It's Sunglass Season

It's Sunglass Season

With summer days fast approaching, our attention now turns towards life outdoors. But with outdoor play time comes the risk of UV light exposure and the harmful effects this might place on our eyes. UV-rays can contribute towards cataract formation, age-related macular degeneration, skin cancer and premature signs of ageing around the eyes (ie. wrinkles, freckles, and sunspots). A few simple ways to help reduce excessive UV light exposure are...

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StoneWire Optometry in Kingsway Mall - Coming Soon!

The all new StoneWire Optometry will be opening up on the lower level of Kingsway Mall next door to Pearle Vision optical on January 7, 2014 @ 1:00pm.

Optometrists Dr. Ross McKenzie and Dr. Jeff Holtz will be providing family focused comprehensive eye care and contact lens services, along with emergency eye care services and ophthalmology referrals. The clinic will offer extended office hours for your convenience including evening and weekend appointments.

To book your next eye exam at StoneWire Optometry in Kingsway Mall, please contact us @ 780.628.6886.

 

StoneWire Optometry
Kingsway Mall - Edmonton
 

Same Day Delivery - Eyeglasses

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If your eyeglasses are broken, you live far away, you’re travelling or you’re just in a hurry, then why not let the people at Pearle Vision Optical in Kingsway Mall help you out with their same day prescription eyewear service.

With an in house optical lab, Pearle Vision can provide you with a same day service on most prescription eyewear. *

Walkin appointments for eye exams are also available from one of our onsite optometrists, so don't forget to update your prescription first!

*some restrictions may apply, please see Pearle Vision in Kingsway Mall for details. 

Book Your Next Eye Exam with Stonewire Optometry
Kingsway Mall | Edmonton| Alberta

The Best Pair of Glasses for Your Favourite Sport

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There is a little professional athlete inside all of us. Our competitive nature comes out with friends, colleagues and family reunions. But in order to perform at your best, you must have clear, comfortable vision in all lighting conditions. Our eyes tend to lead our actions.

Athletic eyewear begins with a routine eye health and vision examination with an optometrist. Your optometrist can help determine if corrective lenses are required or if you have any oculomotor (eye movement) problems holding you back from peak performance. Your eye doctor can also suggest vision correction solutions based on your eye health, lifestyle and activities. One pair of eyeglasses or sunglasses may not be adequate for everything.

Sports eyewear can help prevent blunt trauma or injuries and improve visual comfort. Eyewear can also be sport-specific, and we’ve provided a few helpful hints to consider when shopping for your new eyewear.

Running Glasses

Look for eyewear that will not easily slip down your nose when you sweat or bounce when you run. Running eyewear must be comfortable for long distances and offer 100% UV protection. Trail runners should look for shatter-resistant lenses to protect their eyes from tree branches (ask for polycarbonate or trivex/phoenix lenses).

Cycling Glasses

Look for polarized sunglasses to help cut down road glare and improve the visibility of potholes and obstacles. The frames must provide adequate protection from the wind and elements, especially when leaning forward on the bike. They should fit seamlessly and comfortably under your helmet. Non-polarized sunglasses tend to be more favourable for mountain biking as they produce more consistent shadows during dynamic movements.

Golf Glasses

Look for polarized sunglasses that do not cause peripheral distortions. These distortions can make it difficult to read the greens for proper ball movement. Low quality, high wrap frames and lenses are not an option. Look for quality sunglass brands worn by the professionals on tour.

Fishing Glasses

See what you’re trying to catch by wearing polarized sunglasses. These lenses will knock out the glare from the water’s surface and allow you to see into the water.

Racket Sports

Squash, racketball and tennis are high-velocity sports that require properly fit athletic eyewear. There are numerous potential causes for an eye injury during a typical match; from the ball, the racket or another player. Once again, look for shatter-resistant lenses to protect your eyes, and safety frames designed to withstand high impact. Consider a headband or strap to ensure that the eyewear does not move.

Summer is almost here!

With the sun now rising and setting a little earlier each day in Edmonton, our thoughts have once again gone back to the topic of sun protection. Sunglasses provide 2 key benefits to patients: reduced exposure to harmful ultra-violet rays and improved visual comfort in bright sunlight. So what is the best option?

Basic Sunglasses

Basic sunglasses simply decrease the intensity of the light around us equally. They help to protect the eyes from the suns harmful ultra-violet rays, and are really one of the best choices for athletes looking for consistent vision during dynamic sporting activities.  Basic sunglasses will typically cost less then polarized lenses and can be found the seasons trendiest new frame styles.

Polarized Sunglasses

Polarized sunglasses decrease the intensity of the light around us, and they reduce or eliminate the reflections or glare that come off flat surfaces like snow, water and roads. By eliminating glare, polarized sunglasses improve visual contrast and help to reduce fatigue and eye strain.  Polarized lenses are best suited for less dynamic activities or flat surfaces like in driving, fishing, boating, etc.

What lens colour is the best?

Lens colour seems to come down to personal choice and fashion for a lot of people. It is a myth however, that darker sunglasses provide more ultra-violet light protection then lighter tints. Darker tints help to reduce more of the suns overall intensity, but quality sunglasses regardless of tint should all block at least 99% of UV-A and UV-B rays. Your eye doctor may recommend darker tints like grey and black during the summer months when the suns rays are far more intense. But during the winter months they may recommend brown tints, as they can add a sense of brightness to a dull flat light day. Light and dark tints are available in polarized and non-polarized sunglass styles, as well as in prescription and non-prescription style sunglasses.

 

Think Thin!

Do you hate the thought of having to wear thick heavy looking eyeglasses? If so, maybe it’s time you started thinking thin.

Thin or hi-index eyeglasses lenses are not only more visually appealing, but they can also provide superior vision if you have a higher prescription. These lenses are usually lighter then conventional lenses, making your eyeglasses more comfortable to wear.

There are a few things to consider though when you purchase a thin high index lens. One of which is, internal reflections. Internal reflections can result in excessive halos and glare and reduced cosmetic appeal. As such, it is crucial to have an anti-reflective coating applied to both the front and back surface of the lens to help control or minimize this effect.

To learn more about thin or hi-index lenses, talk to your optician.

CALL 780.474.6377        BOOK ON-LINE        WALK-INS WELCOME


EYE EXAMS – CONTACT LENSES – EMERGENCY VISITS – OPHTHALMOLOGY REFERRALS

 

Single Best Eyeglass Upgrade

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Anti-reflective coatings are by far the single best eyeglass upgrade a person can purchase. Eyeglass lenses that do not have an anti-reflective coating can actually reduce your overall vision and can lead to eyestrain and visual fatigue. In fact, basic non-coated eyeglass lenses can reflect up to 10% of the light. High index lenses can further increase this amount because of internal reflections, making anti-reflective applications absolutely crucial for optimal vision in these thinner lighter lenses.

Anti-reflective eyeglass lenses allow up to 99% of the light to pass directly through the lens. This produces a brighter, sharper more natural feeling image to the wearer. Reduced internal and surface reflections also helps with improved cosmetic appeal during both work and social situations. Anti-reflective coatings allow for better eye-to-eye contact and are a must have for anyone who works with the public. 

Night driving can be dramatically improved by using anti-reflective lenses. These eyeglass lenses help to reduce glare from on coming headlights as well as from auxiliary sources within the vehicle such as the instrument panel or navigation systems. These same principles also apply to working on the computer or playing video games. By reducing unwanted glare from computer monitors and overhead lights, anti-reflective lenses can actually help to reduce end of day visual fatigue.

Anti-reflective lenses have evolved immensely over the past few decades since they were first introduced. Today, high quality anti-reflective lenses offer the best resistance against scratching, as they must be applied over an ultra-tough base coat. Some anti-reflective coatings also help to repel dust and oil from the lens surface and make cleaning your eyeglasses faster and easier.

Review: 5 Reasons to purchase anti-reflective coatings

1.     Improved light transmission    

2.     Improved cosmetic appeal   

3.     Improved night time vision  

4.     Improved computer vision  

5.     Improved scratch resistance  

What Does 20/20 Vision Mean?

This is a common question that people seem to always ask eye doctors at social events. Typically optometrists and ophthalmologists refer to visual acuity in terms of the Snellen acuity eye charts. The Snellen acuity eye charts displays letters which become progressively smaller from the top to the bottom. In terms of Snellen acuity, 20/20 is considered normal vision for most people. From a statistic point of view what does this mean? In basically means that approximately 68.2% of the normal healthy population is able to have their vision corrected to this level. It also however means that approximately 15.9% of the normal healthy population has correctable vision that is better than this and that 15.9% of the normal healthy population has correctable vision that is worse than this.

In general 20/20 means that a person sees the same line of letters at 20 feet that a normal person sees from 20 feet. If a person has 20/40 vision, than this means that they can see the same line of letters at 20 feet that a normal person sees from 40 feet away. Therefore their vision is worse than normal. If a person has 20/15 vision, than this means that they can see the same line of letters at 20 feet that a normal persons sees from 15 feet away. Therefore their vision is better than normal.

Recap:

20/20 – Top number is where you are standing and the bottom number is where a normal person stands to see the same sized object or line of letters.

Now you know!