Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
Elmquist Eye Group recommends shopping for eyewear in person
Has this happened to you? You buy clothing from an online retailer, and when your item arrives, it does not fit correctly, and you do not like the quality.
This can happen, too, when ordering eyeglasses from an online retailer. Glasses may look great in pictures, but the frame size, color and shape may not fit your face.
Shopping for glasses in person allows an expert to guide you through the selection process, which goes well beyond how you want your eyeglasses to look.
Did you know, for example, that glasses wearers with high-prescription lenses should avoid certain frames because of thickness of the lenses they need? Glasses with a small lens area, rounder, plastic frames and other considerations will make glasses lighter and thicker lenses less noticeable.
A proper fit can also impact the quality of your vision. Accurate lens placement avoids visual distortion. Inaccurate measurements can cause an induced prism, where your glasses shift images to another section of the lens. This causes you to compensate by looking through other parts of the lens for sharp vision, which can cause headaches and dizziness. Even with an accurate prescription, if the lenses in the glasses sit too close or too far from your eyes, your glasses fitting can change the power of your lenses!
Furthermore, improperly fit glasses can also be painful. They can pinch the sides of your face or nose and cause headaches. If they are too loose, they can continually slide down your nose or fall off and break.
Here are some other reasons that ordering glasses online may not be the best option:
• In ordering any glasses, you will need your pupillary distance (PD), the distance between the centers of both of your pupils, which is specific and unique to your eyes and face. It is most accurate when measured by a trained professional.
• Vision insurance may not cover glasses from an online retailer.
• Specialized prescription needs, such as progressive lenses, may not be available from online retailers.
Since eyeglasses are critical to optimal vision, it is best to trust this purchase you need for daily function to an eyecare professional.
Opticians are formally trained and licensed in the field of optometry through study of optics, design and fitting to ensure eyeglasses and corrective lenses provide proper vision enhancement.
In addition, opticians offer services not available online, like Visioffice, a revolutionary new measuring system only available locally at Elmquist Eye Group, which creates optical lenses that are unique to the patient.
Using the Visioffice with Eyecode technology, opticians can now take a single measurement to record the patient’s eye rotation center for each eye, as well as the patient’s natural head posture, eye position, visual behavior and frame measurements – all factors that are unique to each patient and can impact lens performance. The information is then used to create individualized lenses that are unique to the patient. In addition, the frame selection feature allows patients to try on frames and take photos at a variety of angles. It then dispenses the photos so that the patients can view and select their choice of frames.
Elmquist Eye Group also offers digital lenses, something that online services or one-hour lens services cannot offer. Digital lenses are manufactured using precise laser technology which results in lenses that are nearly six times more clear than traditional ones, with enhanced nighttime vision and peripheral vision.
“Selecting corrective lenses depends a lot on personal preferences, including lifestyle, comfort, convenience and budget,” said Dr. Kate Wagner, board-certified optometrist and managing partner at Elmquist Eye Group. “Each option comes with pros and cons in terms of vision enhancement, ease of use and overall eye health impacts.”
Elmquist Eye Group cares for your vision and is here to help you protect it with a variety of functional and stylish eyewear options. For more information on corrective lenses, visit www.Elmquist.com, call 239-936-2020 or schedule an appointment at an Optical Boutique location in Fort Myers or Cape Coral.
With more than 25 years of service to the Southwest Florida community, Elmquist Eye Group offers experienced doctors who are dedicated to patient care. Dr. E. Trevor Elmquist, Dr. Kate Wagner, Dr. Sarah Eccles-Brown, Dr. Nina Burt and Dr. Yasaira Rodriguez of Elmquist Eye Group are available to answer your questions. With three U.S. military veterans leading the practice, Elmquist Eye Group’s team stands ready to serve you right here in Southwest Florida. For more information, visit www.Elmquist.com, call 239-936-2020 or stop by an Optical Boutique location in Fort Myers or Cape Coral.
Elmquist Eye Group
239-936-2020 | www.elmquist.com
FORT MYERS
7970 Summerlin Lakes Dr.
CAPE CORAL
2336 Surfside Blvd., Suite 121
