glasses direct blog

We find the process of how prescription glasses are made fascinating and we think you may too after you read this article. The process of how prescription glasses are made is quite complex, though at Glasses Direct the prices are still lower than the price on the high street as you can see in our comparison table.

The more complex glasses prescriptions go through the following stages, although simpler prescriptions may skip some of the earlier stages:

Stage 1 – The laboratory select the lenses from a number of basic variants. These are pre-formed plastic blocks.

Stage 2 – The lenses are ‘blocked’ and semi-finished so they can be held in the generator – the machine that grinds the lens to shape.

Stage 3 – Your individual lenses are created from a template.

Stage 4 – They’re ‘generated’ – a process which grinds away much of the material of the lens, so that it is the right prescription and shape.

Stage 5 – Next they are polished so they become optically blemish-free.

Stage 6 – The lenses are then edged and marked up – which means their matched with their frame, and verified as being the right prescription.
Stage 7 – Lenses are cut to the right shape.
Stage 8 – Hand-edging removes any sharp edges and ensures a perfect fit with your glasses frame.
Stage 9 – Tints and coatings are added by dipping the lenses in dye or coating chemicals that bond to the lens surface
Stage 10 – The glasses are checked against your prescription for accuracy.

Further checking at Glasses Direct

When the glasses return from the laboratory, they go through a further set of stringent checks by our own quality assurance team who verify they’re the right frames with the correct prescription. We think this final stage is so important that we introduce you to the person who checked your glasses by including a card with your order showing the checks they completed. Once he or she is happy, your glasses are placed in their case with a cleaning cloth, plus any other items in your order, and dispatched via next day delivery. We use a courier so that we can trace the glasses right to your door.

Custom made prescription glasses from just £15!

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.

Picture by ellessu

With so many frames at discount prices to choose from, the job of finding the right glasses that complement your face shape and taste isn’t easy. Fortunately, Glasses Direct offers a guide to choosing the right glasses which reflects our experience with helping customers over the years. Together with this guide, there are a few great places on the web offering useful advice on how to choose your glasses when buying online.

Text resources:

Optical local how to choose eyewear - covers different face shape and general advice.
Alain Mikli’s tips for choosing frames - from The Daily Telegraph covering mostly frame and face shapes.
Daily Mail how to choose glasses that suit you - written by by Charlotte Harding this article covers topics such as which glasses suit which circumstances.
Wikihow guide to choosing eye glasses - offers a selection of tips and further information on the process of ordering glasses.
Wikihow how to look great with glasses - glasses fashion advice.

Video resources:

Videojug how to choose glasses positioning - eye positioning advice (2.37min).
Videojug how to choose glasses nose shapes - nose shapes positioning advice (2.02min).
Gok Wan on finding glasses for your face shape - he recommends certain frame shapes based on your facial features. ‘Glasses are a representation of your personality and who you are’ according to Gok and therefore should be chosen according to your face shape. We recommend (3.07min).
Vlogbrothers advise on how to buy glasses cheap - Hank asks the community to help him pick a frame (3.46min).
Expertvillage how to choose men’s eyeglasses - learn how to match face shape with men’s eyeglasses with expert tips on how to pick out men’s eyeglasses frames and lenses (1min).

If you know of any further online sources, please leave a comment.

Picture by puja

I recently came across a few articles and tips on how to look younger, 10 years younger in fact. While most tips suggest either expensive procedures such as plastic surgery or getting your teeth lightened, some offer simple tips such as giving up sweet treats the likes of sugar and chocolate (easier said than done) and keeping your hair short.

There is another way to make yourself look 10 years younger which many fashion stylists don’t address at all, simply get a trendy pair of prescription glasses which complement your face shape.

Here are a few tips to help you look 10 years younger without breaking the bank:

1. Try a colourful pair of glasses - the days of getting only black or silver frames are a thing of the past. A new range of colourful frames is making its way to the hearts and minds of UK consumers. With prices starting at just £20, colourful frames are an excellent way to a more youthful appearance.

2. Match your glasses to your outfit - glasses are so important (see David’s rant for further reference), because you wear them every day and they sit on your FACE there’s absolutely no hiding an unflattering pair… enough said. Luckily when you buy your glasses online, you can afford a few pairs for the price of one pair from a High Street Optician so you could match a smart designer-look pair with your work outfit when going to work and a stylish retro fashion pair with your jeans when going out on a Saturday night.

3. Change your glasses often - not only will changing your glasses often make you look younger by reinventing yourself, it will also help boost your confidence by giving you that NEW feeling we all love when wearing something new.

4. Be different, try a unique style - looking younger is a lot to do with how others perceive you. With over 33 million of us in the UK wearing glasses on a daily basis, wearing a unique pair of glasses can make a difference and leave a great impression. For example, our Bahamas glasses which feature a tapered cut-out butterfly detailing on the arms and sides instantly draw the eye, while contrasting colours add extra uplifting impact or award winning Clic Vision glasses which feature super slick young design. Any of those we promise will make you stand out from the crowd.

5. Matching your glasses to your hair, eyes and skin - If your natural colouring (hair, skin and eyes) is dark, you’ll easily be able to carry dark, bold glasses. Black or dark brown frames in plastic or heavier metal will complement your features without dominating your face. Make the most of the fact.

If you have any additional tips, let us know below. Get further help choosing your glasses.

You can now read impartial reviews of our glasses on Reevoo.com under the glasses section. Reevoo are an independent company that collect and publish genuine reviews from our customers, to help you decide what to buy. Using Reevoo, you can search and read Glasses Direct reviews by most viewed, by glasses price and many more great options.

What makes Reevoo a bit different is that their reviews are written by people who have actually bought the glasses from Glasses Direct. So there’s no bias, no ‘expert opinion’ and no ulterior motives behind what you find written in those reviews.

When you buy a pair of glasses from us, you might well get an email from Reevoo asking what you think of the pair. Spend a couple of minutes filling this in and your review will help others decide what they buy. You will also find all those useful reviews on each product page by pressing on the Reevoo button.

We hope you find it useful.

Noticed something different about us http://beta.glassesdirect.co.uk? The jazzier look, the spring in our step… It’s all rather exciting here at Glasses Direct. It was time for a change, and we’ve spread our wings in time for summer with a fresh new look we hope inspires you.

Rest assured our values are the same. Our priority remains giving you excellent glasses and service, while helping you save money. That’s why our glasses still start at £15, and why you can now search for them five– yes five– ways:

- by gender (men’s, women’s, unisex)
- by price
- by material (plastic or metal)
- by lens type, and
- by brand.

About time, don’t you think? No more feeling pressurised to spend lots of money on a single pair of glasses in a claustrophobic high street optician’s for us, thankyouverymuch. Now we feel totally in control of choosing the clever little bits of plastic and metal that make a difference to our lives. And we hope you come to feel the same way too. We don’t think of ourselves as revolutionising the glasses market for nothing…

We’ve also revamped the How to Order glasses section, and added informative features about how to get your prescription, the history of glasses (more interesting than you might think), and more.

Have you seen our latest catalogue, too? It has - for the first time - a range of designer non-prescription sunglasses from CliC, Kangol, and Bollé among others. Plus the order form’s now simpler to fill in. You can order a free glasses catalogue here.

We hope you’re as happy with the new us as we are. We’re open to any and all ideas that might make us better. Send thoughts, sketches or moments of genius to
feedback@glassesdirect.co.uk.

It’s not always serious here at Glasses Direct - we know how to have fun and now you can join us. To celebrate the launch of our new retro fashion glasses range, we created an addictive game everyone can play. Your goal is to use your glasses to shoot down the letters before they get to you. Create a private league between your friends or compete in a public league for your chance to win a discount code across the range. Who said shopping and play don’t mix… start playing the retro invasion game.

Benetton glasses and frames are now a part of Glasses Direct growing range of designer glasses, exciting times! United Colors of Benetton’s instantly recognisable international style speaks out in every bit of their eyewear collection which is now sold exclusively at Glasses Direct. Benetton Glasses start at just £65 including free single vision lenses.

All throughout July, Glasses Direct will be offering free delivery on all orders above £40. When you buy your glasses from us, your order will be processed on the same day. Glasses are sent via standard Royal Mail packetpost, and the packages we use fit through most letterboxes. You do not have to be at home to receive your glasses. View our growing range of spectacles today.

Exciting news from Glasses Direct, our Summer sale is starting today June 9th offering up to 30% off selected frames. Over 15 styles are now a part of the great Summer sale and all prices include free lenses. Don’t forget, at Glasses Direct each pair of glasses is supervised by our dispensing opticians who help guarantee high quality glasses at low prices. View the complete range of our summer sale Prescription Glasses.

Still have some questions? We love talking about glasses, call us 7 days a week on 08456 88 20 20