Do I need an eye check?
Let’s be real - How many of us actually have perfect vision without wearing glasses? 🤨 ... But we can still have clear vision with a good pair of glasses!
In this edition of foptics University, we will introduce some of the common eye conditions, how they affect us, and the importance of wearing glasses with the right prescription!
Check out how the same scenery can appear to individuals with different eye conditions!
Eye Conditions
Myopia
To start off, let's talk about myopia, the most common vision condition. Myopia is commonly known as nearsightedness and usually develops and worsens during childhood or adolescence, before stabilising in adulthood.
Some symptoms include the need to squint or partially close your eyelids to see clearly, and the need to sit closer to your screens to focus on the fine details. Frequent blinking or rubbing of eyes could also suggest myopia.
Causes of myopia include the elongation of eyeball or when the cornea is curved too steeply. Genetics also play a part in influencing the chances of a child developing myopia - a child is more likely to develop myopia if 1 or both parents are myopic. Lastly, extended period of time spent doing near work, and hence, longer exposure to digital screens and spending less time outdoors can also contribute to the development of myopia.
Presbyopia
Most of us know presbyopia as "lao hua". It is the loss of ability to focus on near objects due to ageing and this condition usually develops from age 40 and continues to worsen until around age 65 for most individuals.
Symptoms include the tendency to hold mobile phones or reading materials further away to read clearly and experiencing blurred vision at normal reading distance. Having tired eyes or headaches after doing some near work is another symptom of presbyopia.
Presbyopia is caused by the loss of elasticity and muscle flexibility of the eye lens to focus on near objects.
For those who want the convenience of good near and far vision, consider giving progressive glasses a try! With progressive lenses, you will be able to do close-up or near work (reading a book), middle-distance work (using your computer), and distance viewing (looking afar) with a single pair of glasses. (Visit us to find out more on our progressive glasses! 😊)
Hyperopia
There is also hyperopia, commonly known as farsightedness, whereby individuals are unable to focus on near objects. Hyperopia usually develops and worsens during childhood to adolescence, before stabilising in adulthood.
Symptoms include squinting to see near objects clearly, which will otherwise appear blurry, and eye fatigue after doing near work/ computer work for a period of time.
Hyperopia occurs when the eyeball is shorter than normal or cornea is curved too little. Once again, genetics also play a part in causing hyperopia and the chances of a child developing hyperopia is higher if 1 or both parents are hyperopic.
Astigmatism
Next, ever wondered how astigmatism affects vision?
Astigmatism causes us to see blurred "double" vision at any distance. This condition is usually present since birth, and may occur in combination with myopia or hyperopia.
Some symptoms of astigmatism are as follow: difficulty inn seeing fine details at any distance, seeing halos and glares when looking at bright lights, and experiencing worsened visibility at night which may affect activities such as driving.
Irregular curvature of the cornea can result in astigmatism. It may also develop after an eye injury, disease of surgery.
Do I Need an Eye Check?
All that being said, it is important that you get yourself a pair of prescription glasses to correct your vision! Even if you have perfect vision, you can opt for a no-degree BluShield glasses to protect your eyes from harmful blue-light. 💻
Receive a prescription card from us during your visit! You can keep it for easier reference when you shop for your next pair of glasses online or in-stores. Here's the best part - your optical details would be stored online for you (in your foptics account) after you make a purchase in-stores!
👀 Looking for a cheap optical store? Come to foptics for your new pair of glasses and be #seebaehappy again! 🤓
Guide to Understanding your Prescription Card and Vision
_S -1.50, Cyl -0.75, PD 63... What are all these numbers on my prescription card and what do they say about my vision? 🤔
Be confused no more - here’s a simple guide for you to better understand your vision! (But if you’re unsure of your prescription or if it’s still accurate, do pop by our stores for a complimentary eye check!)
Prescription Card
Firstly, let's figure out what the alphabet 'S' stands for on your prescription card.
Next, 'Cy' is the indication for astigmatism and 'Ax' represents the axis.
Presbyopia is the inability of the eyes to focus on near objects, and this is a common effect of ageing.
Finally, you also need to know your pupillary distance (PD) when making your glasses! Do visit us and let our professional opticians measure your PD for you or check our the foptics Lens Scanner app to measure your PD.
A common question is whether our contact lens prescription is the same as that for glasses. The answer is no! You'll need a separate prescription for your glasses.
Glasses are worn at a distance from the eyes, while contact lenses rest directly over the cornea of the eyes. Hence, the degrees required for your eyeglasses and your contact lenses may differ. Furthermore, important information, such as PD, are omitted from a contact lens prescription. However, they are required when making a pair of glasses. For optimal vision clarity, we recommend getting a prescription specially for glasses!
If you're unsure of your prescription, you can always drop by our stores for a complimentary eye check with every purchase! No appointment needed. Find out more here! 👀
That concludes our quick and easy guide to understanding all the alphabets on your prescription card! Now that you know what they mean, you can now confidently shop for your next pair of glasses on our website with your prescription!
Till our next post, happy shopping! 🛒 👓
How do I choose the right lens?
Do I need anti-blue light lens? And will the lens be thick for my degree? 🤔
Who knew choosing lenses can be such a headache too! 😂 But fret no longer, foptics University have come up with a systematic guide to help you select the right pair of lens to match that beautiful frame you’ve chosen!
The two most important factors are the features and index of your lens!
Features of lens are dependent on your lifestyle - Are you always looking at digital screens? Or are you always out and about under the sun? On the other hand, index of lens is dependent on your prescription (degree). If you do not know your degree, feel free to drop by our stores for a complimentary eye check (with every purchase).
Features
BluShield Lens
First up - BluShield lens! These are anti-blue light lenses that can protect our eyes from the harmful blue light emitted by our electronic devices that we stare at all day! This is the right lens choice for those who spend a good amount of time in front of their laptops and mobile devices, which is especially common during this WFH season.
Did you know? Close to one-third of all visible light is blue light and almost all visible blue light passes through the barrier of our cornea and lens. In addition, one of the harmful effects of increased exposure to digital screen technology is the lower production of melatonin, which is an important hormone in sleep regulation!
With our BluShield glasses, you can say goodbye to digital eye strain, eye fatigue and having dry irritated eyes all day while you WFH! This might be the key to help you get better sleep at night!
RayActive Lens
Next, what is RayActive lens? 🧐 These are our photochromic lenses which changes colour depending on light intensity! The lenses stay clear indoors but change to a darker shade once you're outdoors. This changing lens is the perfect choice for those who lead an active lifestyle outdoors and do not want the hassle of bringing an additional pair of sunglasses. Step out into the sun and viola! Your prescription glasses are now your sunglasses ☀️
Sunglasses are important in helping us reduce eye strain and eye damage by blocking out UV light. With our RayActive lenses, you will never forget your pair of sunglasses again!
Stand out from the crowd with the colour of your lens! Besides the standard grey lens, our RayActive POP range gives you the option of more interesting colours: blue, pink and purple! 🌈
Lens Index
Don't know what is lens index? It is essentially the thickness, or thinness, of your lens. The higher the index, the thinner the lenses. Depending on your prescription, you may have to choose a higher lens index if you want to have thin lenses. While we recommend higher index lenses for those with higher prescriptions, it is still up to your own preference!👌🏼
Here's a summarised chart on the type of lens to go for!
We hope you're now equipped with the knowledge on how to choose the right lens based on your lifestyle! You can visit our website to find out more on the pricing for the different each lens type and index.
Right lens + beautiful frame = perfect glasses = #seebaehappy 😊
See you in the next post of foptics University! 👀
How do I choose the right frame? (Part 2)
We know you've been waiting so here it is! Here's how to choose the right frame - Part 2!
Skin Tone
A frame colour that complements our skin tone can help to elevate our look and the energy we give off! We have different recommendations of frame colour for different skin tones.
For those with a fair skin tone, go for rose gold, clear, egypt, floral, wine or autumn frames. If you have a dark skin tone, try our black, silver, knight, egypt, gold, autumn or emerald frames.
Occassion
It is also important to pick the right frame for the right occasion! Depending on the different settings, your frame choice should be able to match your outfit and bring out your best look.
For a day out or date night, trendy and stylish frames can up your street cred and keep you looking your best. For work and other formal settings, professional looking frames can make your peers and colleagues take you more seriously. If you're into sports, our flexible and sturdy frames can help you play comfortably and ace that game!
Sounds complicated? Don't worry - we've got you covered! Be it for a fun day out or date night, or even for the professional workplace and for exercising, we have the right frame for every occasion!
Give Burmilla and Esther a shot when you go for your day out/date night! Trust this pair of cat eye glasses to spice out your outfit and Esther can most definitely give you that effortless, elegant look that you're after.
For work, opt for more professional looking frames such as Tao and Hamu. They're the frames to go if you want to give off the right impression at work - professional and reliable! 👍🏻 Besides, they can surely go well with both causal and formal wear!
It's easy to look good even while working those muscles! Plastic frames, such as Game and Econvacs, are more resistant to sweat than mental frames. These frames are also flexible, which means longer lasting frames as they do not break easily. You can exercise without a worry!
Enjoy the best of both worlds with our hybrid frames! Make the easy switch from regular glasses to sunglasses with our convenient clip-ons. You no longer need to be wearing your contact lens with your sunglasses. Now, who wouldn't like a fuss-free 2-in-1 glasses?!
That concludes all the tips that will help you choose the right frame! At the end of the day, we strongly recommend you to choose the frame that you like best. Feeling good means looking good! 😌
We hope you’ve found this guide useful and feel free to share this article with your friends and fam! See you on the next instalment of foptics University! 🤓
How do I choose the right frame? (Part 1)
Feature 1: Face Shape
If you have a low nose bridge, it is best to opt for frames with nose pads for better support and maximum comfort. The nose pads can be adjusted to ensure that the frame sit well on your face and prevent it from sliding down. As for those with a high nose bridge, frames with or without nose pads can both work for you. Don't forget to have our professional opticians adjust your nose pads for you in-stores, so that it can fit the height and width of your nose bridge.
Did you know? We have an Instagram filter where you can try our frames virtually and see how they look on you. Go check it out now!
At only $35.90 all-in, you can now get yourself that stylish pair of glasses to make you #seebaehappy! 😎 Psst - our glasses are ready in 3 working days too!
Visit our website to view the selection or drop by our physical stores to try them out! Feel free to approach any of our friendly staff for recommendations!
In our next post, we will be sharing even more tips on how to choose your perfect frame! Stay tuned!