> Thank you, Mark, for this information..and Ann for your input re. the
> polished edges. When I ordered the glasses, the salesperson held some
> kind of machine up to my eyes and asked me to focus on a central point
> in it. He took some readings from this, but there was no fitting done
> with regards to the actual frame and definitely no marks made on the
> frame's sample lenses. Does the machine's measurements provide the
> equivalent of this? It would seem to me that it could not...

> This afternoon, I took my glasses to the optician from whom I'd
> purchased my previous pair (the Hoya 1.6's) to get his opinion. He
> said that the power of the new lenses is correct but the one thing that
> struck him was the difference in curve between the old and new lenses.
> He suggested that if I ask them to redo the new lenses, fitting them to
> the curve of the old ones, he thinks I should see better. I do not
> quite understand what he meant... how do opticians determine which
> curve of lens to use?

> One thing that puzzles me is that you say you have Varilux SV lenses.
> Varilux is a brand of progressive (no line bifocals) which is owned by
> Essilor and not SV lenses. So I am really wondering exactly what lenses you
> have. Also, Essilor makes their own AR coating called Crizal, which is
> highly regarded, and it is a bit puzzling why you would get Essilor (or
> Varilux) lenses with Zeiss AR coating. There is something a bit fishy here.

> Before your lenses are made, the optician must first "fit" the frame on your
> face in a position that is relatively close to your eyes so that you can
> achieve the best vision when the lens is mounted. Then they must mark the
> fitting height (just below the horizontal center line of your pupils) and
> the pupil distance (pd) which is the width of your pupils. The optician then
> makes marks on the sample lens that comes with the frame where these two
> points cross on each eye, which is where the optical center point of the
> lens must be mounted in your frame.
> The lens (which is usually about 75mm round) is then cut to fit the outline
> of your frame so the optical center point of the lens is in the correct
> position on the frame (as previously determined). I have left out a few
> details, but hopefully you get the idea of what a proper fitting entails. In
> order for you to have optimal, the fitting must be done properly, and done
> accurately. It is not unusual for the fitting to be quite far off, and a
> remake is sometimes required.
> If you cannot find out from your optician what lens and AR your received, I
> would take them to another optician and ask if they know.
> Polished edges on a minus power lens can cause internal reflections and be
> bothersome, depending on edge thickness and the type of frame.

> Also, would having the polish along the bottom edges of the lenses
> removed reduce the awful glare (when the sun hits them)? Is this
> possible to do?

> Thanks, Mark, for your help. I now have several questions to ask the
> optician. They actually didn't fit the glasses at all...he just handed
> them to me and asked if I could read a paper he was holding and then
> some signs across the street...
> Would there be any way of identifying, independently, which
> manufacturer's AR coat is on the lenses? They are distinctly blue..
> Also, would having the polish along the bottom edges of the lenses
> removed reduce the awful glare (when the sun hits them)? Is this
> possible to do?
> Thank you again, so much..
> -- Elizabeth

> It is possible you are seeing a difference in abbe value between the Essilor
> 1.67 and the Hoya 1.6, especially since the Hoya 1.60 has an especially high
> abbe value compared to other 1.6 index lenses (and obviously higher than any
> 1.67 lens). But it is doubtful that this could be your only problem.
> It is also possible that you have a fitting problem, either of the frame on
> your face, or the lens in the frame. This is especially important for
> aspheric lenses like the ones you likely have, which must be placed for good
> vision. One way to determine if this is a problem is to try to move the
> frame around and see if it improves your vision (but this is not foolproof).
> I would also have your lens powers measured to make sure they were made
> correctly.
> One thing that puzzles me is that you say you have Varilux SV lenses.
> Varilux is a brand of progressive (no line bifocals) which is owned by
> Essilor and not SV lenses. So I am really wondering exactly what lenses you
> have. Also, Essilor makes their own AR coating called Crizal, which is
> highly regarded, and it is a bit puzzling why you would get Essilor (or
> Varilux) lenses with Zeiss AR coating. There is something a bit fishy here.

> I recently purchased a new pair of frames and lenses. The frames are
> my first pair of rimless. The lenses are high-index. I really like
> the way the glasses look...but not so much how I see through them. I
> seem to be having two problems. The first is that my vision does not
> seem as clear and bright and natural to me as it does through my old
> lenses. My eyes seem to have to work harder to see well, if this makes
> any sense, and my field of vision seems less flat. Since the
> opthamologist told me that my prescription had changed only slightly, I
> am wondering if this could be a lens issue.
> My previous lenses, according to my receipt, were Hoya 1.6 with an AR
> coating. The current lenses, my new optician tells me, are Varilux
> single-vision 1.67 with a Zeiss AR coat. Several years ago, I remember
> trying a high-index lens and finding my peripheral vision quickly
> degraded off-center, so I was switched into...I think, at the time,
> spectralite?
> I have been reading online that the lower ABBE value of high-index
> lenses can cause blurring, but can it also cause the kind of dullness,
> etc. that I am experiencing? Is the difference in ABBE values between
> these two lenses such that I would even notice it?
> My other concern is that, when I am outside, the sunlight seems to be
> reflected off the inner polished edge of the lenses right into my eyes.
> It is painful and when I go back inside, I see dark artefacts from it
> for a while. Is there anything I can request be done to correct this
> issue? Sigh...these lenses were just so seductive in their sample
> frames...like shiny little gems, I really had not anticipated any of
> this, lol.
> My prescription, if it matters, is:
> -4.75, +1.00, 095
> -5.75, 1.75, 080
> Thanks so much for your time!
> -- Elizabeth