Eyeglasses have been around for almost eight centuries, and the evolution to their modern form is quite fascinating. Although contact lenses are on the forefront of vision correction now, prescription glasses will never become obsolete and thousands of pairs of frames are manufactured daily.
When a pair of prescription glasses are ordered, the first thing that happens is an optometrist determins what strength of corrective lenses are needed. A simple eye test, one where the patient covers one eye and reads letters from a chart at a distance, is usually enough to figure this out. A numerical value of the patient’s sight detriment is calculated, and then sent to a laboratory that will craft the prescription lenses.
At the laboratory, the lens starts off as a plastic disc that is 4 inches wide and up to 1.5 inches thick. The front of the disc is curved, and a technician feeds this disc into a special machine that will grind it down. It is ground into the proper curve dimensions to match the level of correction specified. This process of grinding the disc into an actual prescription strength lens is very meticulous and difficult. It is absolutely imperative that these discs come out of the machine scratch free and at the exact prescription or the lens creation process will have to be started from scratch again.
Next, the lens is fit to the frames that the patient has chosen back at the optometrist’s office. Modern eyeglass frames are usually made from paynus plastic. Then, the lenses are tinted with ultraviolet (UV) protection with a special solution. Usually, grooves are cut into the lenses to ensure the proper fit into the chosen frames.
Once the lenses are inserted into the frames and they fit properly in place, they are heated to make them flexible for easy insertion and removal. A quality check is next, to make sure there are no scratches, dents or other imperfections on either the lenses or the frames. Usually, the patient will also be asked to try the glasses on to make sure they are the precise prescription strength. Finally, they are cleaned a final time and given to the patient!
If you are in Odgen and require prescription glasses please call into our shop today to talk to a professional.
