Glasses direct blog

Barbie is growing up, and has started taking her career more seriously. Digital files have replaced nail files for the blonde bombshell as she begins her new role as a Computer Engineer. Most importantly however, in her new role she sports a very striking pair of geek chic glasses in the obligatory Barbie Pink.

If you want to be a Computer Engineer in Barbie Land, get the look with Glasses Direct:

Glasses Direct price: £59 inc. single vision lenses + extra pair FREE
http://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/daiquiri-wings/

Glasses Direct price: £59 inc. single vision lenses + extra pair FREE
http://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/cuba-libre/

Recently featured in Wired magazine, you will need a microscope to see these glasses. This is a 2mm frames sporting a 0.1mm logo, seen here pictured on a house-fly. The logo is the equivalent size of a human hair, and was lazered onto the frames using, from a stationary machine, whilst the frames were moved around using a positioning machine.

Looks as though this was a warm-up act by German company Micreon for their next trick: to engrave tiny lettering onto watch faces. Reminds me of the artist Willard Wigan, who creates sculptures too small for the human eye to see. One of his works that I saw was set on a plinth which was the eye of a needle, and the sculpture itself was of a ship whose ropes were made out of spiders web strands. He gives a fascinating talk here.

We’ll be sticking to the day job of choosing the best styles and designs that suit your eyes and wardrobe, which means you probably won’t find these bug-eyed glasses at Glasses Direct for the foreseeable future

As avid followers of glasses in all shapes and sizes, we watched with excitement as the nation donned its 3D spectacles for last week’s live, landmark 3D broadcast by Keane. Now that 3D broadcasts on TV and online are becoming more regular, we all have the opportunity to don our 3D glasses more often.

And so to help you track down where to get your hands on 3D glasses, and to see what’s coming up to watch in 3D, we thought we’d research what’s happening where.

Top 5 places to get your 3D specs

1. This US mail order site gives them way for free is you send a self-addressed envelope
2. 3DImages.co.uk boasts a stock of 350,000 3D specs, from card to plastic models
3. Napier University is running a science project that’s giving away 3D glasses to people based in Scotland
4. Keane has a cut-out template for making your own 3D glasses
5. If you have a £3000 Hyundai S465D TV and Sky+HD you won’t need specs at all. That’s the future of 3D viewing in your living room.

What to watch in 3D

• The 3D Keane gig is available to watch on the Keane band website
• Aliens versus Monsters is currently playing in cinemas in 3D
• Horror fans can get ready for My Bloody Valentine 3D appearing on DVD this June
• There’s more 3D viewing on the way from Sky, who also say the Olympics in 2012 is going to be a major 3D showcase.

If you want to get the 3D look in real glasses, we’ve got a few pairs in our Cocktail collection that have the thick frames and striking looks that you’ll want.

What are your favourite 3D films or TV programmes? Let us know in the comments below…

One of our customers, Liz, sent in this fantastic patchwork glasses case that she made for her blue Cuba Libre glasses.

We think it’s really creative and would love to see if you have made anything similar for looking after your glasses, or even the other ways in which you store your glasses. Feel free to send us your pictures at crafty@glassesdirect.co.uk and they could appear on the blog too.

At Glasses Direct we know how important your feedback and suggestions are for the continued success of our business. So over the years we’ve opened countless communication channels to ensure that you, our customer, have every possible way to get in touch with us and let us know how we’re doing.

Here are just some of the many ways you can get in touch with us:

- Twitter Channel: You can follow Glasses Direct on twitter to receive first hand inside stories and to be the first to hear about news and promotions. We’re also very keen to hear your feedback through Twitter and are always ready to help out.

- Flickr Group: With the launch of the UK’s first 10-day Home trial scheme, we’ve also added an option to contact us via a flickr group aptly named My New Glasses. Using flickr you can add pictures of your new glasses, leave comments and engage in conversation with other glasses wearers.

- Our Blog: The Glasses Direct Blog is updated constantly with news and practical advice. We also welcome your feedback through comments and always reply to every single one.

- Facebook Page: For those of you on Facebook (which is pretty much everyone…) we have a neat facebook page where we post pictures of our glasses range, videos and read all your comments on our wall.

- Email Us: You can send us an email 24/7 to ask@glassesdirect.co.uk or even contact Jamie Murray Wells the Glasses Direct founder directly by emailing jamie@glassesdirect.co.uk.

- Free Call Back Service: Glasses Direct is one of a handful of online stores offering a free call back service. To access the call back feature, sign into your account and look for the call back icon on the right hand side of the screen. Follow the online screen instructions and wait for the Glasses Direct customer service team to get in touch (you won’t have to wait long, that’s a promise).

- Call Us: The Glasses Direct UK customer service call centre is at hand 5 days a week on 08456 88 20 20 so if you’re having any problems placing your order or just fancy a chat about your glasses then pick up the phone and call us.

- Write to Us: Whatever you’d like to talk about, we’re here to help. Just write to us at

Glasses Direct
Gemini House
Hargreaves Road
Groundwell
Wiltshire
SN25 5AJ

We’re committed to continue winning your business through better communication.

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Ran Nir is the founder of London based Conversion Counts an online marketing consultancy focused on website e-commerce strategies.

Everybody Needs A Mentor

Are you looking to start a business but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, help is at hand, the Times are now giving you the opportunity to be mentored by one of five experts at the top of their fields, one of those mentors being our very own Jamie Murray-Wells. Each mentor is giving away their time for free for at least one hour a month for a whole twelve months which is an amazing opportunity for five lucky people.

If you’re feeling inspired but need that extra nudge in the right direction then read Jamie’s story and see that you are in for a lot of hard work, ups and downs but with the right mentors behind you, you can and will be successful just like him.

Starting up a business: Jamie Murray-Wells, 25, CEO and founder of Glasses Direct

I caught the bug for my own business as a student of English at the University of the West of England. I was always looking for opportunities. Glasses was my third idea. I’d researched a gambling model and property but, while ideas kept coming, I knew that I couldn’t afford to get too sentimental. So when they didn’t work, I ditched them. I stumbled over glasses by accident.

While studying, I needed to buy a pair for reading. I visited an optician, bought some with metal frames and came out £150 worse off. I couldn’t understand why they were so expensive, so I did some research. Manufacturers were loath to give up their secrets but finally one revealed that the average pair of glasses is made for just £7. They agreed to supply me and I set up a website selling glasses from £15.

I set up the company with £1,100, the last instalment of my student loan. All the cost went on the web design. I put a notice on the board at uni, paid a guy £7 an hour to help to set up the business and persuaded the lab to hold the stock. When the orders came in, I’d got the cash upfront and the lab sent the glasses to the customer. The lab asked for money a month later, so I had two months before handing it over.

I started up in a student house in Bristol, then moved to my parents’ house in Malmesbury. At one point we had eight people at home; we chucked my sister out of her room and Mum and Dad were doing bacon rolls like a staff canteen.

The eureka moment came a fortnight after we’d started and the messages were coming in on the answer machine faster than I could delete them. We’d done no advertising, except to hand out leaflets at the local station. The biggest risk is putting your money where your mouth is and so signing a six-month lease on a converted barn, six weeks in, was terrifying.

In the first year, we had a turnover of £1 million and last year, it was £5 million. We are now selling one pair of glasses every three to four minutes, or 450 pairs a day, 3,500 a week. We’ve grown 50 to 100 per cent year-on-year and have probably saved the British public £50 million on prescription glasses.

Why I want to help

One of the biggest hurdles facing a person setting up his or her own business, is raising finance. In our case, we found that you don’t get a £5 million turnover with just £1,100. So by the summer of 2007 we found that we had to raise £3 million from venture capitalists. These outfits invest only in seven or eight companies a year, and positioning ourselves took a lot of time and hard work. On the day that we completed, our money was running out. It was terrifying. So in the morning we were preparing for the worst, and by the evening we were celebrating with £3 million in the bank.

When I was starting up ten business angels invested in me. They offered finance but also gave valuable advice. I’m keen to extend that ladder, partly because I feel that, as a young entrepreneur, I could really add to the experiences of others. I can talk about which investment or marketing methods worked for me and give advice accordingly. Ideally, the person I mentor would be interested in setting up a disruptive business, ie, one like mine that will change the marketplace, rather than an hotel which is more of the same. Starting out on your own is a big risk. He or she has to be passionate about the project before them, be open to new ideas and be prepared for the ups and downs.

Above all, it’s got to be cracking idea – a category-killing idea.

How to apply

In no more than 300 words, explain what your project is and in what ways you hope Jamie will help you. Then send your e-mail to the email address below. The selection process will take about a month, at which stage the winning entrants will meet Jamie for the first time. Your progess will be featured in a year-long series of follow-up articles in times2 and in this blog too.

mentor-james@thetimes.co.uk

Don’t delay, get those killer ideas across to Jamie today and good luck to you all.

Jamie appeared up on Sky again the other day to point out a few of the more unusual stories popping up around the internet.

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.

Picture by SightSavers

Celebrities such as George Michael, Ewan McGregor, Sir Michael Caine, Stephen Fry and Kate Silverton are among the list of celebrities who have recently helped support Sightsavers’ Specs Appeal by donating their glasses for a charity auction. The goal was to raise money to help people around the world who suffer from blindness simply because they don’t have a pair of glasses.

Ewan McGregor’s glasses (pictured above) fetched £480 on auction site eBay and George Michael’s glasses sold for £2650. The money raised by celebrities will go towards aid in 33 countries across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean to prevent and cure blindness.

At Glasses Direct we work with ORBIS a nonprofit humanitarian organisation dedicated to blindness prevention and treatment in developing countries by donating £1 from each pair of frames we sell from our Colours range.

Visit sightsavers.org for more information.

Whether you bought your glasses online or from a High Street Opticians, your glasses might need a small adjustment every now and then which will help keep them in good working order for years to come.

You should adjust your glasses if:

1. At least one screw feels loose – For a great fit, all points of contact on the glasses must be tight and firmly connected to the frame. A £3 glasses maintenance kit will do the job and provide you with extra spares saving you time and money next time.

2. You feel like the earpiece is digging into your ears – We recommend that this will be done gently to ensure the glasses are not damaged. The best advice is to shift the curve of the earpiece closer to your head to make the earpiece feel tighter, or make the earpiece curve further back on the glasses by straightening out the frames. You may also want to use a hair dryer to heat the protective plastic tips to avoid cracking them.

3. You feel like the nose pads are too tight or too loose – Again, we recommend carefully adjusting the nose pads using as minimal pressure as needed as some styles of frame may require special tools for this adjustment. You should place the glasses face down on a soft surface and adjust the nose pads carefully without using excessive force and any jerky movements. If the nose pads don’t adjust you might need to take the glasses to your local optician.

4. Looking at the mirror, the glasses are not straight – Most likely that one side is bent up or down proportionate to the other side which could be tricky to get right at first. Again, place the glasses face down on a soft surface and gently bend while firmly grasping at the hinge, holding the front of the frame.

General tips and warnings:

1. Never grab the lens when adjusting the glasses as the lens might get damaged in the process.
2. Make sure you work on a clean soft surface and the glasses are securely placed down.
3. Be sure to make only small adjustments at a time as drastic adjustments may break or damage your glasses (depending on the quality).
4. If in doubt, call our experts for advice on 08456 88 20 20.

We hope you find those tips useful.