The Potential Pitfalls of Shopping for Spectacles Online

The Internet has fast become one of the most influential global forces. While it has helped open people up to amazing opportunities throughout the world, it has also demonstrated similarities to Pandora's Box. Some things are better left unopened; or at least reserved for a trained professional to open. This is especially true of the burgeoning online health and medical industry. Specifically, online consumers and Internet shoppers now have virtually unfiltered, unrestricted access to prescription spectacles with a critical gap in safety standards and compliance regulations. Because of this, we'd like to highlight the following study's investigative observations: Safety and Compliance of Prescription Spectacles Ordered by the Public via the Internet (The authors of the study are: Karl Citek, O.D., Ph.D., Daniel L. Torgersen, MBA, MS, Jeffrey D. Endres, ABOC, and Robert R. Rosenberg, O.D.).

This study explores the process of ordering prescription glasses through Internet vendors as well as the actual delivery of these items to public consumers, primarily measuring compliance with the optical tolerance and impact resistance requirements for eyewear dispensed in the United States.

In total, 200 eyewear orders were purchased through online vendors by 10 different participants in the study. The orders were evenly divided to account for important variables such as lens and frame materials, lens styles, and refractive corrections. Ten individuals ordered 2 pairs of spectacles from each of the top 12 highest traffic-ranking spectacle-vendor websites in order to best replicate the average consumer experience for online spectacle shopping.

 

Stats…
According to the Canadian Diabetes Association:

• More than 9 million Canadians are living with diabetes or prediabetes
• Diabetic retinopathy (the detrimental effect diabetes can have on the eyes and vision) affects 23% of people with type 1 diabetes and 14% of people with type 2 diabetes on insulin therapy.
  
  
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Our sun emits light at many different wavelengths, making up the electromagnetic spectrum. The electromagnetic spectrum encompasses light from high wavelength/low energy radio waves to low wavelength/high energy gamma rays (see diagram). Only a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum is responsible for our sense of sight. This portion is known as visible light and ranges from 760-780 nm (red) to 380-400 nm (violet). Ultraviolet (UV) light falls in the range of 10-400 nm and is therefore not visible to the human eye. Since UV light has a shorter wavelength than visible light, it will have more energy (higher frequency) and thus penetrate objects more readily. When excess amounts of UV light penetrate the human skin and also the human eye, structural damage can result.

Do you struggle with needlework and crossword puzzles?

Do you feel your arms just aren’t long enough anymore?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then you may be experiencing normal, age-related loss of near focusing ability — which is known as Presbyopia.

Why not try contact lenses!

With the winter season in full swing, having to wear glasses may get in the way of some of your favourite winter sports. If your glasses fog up while skiing or make your hockey game more difficult, contact lenses could be the solution.

Diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough of the hormone insulin, leading to excess sugar (glucose) in the bloodstream. Diabetes can affect many parts of the body, including the eyes. The high levels of glucose in the blood can cause the tiny blood vessels in the retina to weaken and leak, leading to a condition known as diabetic retinopathy.

Our doctors keep up with all of the current medical and therapeutic options for chronic dry eyes

People with Dry Eye Syndrome will notice their eyes feeling sandy, scratchy and irritated. They may also experience blurred vision, a burning sensation and/or excessive tearing. There are several different causes of dry eye.

The information below is intended as a supplement to the training and instruction you receive as part of a contact lens fitting program.

How to insert your lenses

As baby boomers reach middle age, the question looms large: How to avoid either of two telltale signs of aging -- bifocals or reading glasses?

Boomers have three contact lens options for correcting the close-up blurred vision that typically begins in middle age; a condition referred to as presbyopia. (One of the three options still calls for reading glasses, but they can be used discreetly.)

The three options are:

• Bifocal contact lenses
• Monovision
• Contact lenses for distance vision with supplementary reading glasses slipped over the contacts for close work

Below is a brief comparison of Soft and Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) contact lenses. A thorough eye examination and a better understanding of your specific vision requirements will help determine the best options for you.