Get the definitive lowdown on prestigious lens manufacturers ZEISS; leading the way with lens technology.
Why choose ZEISS lenses?
Most people think that getting the best vision with glasses is all about having your prescription tested and then getting that prescription put into a set of frames. The truth is that the lens technology you choose to have your prescription made with can dramatically affect your vision. At The Spectacle Factory, we work with prestigious lens manufacturers such as ZEISS to help you get the best vision possible. But in what ways can lens technologies improve your vision?
I regularly liaise with Nick Lawson, a UK representative for ZEISS, and this week he kindly agreed to be interviewed for our blog to help you understand why choosing the right lenses is so important:
(Robert Sands): Hi Nick! For those who maybe haven’t heard of ZEISS as a company, can you explain in what ways ZEISS lenses are better than the average lenses on the market?
(Nick Lawson): Hi Robert… ZEISS have been making spectacle lenses since 1912, so we have an unrivalled history. As well as spectacle lenses, ZEISS also produce products for many other fields of optics such as; Microscopes, Telescopes, Camera & Cine lenses and even semi-conductor technology. This gives us a unique position in being able to share breakthroughs, developments and technologies across the organisation’s various business groups, and means our spectacle lenses are amongst the most technically advanced in the market.
ZEISS lenses give the best possible optical performance, the clearest vision and latest technology lens coatings such the DuraVision Platinum coating – make them clearer, tougher and more cosmetically attractive than ever before.
(RS): We use the amazing iTerminal 2 from ZEISS on all our clients, can you explain what the benefits of that are to the customer?
(NL): Yes, the iTerminal 2 is a digital measuring system that uses a camera and sophisticated software to take extremely accurate measurements for the positioning of the lenses within the frame; accurate to 0.1mm and 0.1 degrees, it’s light years ahead of the usual ruler and pen that many opticians still use! By positioning the lens in the most accurate way, we ensure that the patient receives the very best optical performance from the lens design, and the clearest vision.
The iTerminal2 in action.
(RS): One of ZEISS’ newest lens technologies is DriveSafe. How was that developed?
(NL): ZEISS began by looking at the three key areas that spectacle wearers tell us cause them the most concern when driving:
1) Loss of clarity of vision at night and in poor weather conditions.
2) Glare & dazzle from on-coming car headlights, especially the very bright ‘bluish white’ Xenon and LED types.
3) Varifocal wearers finding the lens design is restrictive when looking in the side mirrors, or when looking at the dashboard.
As a result; we developed new technologies within our lens design to improve these issues:
1) We introduced ‘Luminance Design Technology’ which takes in to account the wearer’s pupil size in low light conditions, to help improve the clarity of the vision for safer and more comfortable driving.
2) We developed the new ‘DuraVison DriveSafe Coating’ which specifically targets the type of light emitted by Xenon & LED lights, reducing glare by over 60%.
3) The design of ZEISS DriveSafe lenses has a mid-distance zone that is 40% larger than a conventional lens and enables faster, easier focus on the dashboard; and a far-distance zone that’s up to 14% larger for a wider view of the road ahead.
It’s a ground-breaking lens that is suitable for wearing every day in all conditions, not just for driving, and we’re getting fantastic feedback from patients on the improvements they’re seeing when wearing ZEISS DriveSafe lenses.
ZEISS DriveSafe Lenses can make your night vision significantly better
(RS): Our most popular ZEISS lens design is the ZEISS Digital. How would you know if you could benefit from the Digital lens?
(NL): The ZEISS Digital lens is designed to help patients experiencing symptoms of tired or strained eyes, mainly from prolonged use of digital devices; such as tablets and smartphones; something I think many of us are guilty of these days! These symptoms could include; mild headaches, eye strain or neck ache and most commonly difficulty re-focusing in the distance, when you look up from your phone or tablet. All of these indicate that you may be over-working your eyes. The ZEISS Digital Lens helps to combat this by introducing a small amount of additional power at the bottom of the lens to reduce eye strain, and prevent the symptoms we’ve just described. If a patient is experiencing any of these issues they could benefit from wearing a ZEISS Digital Lens.
ZEISS Digital Lenses make your vision more comfortable when using digital devices
(NL): I would add that anyone experiencing these symptoms can visit The Spectacle Factory in-store for a free ‘stress-test’ on their iPads that can help you find out if ZEISS Digital Lenses can help you.
Thanks to Nick for taking the time to explain some of these new technologies. If you have any questions, feel free to tweet me @specfactory or call 01772 312 213.
