Why Your Dispensing Appointment Matters Just as Much as Your Eye Test
You’ve had your eyes examined. Your eye health has been checked and your optometrist has carefully determined your prescription.
So that's the important bit finished, isn't it?
Not quite.
Your prescription tells us the optical correction your eyes need, but turning that prescription into a pair of glasses that gives you clear, comfortable vision involves much more.
That's where your dispensing appointment becomes so important.
Why Does Your Dispensing Appointment Matter?
A good pair of glasses is a combination of three things:
The right prescription.
The right lenses.
The right frame and fit.
Your dispensing appointment brings all three together.
Two people can have exactly the same prescription but require completely different glasses because of their occupation, hobbies, driving, screen use and everyday lifestyle.
That's why simply knowing your prescription isn't enough.
Choosing the Right Frame Is About More Than Style
We love helping people find glasses that look fantastic, but frame choice isn't purely about appearance.
The size, shape and position of your frame can influence how your lenses perform.
We consider factors including:
• How the frame sits on your nose
• The position of your eyes within the frame
• The distance between the lenses and your eyes
• The frame depth and width
• How securely and comfortably it fits
• The type of lenses being fitted
This becomes particularly important with more sophisticated lens designs such as varifocals and occupational lenses.
A beautiful frame should look great, feel comfortable and work properly with your prescription.
Why Accurate Measurements Matter
Spectacle lenses aren't simply made to your prescription and placed into a frame.
We need to know precisely where your eyes sit in relation to the lenses.
Depending on your prescription and lens design, measurements may include the position of each pupil, fitting heights and how the chosen frame sits on your face.
For modern premium spectacle lenses, these measurements can be particularly important.
Even an excellent lens design cannot perform at its best if it isn't positioned correctly in front of your eyes.
Not All Spectacle Lenses Are the Same
This is another area where your dispensing appointment matters.
There can be a considerable choice of lens designs, materials and coatings, and the most expensive option isn't automatically the right option for everyone.
We might discuss:
• Single-vision lenses• Varifocal lenses• Occupational and computer lenses• Thinner lens materials• Anti-reflection coatings• Prescription sunglasses• Polarised lenses• Specialist lenses for particular hobbies or activities
Our job is to explain the differences and help you decide what's appropriate for your vision and your lifestyle.
What Do You Actually Use Your Glasses For?
This is why we may ask more questions!
Do you spend eight hours a day at a computer?
Do you drive extensively?
Do you play golf?
Fish?
Sail?
Read music?
Sew or craft?
Garden?
Work at several different distances?
The answers can completely change the type of prescription glasses we recommend.
One pair may be perfectly adequate for some people. Others can benefit enormously from having different glasses designed for particular tasks.
Your glasses should fit around your life — rather than expecting your life to fit around your glasses.
Varifocals Make Professional Dispensing Particularly Important
With a varifocal lens, different areas of the lens provide vision at different distances.
The lens therefore needs to be positioned accurately in relation to your eyes and the way the frame sits.
Frame selection, measurements, fitting and lens design all work together.
This is one reason two pairs of varifocals made to exactly the same prescription can sometimes feel very different to wear.
The Final Fitting Matters Too
Professional dispensing doesn't finish when we order your glasses.
When your new spectacles arrive, we check them and fit them to you.
We can adjust:
• The sides of the frame• The position behind your ears• Nose pads where fitted• Frame angle• How securely the glasses sit• The overall comfort and position of the spectacles
A small adjustment can sometimes make a surprisingly large difference.
And if something doesn't feel right once you've started wearing your new glasses, we'd much rather you came back and told us.
Your Eye Test and Dispensing Appointment Work Together
Your eye examination determines your prescription and assesses your eye health.
Your dispensing appointment takes that information and turns it into eyewear designed around you.
Neither should really be considered in isolation.
At Parkhurst and Co Styling Opticians, we take time to understand how you use your vision, help you choose your frames, discuss the available spectacle lenses, take the appropriate measurements and ensure your finished glasses are fitted correctly.
Because getting your prescription right is important.
Making that prescription work brilliantly in the real world is just as important.
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