free call back to chat with one of our qualified dispensing opticians.

CrunchGear.com user Billy May sent them these concept sketches for the Nike Hindsight, specially design biking glasses with specifically tuned Fresnel lenses for keeping an eye on approaching taxis/cars/baby strollers. with so many people especially in our London office cycling to work everyday, we think those would make a great product, though the technology won’t be available for a while longer.

We better start saving up

Thought I’d just publish this little list of songs I found which are related to glasses and/or eyes. You will find a selection of them on our ‘on-hold’ music

Let me know if you can think of any others you can think of and I’ll try and include them on Radio GD too. For the record, I’m a Jimmy Cliff fan (go see the Harder They Come if you havent already. Think it’s on at the Barbican although i saw it at the Playhouse) so I can See Clearly Now is my favorite and has actually featured on our on-hold music since 2005!

I don’t how many of you are watching the latest season of Heroes on TV at the moment, but I am an avid fan. A couple of others here at GD are also addicted to it and after a discussion one lunchtime about our favourite Heroes characters and their glasses, I thought I’d take a closer look at some of the heroes spec-tacular style.

My hero no 1: Hiro Nakamura

Emmy and Golden Globe Award-nominated Masi Oka stars as Hiro Nakamura, a Japanese nonconformist computer/anime geek. Hiro’s ability to pierce the space-time continuum and manipulate time has empowered him with foresight into a dangerous future — and what he must do to change it. I love Hiro’s simple glasses, perfectly understated for a man with such extraordinary abilities. I think our Lisbon frames are pretty similar.

The evil Sylar

Zachary Quinto stars as Sylar, a manipulative serial killer dedicated to violently collecting the extraordinary talents of special people. This retro-style of specs on Sylar almost makes him look like a nice guy, if you are watching Heroes, you’ll know otherwise!

HRG

Jack Coleman stars as the mysterious H.R.G. – so named after his “Horned Rimmed Glasses.” Just what I love the most, a man so connected to his glasses he’s named after them!

Claire Bennet

Sexy Hayden Panettiere stars as Claire Bennet, an indestructible high school cheerleader, who must veil her abilities from her peers as well as keep other secrets from her mysterious father “H.R.G.” Hayden’s character Claire doesn’t actually wear glasses in the series, but I thought she’d look great if she did. I used our Virtual Mirror to see how she’d scrub up in a pair of Charmers. What do you think?

Credit: Heroes is produced by NBC.

It’s that time of year when the nights are drawing in and there’s a chill in the air. Every year around this time I start thinking about buying my winter coat, a real wardrobe staple. I often choose something that is quite a statement piece, guaranteed to liven up whatever I am wearing.

It occurred to me when I was shopping for this years’ coat, that glasses are as much of a wardrobe staple as your coat might be. Day in day out you wear them to face the world; they are almost as much a part of you as your hair. So why not match your glasses to your outerwear this season?

There are some great trends out there at the moment, here are a few of my favourites matched with some fabulous glasses from our collection.

Heritage

Tweeds, tartan and checks were seen all over the Autumn-Winter 09 catwalks, making it to the high street just in time for you to get a slice of the heritage fashion action.

Harley glasses in grey

Smarten up the day look with a siren red coat and some chic glasses. These are one of our bestselling pairs, a real hit with our ladies. Oh and they’re also called Charmer, so maybe they’ll give you some added charming qualities to really breeze through the working day.

Charmer glasses in red

The rock chick look has legs as long as people are out there partying. Animal print was big on the catwalks, with leopard-print a sure winner. Why not team this trend with a contrasting pair of bold glasses from our Cocktail Collection? This season my hot tip is Cosmopolitan in red £20.

Cosmopolitan glasses in red

Embroidered cloth, intricate detail, jewels and paisley patterns all brought a brush-stroke of folk to the winter season. For a bit of the Russian Tsarina look, why not go for an embroidered coat matched with some sparkly detailed glasses.

Cuba Libre glasses in black

Photo by PakyuZ

Here are a few glasses myths and misconceptions we hear. Time to set the record straight.

Myth One: Eating carrots will improve my vision

Fact: While it is true that carrots are high in Vitamin A, an essential vitamin for sight, only a small amount is necessary for good vision.

Myth Two: Reading in poor light will damage my sight

Fact: Reading or doing close work in poor light can be uncomfortable but it won’t damage your eyesight. If there’s enough light to read, then by definition there’s enough light. What is true, is that as we get older we all need more light to see the same things. So, when a mum comes into her child’s dimly lit room and turns the light on, saying “You can’t possibly see in this light,” it’s because she can’t see in that light!

Myth Three: Sitting too close to a television is bad for my eyes

Fact: It can be uncomfortable to sit too close to a television but your eyes will not be damaged by doing so. The sustained effort of continuous close-focusing can emphasise any vision defect and result in eye strain and headaches, so you should watch television at a distance that feels comfortable. It’s generally only children who watch TV at six inches… they have plenty of accommodation (the facility to focus from distance to near and back again) and it doesn’t do them any lasting harm.

Myth Four: If I don’t wear glasses, I don’t need to have my eyes tested

Fact: Everybody’s eyesight changes over time and it’s important to check for conditions such as glaucoma which can be treated easily but can be devastating if undetected. An eye test can also reveal other things about your health, including high blood pressure and diabetes. For all these reasons, The Eye Care Trust recommends everyone to have an eye test every two years, or more often for young children and people who have sight problems in the family.