Prescription Eyewear Shopping 101
It is important to have a solid collection of prescription and non-prescription eyewear!
Prescription glasses are your daily superheroes, making sure you see everything clearly from sunrise to sunset. And don’t forget polarized sunglasses—they’re like a stylish shield for your eyes, blocking out the sun’s UV rays and keeping your vision sharp, especially with our bright California sunshine. Plus, having a spare pair is a clever backup plan for those unexpected moments of breakage or misplacement. And why stop there? Having a few different styles means you can match your glasses to your mood or outfit for extra fun!
Frame Quality to Keep you Looking Great
Picking the right frame is essential
You can find frames anywhere these days—from a quick Amazon purchase to a luxury boutique on Rodeo Drive. We strive to go beyond just looking good; we dig deep into where and how your frames are made, ensuring top-notch quality and ethical practices. Our goal is to offer you exceptional eyewear, which means we choose brands that don’t rely on mass production or third-party manufacturers.
We partner directly with brands that make their own products, allowing us to bring you the finest eyewear available. Whether you're looking for budget-friendly options or high-end designs, all our featured brands are crafted by skilled artisans and thoroughly vetted for quality. Plus, many of these brands are committed to social or sustainable missions, reflecting our dedication to thoughtful and responsible investment. At Bella X Specs, it’s all about the story behind the frames, and we’re proud to share that with you.
Lens Quality to Help you See Beautifully
As an Essilor Preferred Provider, we’re excited to bring you top-of-the-line comfort and clarity with our lenses. Essilor’s cutting-edge digital single vision and progressive lenses feature advanced technology designed to make your vision crisp and your eyes feel great. There are lots of different progressive designs on the market — some with smaller reading areas or wider, etc — and picking the right one matters.
Lens coatings play a crucial role in delivering both comfort and clarity. At our office, anti-reflective coatings are a must-have—without them, you might miss out on the full potential of your prescription's clarity. That’s why we offer Crizal coatings for all our Essilor lenses. These coatings not only reduce glare and light reflections but also add a layer of scratch protection, ensuring your lenses stay clear and durable.
One optional but highly recommended upgrade at our office is Transitions lenses. These remarkable lenses effortlessly adapt from bright outdoor environments to indoor settings, making them incredibly versatile. The latest generation of Transitions lenses boasts cutting-edge technology with the fastest activation speeds available, ensuring you enjoy instant comfort and protection no matter where you are.
Stop by and let’s discuss how our lenses can help your eyes relax and stay comfortable all day long, offering you clearer, more enjoyable vision. We’re sure you’ll fall in love with the exceptional quality and never want to go back to anything else!
Custom Measurements are Vital
Understand how to read frame measurements
Sizes for frames don't come in small, medium, large measurements. If you look at your temples (the legs of your glasses), there will likely be numbers on the inside, typically it will be on the inside of the left temple. For example, for the one in the example below, it reads "56 ⃞ 19 143".
Pupil Distance and Ocular Center
Every lens has a sweet spot called the "ocular center" (OC), located right at its center. For the sharpest and most comfortable vision, your pupils need to align with this precise point. This alignment helps minimize distortion and ensures you see everything clearly and naturally through your lenses.
This is often where discomfort begins, especially with digital or progressive lenses. To prevent this, we go the extra mile to take precise measurements, making sure the optical center (OC) of your lenses aligns perfectly with your pupils—not just the center of the frame. This personalized adjustment ensures that you get the most comfortable and clear vision possible.
Correlation Between Lens Material and Thickness
Most lenses are crafted from polycarbonate, a tough, nearly indestructible plastic. But we also offer a variety of other materials, including CR-39, Trivex, and high-index plastics like 1.67 or 1.74.
Here's the scoop: the stronger your prescription, the thicker your lenses will be. On the flip side, a higher index of refraction means your lenses can be made thinner and lighter. For prescriptions over -4.50, we often recommend switching to high-index 1.67 lenses. If your prescription is -8.00 or higher, opting for the thinnest lens possible can help keep things light and comfortable.