Eyeglasses are one of the most important accessories you may ever need, not because they are very trendy and chic, but because if you need it, then you can’t live without it! People who wear eyeglasses are not wearing it for its fashion statement (though there is nothing wrong with that), but most of them wear eyeglasses to correct a visual error!  

Why do some people need eyeglasses?

Many people have visual errors known as nearsightedness , farsightedness and astigmatism Visual errors or refractive errors are common eye problems where you can’t see properly due to an error in your eye globe size, your corneal curvature or your intraocular lens. Normally, the image of the object you are seeing passes through your cornea then gets focused by the lens to fall directly on the retina (that acts like the negative film of the camera). Any defect in this journey may cause the image to fall in front or behind the retina, this makes the image look blurry and unclear. For example, in nearsightedness, the image of near objects is clear while that of far objects is blurry making tasks like driving very difficult. While in farsightedness, the image of far objects is crystal clear while that of near objects are a visual nightmare, making something as simple as reading very annoying!  

What are eyeglasses made of?

Eyeglasses are made of mainly two parts: the lens and the frame that holds it. Choosing the best lens depends on two criteria, its power and its material! What is the power of the lens? Depending on your visual error, your ophthalmologist or optician will measure your visual error and detect the exact power you need to correct this error. For example: if you have mild nearsightedness your corrective power may be ( -2:00) while having mild farsightedness your power will read (+3:00). What is the best material for eyeglasses’ lenses? At first eyeglasses-from its name- were made of glass, but they were thick unappealing and dangerous if they broke. With technology, new types of lenses were invented using polycarbonates and Trivex, which are light, thin, unbreakable. Making them the best and safest option for kids and athletes. Another option is available if you work in sunny environments and can’t sacrifice sunglasses for eyeglasses or vice versa then photochromic lenses are your go-to eyeglasses. Sunlight easily makes them go from clear to tinted, allowing you to see clearly in all conditions. How to chose the best eyeglasses frame? Frames are the part that keeps the lens in place over your eyes. They are made of various materials, colors and designs. Many brands like Gucci, Chanel, Tiffany&Co., Tom Ford and others have taken over the industry of eyeglasses designs, giving you thousands of options that suits your face shape, your eyes, your nose, your ears, your preferred frame shape and of course your favorite color! All you have to do is visit your preferred glasses shop, chose your favorite design and lens type, give them your lens prescription and they will deliver you a fully functioning eyeglasses within the hour!  

What are the advantages of eyeglasses?

• Available: There are hundreds of eyeglasses shops around you; you just pop in the boutique and chose your favorite! You can also easily find it online and reduce the hassle!
• Not expensive: if you go for a non-branded frame, you can find eyeglasses that could cost you less than your morning coffee! And if your vision is stable, you don’t have to change them unlike contact lenses that needs to be changed regularly!
• Easy to change prescription if needed: if you like your frame, but your vision is unstable, you can easily replace the lenses with your new prescription and keep your beloved frame all the time. But with contacts, changing your prescription means new contact lenses every time!
• Low maintenance: eyeglasses don’t need special care or cleaning solutions, just keep them clean, don’t break them and they will live forever!
• Can wear as many of them as you like, changing styles every time: if you are of the easily bored type, you can buy as many frames as you like and change them to match your outfit every time! Afterall you can use eyeglasses as your fashion statement!
• Easy to put, easy to take off! Last but not least, the most important advantage of eyeglasses is how easy you can take them off! You don’t need to stick your fingers into your eyes every time you need to take them off like you do with your contacts!

 

What are the disadvantages of eyeglasses?

Although eyeglasses seem like the perfect option, but they still hold some cons.

• Distorted vision: if you suffer of severe nearsightedness, then your vision will not be fully corrected especially at the edge of the lens. Also, because they lie a few cm away from your eyes, they don’t offer 100% correction.
• Affects self-confidence: not all people like the way they look in glasses, especially if they don’t want other people to know that they have visual errors! Wearing glasses definitely proves that you have an eyesight problem. And with kids, they may get bullied in school, because they are wearing glasses!
• Heavy on the nose: choosing a heavy frame, or low material frame pads and/or having oily skin may apple pressure on your nose making wearing your eyeglasses painful!
• Easily affected by weather conditions: if it is foggy, rainy or windy, the lenses can fog up, get dirty and you can’t see properly!
• Not suitable for many activities: if you are trying a new sport or getting intimate with your spouse or simply going for a run, eyeglasses will be a huge obstacle in this activity!

 

Magrabi’s advice:

Choosing your eyeglasses depends on two things, your visual error and your fashion sense! At Magrabi’s hospitals and centers we can help you with both! With our eminent ophthalmologists and our state-of-the-art optical center, you can get your perfect eyeglasses! And if eyeglasses are not your best option, at Magrabi we can offer you many alternatives like contact lenses, PRK, LASIK and FemtoSMILE procedures! These surgeries offer a permanent solution for your visual error!