Monday, September 30, 2013
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Q&A: Which lens index is best for a moderate 'plus' prescription; also, how goth are cyborgs?
Greetings readers!
I recently received a question from a good friend of mine about one of her lens options. I thought it would be a great question to share because 1. your optician may not thoroughly educate you on your options and
2. some of you may feel you're being upcharged for no reason other than to fatten someone's commission.
Gwen writes:
"My prescription is: R: +3.00/-2.00 x 17 L: +1.50/-1.25 x 170 PD: 70 Do you think I'd be ok with 1.57 index lenses or would it be worth paying extra for 1.61 index? The price is negligible and I'll be getting plastic full frame glasses."
Even though she only gave me a few sentences, there is a wealth of information there. First, I want to note that Gwen is from Australia, *however* glasses prescriptions and indexes are always the same, even internationally. The fact that there are two sets of prescription per eye with an axis (the number after the 'x') tells me she has astigmatism, which is pretty common. This tells me her eye is more football shaped that spherical (again, EXTREMELY common- it's more common to have it than to not). In one meridian, her prescription is +3.00, so imagine putting on a pair of +3.00 readers from your local drug store and looking around. However, in her other meridian, she sees +1.00 (+3.00 - 2.00= +1.00), which is like seeing life though +1.00 reading glasses. In her left eye, she sees +1.50 in one meridian, yet in the other meridian her vision is almost perfect at +0.25, almost what we call 'plano equivalent".
If both of her eyes were like the left eye, having nearly a plano equivalent, then I'd say that the 1.57 would be fine, however, there is a bit of a difference between the two eyes- +3.00 versus +1.50, to simplify it. For this reason, I'd recommend going with the higher 1.61 index just to thin out both lenses and even things out.
She already mentioned she'd be getting full framed glasses, which is perfect. I don't recommend 'plus' prescriptions going into semi-rimless or rimless frames for the fact that 'plus' lenses are much thicker in the middle and thinner on the edges, which makes them more prone to chipping and cracking at the mounting spots.
Smaller frames are ideal when it comes to making the lenses themselves smaller and in turn lighter weight, but it's also important to get a frame that fits your face and your pupil distance correctly. We want everything to be centered. Remember how to find a frame's pupil distance? Gwen told me her PD is 70, so it's best to find a frame with a PD close to that. In theory, if she picked out a frame that had a 53 eye size and a 17 bridge, that would be dead on, making the thickness of the left and right side of each lens uniform.
So in short, I believe going with the higher 1.61 index as opposed to the 1.57. Small frames are ideal if you want your glasses to be lighter weight, but be sure to get something that matches your pupil distance well.
My next question comes from a good friend of mine. You may remember him as one of my "Featured Goths in Glasses" (which is a dormant feature on this blog that I will be resurrecting very soon).
Pierce asks:
"Would you consider cyborgs goth, Sea?
I think that would depend entirely on the cyborg.
The character Cyborg from Teen Titans wouldn't fall under that category, though his roommate Raven is another story.
Andriod 16 from Dragon Ball Z if anything, is punk. Change his color scheme a bit and you may have a death rocker.
With his almost grotesque muscular physique, designer sunglasses he never removes, and his slow, almost incoherent manner of speaking, the Terminator would definitely be more of a.. well. Let's just say I expect to see him fist pumping in Jersey when he takes a break looking for Sara Connor.
However, there are plenty of gothic-styled cyborgs. Cyborgs are one of the greatest icons of the cybergoth/industrial scene. Cybergoth is all about a strange and ghastly future, heavily laden with technology and wires and goggles and dreads and latex- oh my! Cold machinery moving perpetually to an ever-carnal beat. Glow sticks and strobes serving purpose as accents in an otherwise blackened and eerie room. Sweaty flesh encasing beating hearts living for the engineered sounds of the synthesizer. It's a harmonic contrast between creations and creators with a dark, unsettling undertone. So yes, in that case, cyborgs can be quite goth.
I hope I answered your questions, Gwen and Pierce. And remember, if you have any questions of your own you'd love to see featured on The Gothic Optician blog, please feel free to submit them to the inbox on my Gothic Optician Facebook page.
Stay safe and have a creeptastic weekend,
Sea, the Gothic Optician, A.B.O.C.
I recently received a question from a good friend of mine about one of her lens options. I thought it would be a great question to share because 1. your optician may not thoroughly educate you on your options and
2. some of you may feel you're being upcharged for no reason other than to fatten someone's commission.
 |
| Bullet proof sunglasses- is good, is good. Complete with diamond encrusted frame to get you all the ladies. Very nice product, friend. Is good, is good. For you, my friend, just $999 and the blood of your first born. Is best bargain! Very smart. |
"My prescription is: R: +3.00/-2.00 x 17 L: +1.50/-1.25 x 170 PD: 70 Do you think I'd be ok with 1.57 index lenses or would it be worth paying extra for 1.61 index? The price is negligible and I'll be getting plastic full frame glasses."
Even though she only gave me a few sentences, there is a wealth of information there. First, I want to note that Gwen is from Australia, *however* glasses prescriptions and indexes are always the same, even internationally. The fact that there are two sets of prescription per eye with an axis (the number after the 'x') tells me she has astigmatism, which is pretty common. This tells me her eye is more football shaped that spherical (again, EXTREMELY common- it's more common to have it than to not). In one meridian, her prescription is +3.00, so imagine putting on a pair of +3.00 readers from your local drug store and looking around. However, in her other meridian, she sees +1.00 (+3.00 - 2.00= +1.00), which is like seeing life though +1.00 reading glasses. In her left eye, she sees +1.50 in one meridian, yet in the other meridian her vision is almost perfect at +0.25, almost what we call 'plano equivalent".
If both of her eyes were like the left eye, having nearly a plano equivalent, then I'd say that the 1.57 would be fine, however, there is a bit of a difference between the two eyes- +3.00 versus +1.50, to simplify it. For this reason, I'd recommend going with the higher 1.61 index just to thin out both lenses and even things out.
She already mentioned she'd be getting full framed glasses, which is perfect. I don't recommend 'plus' prescriptions going into semi-rimless or rimless frames for the fact that 'plus' lenses are much thicker in the middle and thinner on the edges, which makes them more prone to chipping and cracking at the mounting spots.
Smaller frames are ideal when it comes to making the lenses themselves smaller and in turn lighter weight, but it's also important to get a frame that fits your face and your pupil distance correctly. We want everything to be centered. Remember how to find a frame's pupil distance? Gwen told me her PD is 70, so it's best to find a frame with a PD close to that. In theory, if she picked out a frame that had a 53 eye size and a 17 bridge, that would be dead on, making the thickness of the left and right side of each lens uniform.
So in short, I believe going with the higher 1.61 index as opposed to the 1.57. Small frames are ideal if you want your glasses to be lighter weight, but be sure to get something that matches your pupil distance well.
My next question comes from a good friend of mine. You may remember him as one of my "Featured Goths in Glasses" (which is a dormant feature on this blog that I will be resurrecting very soon).
Pierce asks:
"Would you consider cyborgs goth, Sea?
I think that would depend entirely on the cyborg.
The character Cyborg from Teen Titans wouldn't fall under that category, though his roommate Raven is another story.
 |
| Life tip: Don't do a google search of "Cyborg and Raven" with your safe search off. |
 |
| Credit: raulmejia at Deviant Art |
 |
| What was considered 'bad ass' in 1984 is considered 'd-bag' in 2013. |
However, there are plenty of gothic-styled cyborgs. Cyborgs are one of the greatest icons of the cybergoth/industrial scene. Cybergoth is all about a strange and ghastly future, heavily laden with technology and wires and goggles and dreads and latex- oh my! Cold machinery moving perpetually to an ever-carnal beat. Glow sticks and strobes serving purpose as accents in an otherwise blackened and eerie room. Sweaty flesh encasing beating hearts living for the engineered sounds of the synthesizer. It's a harmonic contrast between creations and creators with a dark, unsettling undertone. So yes, in that case, cyborgs can be quite goth.
I hope I answered your questions, Gwen and Pierce. And remember, if you have any questions of your own you'd love to see featured on The Gothic Optician blog, please feel free to submit them to the inbox on my Gothic Optician Facebook page.
Stay safe and have a creeptastic weekend,
Sea, the Gothic Optician, A.B.O.C.
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