Did you know that approximately 75 percent of adults in Canada need some form of vision correction, be it eyeglasses or contact lenses? With such high numbers at play, you shouldn’t be surprised if it’s time for you to look into eyeglasses in Calgary.
Luckily for you, the professionals at our Calgary optometry practice are here to guide you every step of the way – from the initial optical exam to finding the perfect frame!
How Do You Know It’s Time To Get Prescription Glasses in Calgary?
It’s normal for our eyesight to change with age, but when it becomes a problem, it’s time to stop and think about whether it’s time to invest in a pair of eyeglasses. After all, eyesight is something you need and use in your daily life, without giving it a second thought.
Let’s change that today. Here’s a list of symptoms to keep an eye on:
- Blurred vision at any given distance
- Double vision
- Things seem a bit hazy
- Frequent squinting
- Eye fatigue, strain, and irritation
- Seeing halos around bright lights
- Trouble seeing at night
If you or someone you know started experiencing some of these symptoms, book an eye exam at our Calgary optometry practice today!
It All Starts With An Eye Exam
Regardless of your age, there’s a similar protocol all comprehensive eyeglass exams follow, so if you or your optometrist decide you’re long overdue for one, here’s a complete list of tests you can expect during your appointment:
- Visual Acuity Test – You’re undoubtedly familiar with this one, given the fact that it’s a part of every vision screening you’ve ever had. Looking at the Snellen chart, you’ll be asked to identify the letters printed on it – the catch is that they get smaller as you move along.
- Color Blindness Test – It is entirely possible to have color vision deficiency without realizing it, which is why color vision screening is performed at an early stage of a comprehensive eye exam. That way, your doctor can rule out color blindness.
- Eye Muscle (Ocular Motility) Test – To evaluate the muscles that control your eye movements, your doctor will check smooth eye movements – following a moving object with your eyes, as well as saccades (quick eye movements) – moving your eyes between two separate targets.
- Refraction Assessment – Before you can start looking for eyeglasses, your doctor needs to check if you do, in fact, have a refractive error. This assessment helps estimate your lens prescription, as well.
- Visual Field Test Calgary – Also known as perimetry, visual field test is there to detect any areas in your field of vision that might be compromised. Confrontation exam is the most common form of visual field testing, but automated perimetry and tangent screen exam are performed, as well.
- Slit Lamp Exam – Using an intense line of light, and under high magnification, your doctor will inspect the outer, as well as inner structures of your eyes.
The slit lamp exam is a crucial step in detecting a wide range of conditions, including cataracts, which affects nearly 20.5 million adults in the U.S. alone.
- Retinal Examination – Your doctor will also need to take a closer look at your eye’s internal structures, including the retina, the blood vessels that nourish it, and the optic disc, either by direct or indirect examination. For that, you’ll have to get your pupils dilated.
- Screening For Glaucoma – Since glaucoma typically doesn’t have any early warning signs, it’s vital for routine eye exams to include tonometry, be it applanation or non-contact tonometry. The goal is to measure intraocular pressure and detect any abnormalities.
Why Do You Need Our Calgary Eye Glasses?
You know they’ll help you see better, but do you know why you need them?
To better understand how vision correction works, you need to know why eyesight impairment occurs in the first place.
When a person with perfect eyesight looks at something, the scattered light merges, and enters their eyes, focusing on the retina. At the same time, thanks to the lens and the cornea, the image shrinks and curves, so it matches the retina both in size, as well as shape. That’s the ideal case.
When these eye structures are not able to perform their jobs right, you’ll experience one of the following three common vision problems:
- Nearsightedness (Myopia) – As the name suggests, people suffering from it are unable to see objects that are distant clearly, since images come into focus before reaching the retina.
- Farsightedness (Hyperopia) – Alternatively, when the image comes into focus behind the retina, close objects appear out of focus.
- Astigmatism – Irregular cornea or lens shape creates the second focal point inside the eye, resulting in blurred vision at any given distance.
From there on, the solution sounds rather simple – all there is to do is redirect the light, so it hits your retina correctly. That’s where framed eyeglasses come to play!
Additional Tips For Finding The Perfect Pair Of Glasses in Calgary
If you’re going to be wearing your glasses every day, the least you can do is find a frame that suits you perfectly, right? The good news is you don’t have to be an expert to do that – just follow these three simple tips:
- Finding the right frame for your face shape is the first and most important thing you should do. There are a lot of guides that can help you with that but remember you get the final vote. You can’t go wrong with a pair that makes you feel unique and confident.
- Black frame is a classic, ideal for highlighting your eyes, but that doesn’t mean you should be afraid of colors. It’s okay to step out of your comfort zone from time to time. That said, you need to take your skin tone into account, the same way you did your face shape. Cool complexions love gray, silver, purple, blue, even pink and the almighty black, while golden shades, browns, olive green and light tortoise compliment warm skin tones.
- Lastly, make sure they’re in proportion with your face. Too small of a frame, and it might alter your vision or compromise the effectiveness of your glasses; too big, and they’ll „swallow“ your face. The goal here is to find the middle ground, and our Calgary optometrists can help with that, too.
Let Us Help You
Whether you decided it’s time to get a new pair, or your most recent eye exam revealed you’ll need vision correction, our eyeglasses Calgary options are an excellent place to start. Don’t be a stranger, and come by our Calgary optometry practice – we promise to handpick a pair just for you!
Shopping for Eyeglasses in Calgary – Find the Best Lenses For Your Face
Wherever you live in the province, I’m sure you make an occasional trip to its biggest city for whatever reasons. If one of those reasons happens to be eyesight related, you’re in luck, because this article is going to direct you to the best place for eyeglasses in Calgary.
Besides this, you’re also going to learn how to pick the best lenses and the right frame for the shape of your face.
Sounds interesting? Read on!
LensCrafters – Eye Exams, Sunglasses, and Eyeglasses in Calgary
I’m sure locals already know about LensCrafters, a name with a 30-year long tradition that offers eye exams as well as a wide array of eyeglasses and sunglasses to choose from.
LensCrafters has stores in several locations in the city, so it shouldn’t be a problem to find one in your vicinity. People coming from elsewhere can simply go to the site closest to the direction they’re arriving from, so there won’t be a need to drive across the entire city.
How to pick the best eye glasses in Calgary for you?
As you may or may not know, choosing a pair of sunglasses can be tricky business, especially if you’ve never done it before. There are a lot of factors to consider beforehand, many that I’m sure you’ve never even thought of, so it would be advisable to read the following section.
Here’s what to consider when buying eyeglasses:
Lifestyle Eyewear Glasses
Since lenses are the heart of eyeglasses, you’ll need to pick a type that’s best suited to your lifestyle.
What do I mean by this? Let me name a few examples of lenses for different kinds of purposes:
Outdoors/indoors glasses – believe it or not, not all lenses are optimal for both indoor and outdoor use, but there is a kind that is. These intelligent glass lenses adapt to changing light and allow you to see equally clearly in and outside the house.
Blue light filtering glasses – individuals who spend a lot of time in front of screens ought to get this type, as they can block from 20% to 50% of the harmful blue light.
Glasses for Driving at night – if you do a lot of driving after dark, then you’ll want the anti-reflective lenses that’ll help you block all those headlights and city lights coming your way.
Sun blocking Glasses – those who like to be in the sun will probably be interested in polarized lenses that can let them see clearly even when the sky is clear at midday.
Nature – Nature lovers will benefit from lenses made specifically for these surroundings as they’ll enable them to see the true vividity, clarity, and contrast of the natural colors.
Shape of Frames
Besides its primary purpose, which is holding the lenses, the frame also has to look good. Now, here’s where the real dilemma starts – which frames are going to look good on your head?
This is largely determined by the shape of one’s face, and LensCrafters’ website has a feature that can help you choose the optimal models for you. You’ll go through a 2-step questionnaire which asks you to input the shape of your face (oval, round, heart, square), and then pick one of the styles that go well with it.
After that, you will see a list of the recommended eyeglasses that will be a perfect or nearly perfect fit for you. Easy as 1, 2, 3!
If you’re curious about the methodology of suiting frames to faces, here are some general guidelines:
Oval face Frames
This kind of face is often thought of as the most “desirable” due to its balanced proportions. The rule of thumb is to get a frame that’s wider than the widest part of the face, and it shouldn’t be too deep nor too narrow.
Square face Frames
A strong jaw, broad forehead, and an overall G.I. Joe look is what characterizes a square face. To soften these sharp angles, its advisable to wear narrow frames (e.g., narrow ovals).
Round face Frames
A round face is roughly of the same width and height, so it’s going to need a frame that’ll make it look longer and thinner. For example, one can try out angular frames or narrow rectangular frames.
Heart face Frames
This is a face with a wide top and a narrow bottom, and to make it look good, we’ll need a thin frame with a slightly wider bottom side to even out the proportions a little bit.
Frames material
The final factor to think about would be the material of the frame, and here’s what you can find at LensCrafters:
Titanium Frames- this is the strongest frame material of all. It is corrosion-resistant and hypoallergenic so it can be a good choice for pretty much anyone. It might be slightly pricier than the others, but it is well worth it.
Metal Frames– this category encompasses other metals besides titanium, including aluminum, Monel, stainless steel, and so on. Each of them has its unique characteristics, and you can find out more about it here.
Plastic Frames – the cheapest and the most lightweight option. It is available in a range of different colors, so it’s perfect for those concerned about style.
Conclusion: Calgary Frames
There you have it; this would be all that you need to know before setting off to buy eyeglasses in Calgary. Now, I’d like to offer you one last piece of advice – take it slowly.
Do not rush to get just any pair, but take the time to try out different frames and lenses until you’re confident that you’re getting the right thing. Your eyeglasses will basically be an extension of your body from that point on, so you better like them a lot!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What Are Eyeglasses Calgary?
A: Eyeglasses in our Calgary clinic are measured to suit your needs.
Q: Where can I buy new glasses?
A: Our Lensrafter store in Calgary, Alberta has a wide selection of eyeglasses that will fit your style and personality.