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Appointments: (813) 961-2020
Appointments: (813) 961-2020
Eye Wear In Tampa, Florida
Purchasing a pair of eyeglasses can be an intimidating experience for many people, even though over 50% of all Americans use some type of prescription eye wear. Patients typically only buy glasses every few years, so it's difficult to stay abreast of changes in technology, styles, brands, and pricing. The goal of this section is to educate patients on eyeglasses and the buying experience so they will make the decisions best suited to them.
Frame Brands
Burberry
Etnia Barcelona
Mont Blanc
Tory Burch
Tom Ford
Gucci
Lilly Pulitzer
Maui Jim
NW 77TH
Ray-Ban
BMW
Porsche
Kate Spade
Silhouette
Line Art
Carrera
Columbia
Caroline Herrera
DKNY
Elle
Elliot Ives
Flexon
Fysh
Guess
Hugo
Marc Jacobs
Kensie
Kliik
Michael Kors
Nautica
Nike
Nine West
OGI
OTP
Police
Rag & Bones
Scott Harris
Swarovski
Under Armour
Lens Materials
Did you know emeralds and crystals were used by the affluent as vision aids as early as the Roman era? GLASS lenses were the most common lens material from 1,000 A.D. until the 1980's. Glass lenses continue to be available today, although they are heavier, thicker, less protective and less cosmetically appealing than other types of lenses.
Plastic Lenses: Plastic lenses were first introduced in 1962 and became more popular than glass lenses in the 1980's. Traditional plastic lenses are as thick as glass lenses, but they are much lighter. In 1983, the POLYCARBONATE lens became commercially available. Polycarbonate lenses were lighter, thinner and more scratch-resistant (when combined with scratch coating) and impact-resistant than glass or plastic lenses, but the optics in these lenses were still not as sharp as glass or plastic lenses. In the past twenty years, the optics quality of polycarbonate lenses has improved dramatically and, because they are the most impact-resistant lens available, they are recommended for all children as well as for safety glasses.
High-Index Plastic Lenses: Several years later, high-index plastic lenses were introduced with great fanfare, since they were light, provided excellent optics, good scratch protection, and eliminated the “Coke-bottle” look for patients with high prescriptions. While high-index lenses are more expensive than regular plastic lenses, high-index lenses are the best option for over half of all patients when considering the weight, thickness and cosmetic appearance of the lenses.
Photochromatic Lenses: Photochromatic lenses, which darkness when exposed to bright light and become transparent when in dim light, were first introduced by Corning in the 1960's. The most common photochromatic lens today is the Transition™ lens. The speed at which these lenses change color has improved dramatically in the past ten years, but their popularity is waning as sunglass clips become popular and more cost-effective additions to regular eyeglass frames. In additional, the photochromatic lenses require direct exposure to sunlight to change, so they are not as effective in a car with closed windows.
Polarized Lenses: Polarized lenses are available in non-prescription and prescription sunglasses as well as sunglass clips. Polarized lenses reduce the glare coming from objects you are viewing, such as a wet street, windshield, oncoming cars and snow. In particular, fishermen find that polarized lenses provide significant vision improvement in lakes and rivers on sunny days. As in-office took can quickly demonstrate the usefulness of polarized lenses.
Lens Options
Once you select a lens material, you can also select whether to add the following options to your lenses.
Scratch-Resistant Coating:
Scratch-Resistant Coating can be applied to plastic lenses, they generally are standard feature on progressive, high-index, photochromatic and polycarbonate lenses. The coating provides a harder finish to the lens, making the lens more scratch resistant. Depending on the optical store, patients who purchase this coating may receive a no-cost twelve-month scratch warranty, where each lens will be replaced once if it becomes scratched in the year following the lens purchase.
Anti-Reflective Coating:
Anti-reflective coating is a multi-layered coating that helps reduce lens surface reflection and improves vision by allowing more light to pass through the lens. Without anti-reflective coating, eyeglass lenses have a tendency to produce glare, reflections and halos around lights. Anti-reflective coating reduces these distortions and the lens reflections that other people see on your glasses when they look at you. Early versions of anti-reflective coatings wore off easily, but current coatings such as Crizal eliminated these problems. We offer 2 types of Crizal: the Avance for superior glare, scratch and smudge protection and the Prevencia with the same benefits as Avance with the added protection from blue-violet light that is emitted from computers, tablets, cell phones, LED and CFL lighting. A two-year no-cost warranty is also available for this premium anti-reflective coating.
Ultraviolet Coating:
Ultraviolet Coating is an additional lens application that blocks ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B(UVB) emissions from the sun. Research suggests that UVA and UVB may cause early cataract formation, macular degeneration and eyelid damage.
Tinted Lenses:
Tinted lenses are an option for patients who are particularly sensitive to bright lights and sunlight. While tinting is an affordable option, it often reduces a patient's vision in dimly lit environments. Many patients now find more success with photochromatic lenses, prescription sunglasses or regular glasses fitted with a removable sunglass clip.
Specialty Glasses
While less commonly sold than general-purpose eyeglasses, the following types of specialty eyeglasses are available:
Computer: Computer glasses generally have single-vision lenses corrected to crisply see objects 18 – 30 inches away. Because the lenses are corrected for only one distance, the patient can view the entire computer screen from all areas of the lens, reducing distortions, eye fatigue and neck pain.
Reading: Reading glasses are similar to computer glasses but are corrected to see objects 14- 16 inches away. These glasses are ideal for reading books and newspapers or for hobbies that require fine near vision. Less expensive over-the-counter reading glasses can be used for this purpose if a patient has limited astigmatism and needs the same correction power in both eyes.
Sports: Sports glasses and goggles are fom-fitting eyepieces with sturdy frames and polycarbonate lenses that can safely withstand the impact of collisions, racquetballs and other traumatic events.
Hunting: Hunting glasses are made with sturdy frames and polycarbonate lenses that can withstand the rigors of hunting and provide needed eye protection. In addition, the lenses are often corrected to specifically enhance distance vision and a yellow tint may be utilized to increase vision in dimly-lit environments.
Opticians have many key responsibilities. They assist patients in selecting the correct style and material for the frame and lenses, as well as the lens options that will be useful. They take key measurements to prepare for the manufacturing of the lenses, and they work with the laboratory to ensure the lenses are made correctly. Most patients find their eyeglasses need adjustments after a few months of wearing. Eye glass frame adjustments are complimentary, as routine maintenance is key to optimum vision through spectacle prescription glasses.
holiday hours
Christmas Eve our offices will close at 1:00 PM
Christmas Day our offices will be CLOSED
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