Yes, we only use optical quality CE marked frames. Our stock comes from exactly the same sources and inventory that Lunettes Opticians Ltd uses in their high street practices.
The best way is to order a similar size to a comfortable pair of spectacles that you already have. All our frames have measurements of the lens size, the distance between the lenses (DBL) and the arm length. You will be able to read these measurements off your present frames and they are always in millimetres.
For example, in a frame that has "49-21-140" printed inside the arm, the important numbers are "49", "21" and"140". This tells you that the width of one lens is 49mm. The nose bridge gap between the two lenses is 21mm and that the arm length distance from the hinge to the tip is 140mm.
However, comparing these measurements is not always the best way to obtain a good fitting frame online. If you feel more comfortable, we will always offer advice or a fitting consultation in practice.
You can use the measurements such as depth, diameter, bridge and arm length as a general guide. However, it is unlikely that you will match all of them exactly to your existing spectacles.
Of course, you may bring or send them into us for adjustment if you wish. If posting them into us for any adjustment, please be very specific (using a diagram if possible) in describing the adjustment you require. Postage will be at your own cost.
If you need a minor adjustment most local Opticians will do this for you, though some may charge a small fee.
Distance spectacles are for general use e.g., driving, watching TV or walking about. Some people wear distance spectacles all the time for all tasks including close work.
Reading spectacles are for reading and close work only. If your prescription has an “add” you will only be able to wear your spectacles for close work and they will be blurred if you look in the distance.
Intermediate spectacles can be for computer and 'arm's length' work or, occasionally, they are set for reading music. They are like reading spectacles, but the range of the focus is set further away. Your Optician will give you a specific prescription for this which may be a different “add” (an 'inter' or 'intermediate' add) or a separate prescription.
Bifocal spectacles have a regular distance lens with a segment in the bottom for reading. These are for people, with a reading add or reading prescription, who would otherwise need separate spectacles for distance and reading.
Varifocal lenses, also called progressive lenses, progressive power lenses and graduated lenses, are corrective lenses used in spectacles to correct presbyopia and other disorders of accommodation. A gradient of increasing lens power is added to the correction for the other refraction error, going from a minimum or nothing at the top of the lens to maximum magnification at the bottom of the lens. A wearer can then adjust the lens power required for clear vision at different viewing distances by tilting his or her head to place the line of sight through different parts of the lens.
Varifocal lenses avoid the sudden jump in the visual field created by bifocal lenses. The lenses are also more cosmetically attractive as there are not any obvious or sharp jumps between the visual areas. They are known as the modern alternative to the older bifocal and trifocal lenses. These lenses suffer the slight disadvantage of creating regions of 'distortion' away from the optical axis, yielding poor visual resolution toward the edges. Although manufacturers are constantly striving to minimize these distortions, some wearers cannot tolerate the lenses. The amount of distortion typically reduces depending on higher varifocal lens quality the wearer opts for.
Please note, the Lunettes Opticians online site currently only supports single vision prescriptions orders.
This is called a reglaze. If your current spectacle frame is in a "serviceable" condition, we will be happy to reglaze them to your prescription. We offer the same variants of lens type and coating for reglaze as we do for our spectacles online.
This service is only available through contacting us in branch via enquiries@lunettes.co.uk or call 01529 414066.
We will examine your frame when it arrives for reglazing and, if there are any obvious issues that may preclude its suitability for glazing in our lab here, we will inform you straight away. Some frames may require specialist reglazing and, where this is the case, we will inform you and give the options available.
Please bear in mind that your frame may have hidden signs of wear that may manifest themselves during the glazing process. Issues such as metal fatigue, faults with sprung hinges, paint and lacquer coatings, brittle plastic frames etc may result in the frame breaking. Whilst Lunettes Opticians takes the utmost care in all aspect of its glazing, it does not, in fairness, accept any responsibility where a frame becomes damaged or broken during the reglazing process or in the subsequent despatch to the customer.
Yes, you may! There is the option to purchase the ‘Frame Only’ on our product pages. If this is selected, you will receive a frame without any glazed lenses fitted. The frame manufacturer's markings, branding or product information may be present on the demo lens.
Customers wishing to purchase spectacles as a 'wearable accessory' i.e., when they do not need corrective lenses to see properly, they will need to purchase ‘with prescription’, chose the desired lens options and prescription information set to '0.00'. We will then glaze the frame with our optical standard, zero prescription lenses.
The PD – or Pupillary Distance - is the distance between the centre of one pupil to the centre of the other pupil. Prescription spectacles are made so that the distance between the optical centres of the lenses is the same as your PD. The PD varies from person to person but once you are an adult, your PD does not tend change.
Your PD is measured either during the eye test or when prescription spectacles are ordered. It is not automatically included as part of your written prescription. Patients who have ordered spectacles from Lunettes Options in practice will be able to request this from us in order to complete your online purchase with Lunettes Opticians. Obviously, we cannot measure your PD over the internet, so it is best to make sure your PD is included in your spectacle prescription. Simply ask you optician to make a note of it on your prescription, though some may charge a small fee for this.
We recommend that you use the measurements taken by an optometrist or an optical dispenser whenever possible.
Your Optician should, by law, have given you your prescription at the time of your last sight test. Make sure you ask for it. If you have mislaid your prescription your Optician should give you a copy.
If you are unsure about how to enter your prescription, we can help you out if you give us a call here on 01529 414066. One of our trained staff will give you all the help you need - and even take the order for you over the phone if you so wish.
If it is easier, you may upload your prescription instead of entering it yourself. Simply click on "Upload a Prescription" and we will take care of entering the information for you. You may also email or post us a copy of your prescription and we can do the rest for you if that makes it simpler.
The prescription may appear complicated at first, but it is quite simple. There are four elements:
Some prescriptions will not require a value to be entered into each box. If it is blank on your prescription you will not need to enter it on our website.
The most important thing to check in each box is whether the lens value has a plus + or minus - sign.
Sometimes there may be a muscle imbalance between the eyes. The optician may prescribe a prism to correct this. Prisms are also used to correct double vision.
The amount of prism is usually small and helps your eye coordinate better and make your vision more comfortable.
Unfortunately, you cannot order glasses with a prism via our website. Of course, within our practice, we can dispense spectacles with prism.
We can fill a wide range of single vision prescriptions. However, we do have some limitations.
Our standard prescription values which we may accept on our website are plus or minus 6.00 for the Sph values and plus or minus 2.00 for the Cyl values.
We are not allowed to provide spectacles to customers who have had ‘Complex’ lenses prescribed.
Where a prescription is greater than or equal to 10 dioptres (either the total Sph and Cyl, or either of them on their own), we are unable to provide spectacles for you to a prescription this high. Opticians’ rules preclude us from supplying spectacles where the prescription (which is deemed to be ‘complex’) is greater or equal to 10 dioptres in any meridian.
Sphere (SPH): We cannot, under any circumstances, fill prescriptions with an SPH value stronger than -10.00 or +10.00. If you do not have astigmatism, the SPH will be the only value on your prescription (no CYL or Axis).
Cylinder (CYL): If you have astigmatism in either eye, you will have a CYL value in your prescription. We cannot, under any circumstances, fill prescriptions with a CYL value stronger than ±4.00.
While the above SPH and CYL values are at the extreme ends of our range, our ability to fill your prescription depends on your specific combination of SPH and CYL values. If your SPH is stronger than -6.00 in either eye, or you also have a CYL value, please give us a call at 01529 414066, Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm. We would love to discuss your prescription in detail to determine whether we will be able to provide you with prescription lenses in practice instead.
No, not with our online orders. You can, of course, visit us locally and order within practice using your NHS Voucher.
We will require a current, valid contact lens specification to supply your replacement contact lenses. We recommend that you should have an annual eye test and a contact lens check every 6 months, or more frequently, as advised by your Contact Lens Optician.
Your spectacle prescription is different to your contact lens specification. Additional tests and measurements are required to determine the correct lenses for your individual requirements.
Your Contact Lens Optician will be happy to provide your contact lens specification once they have completed your fitting and initial aftercare visits. Please note that this means you may have to return to your Contact Lens Optician for more than one follow-up visit to finalise the fitting if this has not been completed.
