Fix your broken eyeglasses, Do-It-Yourself style

If you accidentally broke your eyeglasses or it slips through your hand when you're cleaning it and they become broken, there are do-it-yourself method to fix the problem.

1. Examine the cause of the problem with a magnifying glass. Is the hinge stretched out? Is the screw loose or missing? Did the hinge break off?
2. If the hinge is stretched out, cover the tips of a pair of pliers with masking or duct tape to avoid scratching the frames and then use the pliers to bend the hinge gently back into place. Or slide an orthodontic rubber band (available from dentists) or a small rubber ring (an eyeglass repair kit may include this) over the loose hinge to hold it in place.
3. If the screw is loose, tighten it with a tiny screwdriver from the eyeglass repair kit. The tip of a paring knife will serve as a screwdriver in a pinch.
4. If the screw is lost, replace it with one of the screws from the kit, or slip a miniature safety pin into the screw hole and close it. If the repair kit's screw does not fit into the hole, do not force it, as that might strip the threads inside the frame.
5. Dab a tiny bit of clear nail polish on the hinge screw once you've tightened it to hold the screw in place. Let dry.
6. If the metal hinge has broken off the frame, wash both surfaces and scrape away any paint or old glue. Then use a toothpick to dab fast-bonding glue to the break. Hold the pieces in place for 60 seconds to allow the glue to dry.
7. If the earpiece keeps slipping off the frame or has broken off, re-adhere it with fast-bonding glue. If you get the glue on your skin, wipe it off with acetone-based nail-polish remover.

Sunglasses Tips

• Check labels to make sure the sunglasses provide 100 percent UVA and UVB protection.
• Look for sunglasses that filter out at least some blue light, which can damage the retina and lead to macular degeneration (vision loss from degeneration in parts of the eye). To make sure, try wearing them outside; a blue sky should appear gray with these on. Also ask about polarization, a type of filtering that helps reduce glare.
• Choose a lens color based on your preferences and comfort level. Gray doesn't affect color perception; orange-brown lenses are a good choice for those with macular degeneration, since they filter out UV and blue light rays for maximum retinal protection; green lenses distort color less than other shades, such as red or yellow.
• Opt for lightweight, plastic, shatterproof sunglasses if you're going to be wearing them when playing sports.
• Purchase sun goggles for total protection of your eyes. These cover a large area and include side shields. As an added bonus, they also fit over prescription glasses.

Tips & Warnings

• A darker lens does not necessarily indicate better protection, and lighter-tinted lenses offer better visibility. Check labels to find sunglasses that provide the best protection possible.
• To ensure against mislabeling, you may want to purchase a UV card, a credit card'size device for testing sunglasses. Contact an optometrist, or look for the product online.
• For added eye protection, wear a hat with at least a 3-inch brim.

Knowing LensesTypes

Reducing Eye Distortions
The aspheric eyeglasses lens has flatter curves than a conventional eyeglass lens and is positioned closer to the face. If you are wearing a strong correction lens, this will make your eyes look normal size, flattering their shape.

Conventional farsighted eyeglass lenses enlarge the eyes, making them look overly large, while a nearsighted eyeglasses lens gives your eye a piggy or beady look. The thinnest eyeglass lenses usually have thin edges for strong minus or nearsighted prescriptions. The thinner edges also flatter your eyes and face.

For people with multiple vision problems, an aspheric multifocal or progressive eyeglass lens shows off those beautiful green eyes while improving eyesight.

Sports Lenses
The polycarbonate eyeglasses lens keeps parents from breaking their budget replacing eyeglasses. If the scratch-proof UV-protected polycarbonate eyeglass lens can withstand a rough-and-tumble day at school, your polycarbonate eyeglass lenses can hold up under the pressure of a squash game. They are the thinnest eyeglass lenses designed for athletics.

A caveat: Only use polycarbonate eyeglass lenses in an approved sports glasses frame. A regular designer eyeglass frame may be fine for a progressive eyeglass lens, but won't weather the impact of a football tackle.


Golf Lenses
Bifocal golf eyeglass lenses trump the progressive eyeglass lens on the course. Flat-top bifocals in the low inside corner of the eyeglass lenses of golf glasses allow you to read and write on the scorecard up close, but still hit the ball into the cup. While golf eyeglass lenses aren't the thinnest eyeglass lens on the market, the extra bifocal eyeglasses lens will help you keep your eye on your score and the ball! You may not become Greg Norman or Arnold Palmer overnight, but your game can improve with a bifocal eyeglasses lens.

Concave or Convex, Go High-Index
Whether your eyeglasses lens is concave to correct nearsightedness or convex to prevent farsightedness, traditional corrective eyeglass lenses have thicker edges. In fashionable eyeglasses such as ICU Eyewear and in Calvin Klein eyeglass frames, the rims are thinner than the eyeglass lens. Rimless eyeglasses leave the thick eyeglasses lens completely exposed, giving your specs a bizarre appearance.

The progressive eyeglass lens, the aspheric thinnest eyeglass lenses, and especially high-index eyeglass lenses can bend light more, so are thinner and lighter since they require less surface material.

Advanced Myopia Prescription Lenses
If you have a -6.00 prescription, you have extreme myopia! But your minus prescription number shouldn't mean you have to subtract a lot of cash from your bank account, or suffer with a heavy concave eyeglass lens. An aspheric high-index thin eyeglasses lens or an aspheric progressive eyeglass lens can stand up to your advanced myopia and have you singing, “I can see clearly now...I can see all obstacles in my way...”

Another choice for thinnest eyeglass lenses are polycarbonate, also known as featherweight, eyeglass lenses, which you can wear in regular eyeglass frames if you're not doing sports.

Aspheric Lenses
Aspheric eyeglass lenses are designed to rest lightly on the face and provide superior optical function. However, even though aspheric eyeglass lenses are among the thinnest eyeglass lenses, they can't counterbalance heavy frames. Wearing coke-bottle frames with aspheric eyeglasse lenses is like wearing your baggy clothes after you've lost a lot of weight. In general, the aspheric eyeglasses lens should be in a smaller eyeglass frame such as ICU Eyewear's matte two-tone thin lozenge-shaped frame. Your aspheric progressive eyeglass lens works well in a larger rounded frame.

Eyeglasses Treatment

Prescription glasses that are dirty, scratched or misaligned will not give you the best vision possible and may cause seeing problems. Scratches also can weaken your lenses' impact-resistance. To take care of your glasses:

• Clean the lenses twice a day. Use warm water and soap or detergent to remove oils and dirt from the lenses. An eyeglass cleaner is also OK. Dry with a soft, clean cloth.
  
• Never use silicone tissues on plastic lenses or wipe these lenses when dry.
  
• Wash the frames occasionally with soap and warm water.
  
• When not wearing your glasses, keep them in their case. If you lay them down for a minute or two, don't let the lenses touch anything.
  
• Put on and remove your glasses properly. Use both hands to grip the temples (side pieces) about midway and push gently over your ears. Use the same grip, raise the temples and slide the glasses forward to remove them. Even so, you'll need to have your glasses professionally readjusted periodically.
  
• Avoid letting other people put on your glasses. This could disturb the alignment.
  
• If you have trouble seeing even with clean, aligned glasses, you may need a prescription change or have an eye health problem in need of your optometrist's attention.

Lens Coating Technology

Conventional plastic lenses only transmit only 90% of light to the eye. The rest is lost to front and back surface reflections lose light transmission to front and back surface reflections. Now, a lens coating development to reduce reflections from camera lenses is now available.

Anti-reflective lenses transmit more light which provides:

• improved night vision
• decreased computer glare
• reduced eye strain
• less overhead fluorescent glare
• and great looking glasses

Anti-reflective coatings further improve the quality and the value of your lenses. An anti-reflective coating reduces disturbing reflections. It makes your lenses more attractive. And you will experience the most precise, crisp and clear natural vision in a brilliance that is not possible with uncoated lenses.

Anti-reflective coatings provide you with improved safety and faster recognition of potential hazards on the road, especially at night. The reflections of streetlamps and headlights on your lenses are virtually eliminated.

Artificial light in an office environment quickly leads to eye fatigue and working on the computer puts a strain on the eyes. It is particularly important to use anti-reflective coatings to protect your eyes while working.

Anti-reflective coatings improve transparency and cut down on reflections others see in your eyeglasses. You'll enjoy direct eye contact, unhindered by distracting reflections!

Anti-reflective coatings enhance the quality and expand the lifetime of your lenses by providing superior scratch resistance, durability and resistance to dirt and water.

Prescription Eyeglasses

In today's society, not only are prescription eyeglasses a necessity, but to some people they are a fashion accessory. Top designers like Giorgio Armani, Eddie Bauer, Calvin Klien and even Britney Spears have picked up this latest fashion trend. Putting their name and usually a high price on designer frames and lenses.

A pair of prescription eyeglasses should be comfortable for your eye as well as your face. There are many different frame designs and shapes that fit your personal needs.

When shopping for a pair of prescription eyeglasses it is important to consider your occupation, activity level and personality. Different lifestyles require different frames, lenses and tints. For example; The truck driver who spends 10 hours per day driving requires different options than that of an office worker who stares at a computer all day or a teenage athlete that is active in sports all day.

The shade or tint to the prescription eyeglasses is another option to consider.

• Gray typically reduces glares but keeps the natural colors in focus. Gray is the most popular choice.
• Amber is brown in color and it also reduces glare and filters out the blue lights.
• Yellow is especially helpful in dimmer conditions.
• Rose is obviously pink in color and not highly recommended by optometrists, but does remain an option.

A well-fitted pair of prescription eyeglasses can significantly enhance one's appearance. There are two types of face shapes to consider. Angular face shapes are more squared off as opposed to curvilinear face shapes that have a more rounded look. Finding eyewear that compliments your facial shape is to your benefit if fashion is a concern.

The bottom line is that if you are one of those unfortunate people that have an eye condition and need to wear prescription eyeglasses, then make the most of it and find the right style and fit for your specific personality.

By: Tim Gorman

Tips to Keep Your Eyeglasses Safe and Clean

People who wear eyeglasses sometimes lose, misplace, or break them. It's easy to do, especially if you wear glasses only for reading or driving, instead of everyday full-time wear. Whatever type you have, it's inconvenient to leave your eyeglasses elsewhere or find them broken just when you need a pair to see or read. But there are easy ways to keep your glasses safe. You don't have to lock them in a vault or chain them to your desk. Try the following ideas and see if they don't help.

1. Keep your glasses in an eyeglass holder when not in use. Your eye doctor will probably give you a holder with your prescription lenses. For store-bought eyeglasses or sunglasses, you can purchase a holder for a dollar or two. Always put your glasses of any kind in their holder when you don't have them on. Make sure the holder is soft inside, to avoid scratching the lens, and solid outside, to protect against dropping or squeezing.
2. Your eyeglass holder should stay in the same place all the time. For sunglasses that you wear while driving, keep the holder in the glove compartment or another area of the front seat where you can readily get it. Try to keep the holder in the same area each time so you don't forget where it is. The same goes for prescription glasses in the house. Keep your holder on the dresser, in your purse, or on the desk, and it will be easier to remember where the glasses are the next time you need them.
3. Get an extra pair of eyeglasses to have on hand. Store them in a personal drawer or in another place where you can remember to find them when needed. These should be used only when the others are unavailable from being lost or broken. Otherwise, you could end up with two pairs floating around the house and not know where either is when you need it.
4. Don't bend or stretch your eyeglass frames, and avoid twirling them. Never toss or throw your eyeglasses, and avoid dropping them. Avoid laying them on a hot surface or in a place that kids or dogs can reach. Use the recommended cleaning wipes to remove smears or lint, as other cloths or paper can scratch the lens. You may want to wear them on a chain around your neck to avoid misplacing them.
   
5. If you are accident-prone, you may want to take out eyeglass insurance that will let you replace the frame or the lens at a low cost. Don't wear a frame that is cracked or one from which the lens keep popping out, or you could lose it. Have your eyes checked each year or two to get the most up-to-date prescription. Try to stay away from situations where you can lose your eyeglasses and become temporarily vision-impaired.
   

eyeglasses

By: Charles Kassotis

Choosing the Right Frame

If you have come to a decision to wear eyeglasses to help your vision, or maybe if you already wear eyeglasses but are looking for a new style frame, the most important thing to know is choosing the right frame that fit nicely with your face. There are lots of frame styles in the market, but you should choose carefully if you want your appearance with your new eyeglasses to look impressive, the principle of choosing the right frame is that try to choose the opposite shape than your face. Here are some tips that can help you to decide which frame that should fit nicely with your face:

1. If you have a round face try a rectangular shape frames, this will soften the roundness of your face and make your face look thinner and longer.
2. If you have a square face try a narrow frame styles, frames that have more width than depth and narrow ovals. This will make the square face look longer and soften the angles.
3. If your have a triangle shape face try cat-eye shape frame or frames that are heavily accented with color and detailing on the top half, as this will emphasize the upper part of your face.
4. If you have a wide jaw line face try frames that have a top-to-bottom depth, decorative or contrasting temples that add width to the face or a low bridge.
5. If you have oval face then you can fit in just about any frame, however the best frame for you is that frames that are wide as the broadest part of the face.

Other important thing in choosing frames style is to consider frame materials. Basically there are Aluminum, titanium, and plastic frames. Aluminum and Titanium are more durable than the plastic frames and offers custom fitting options. Plastic frames are light and durable but offer little fitting options.

eyeglasses

By: Widi