New year – old hours

Some of you have noticed the sign hung neatly on the front door. You know the one…”Effective December 26, 2011 We will no longer be open on Tuesdays”. Why not Tuesday, you ask? These were the original hours that we had when Spyglass first opened. Evidently we trained you guys so well that hardly any one shows up on Tuesdays in need of glasses. So, for now, we will be turning back the clock a little bit.

Speaking of time. For those of you who have had enough time to get down to Spyglass during our annual sale, or just needed to wait till the new year for new glasses, we have good news:

 

Our Annual December sale has been extended through the month of January!

That’s right. You can save 20%-50% off frames till January 31 2012.

 

Lash growth products

Have you seen those ads promising long thick lashes without mascara? Have you ever wondered if they are true? Here is an article worth reading before you dash out and buy. As with anything there are advantages and disadvantages. It is always best to make informed choices.

Dr. Calder-Caldwell’s article in Envision newsletter

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So, I see my last post got quite the read through and review. I think you will enjoy the next one even more……

Spring Clearance Event

We are going to have a Spring Sale. To help clear out some of our stock and make room for new frames. We have a proposal:

March 21,2011 – April 8, 2011

Please mention this ad and receive an additional 10% off your order.

Face a Face frames
Face a Face sunglasses
Kliik Frames $99
MODO ECO $67 including single vision lenses
Select:
Theo

ic!berlin

*Can NOT be combined with most insurances. And only applies to frames that are currently in our stock.

Trivex vs. Polycarbonate

I found some excellently written and highly informative information that will be helpful to anyone shopping for lenses. If you come to Spyglass you will hear about Trivex lenses…a lot. Some people like to have a bit more technical information and history about what they are wearing. So here it is from the people who know.

“Even though Trivex has been available for a while now, there is still much debate and confusion about how Trivex and polycarbonate stack up against one another. We’ll lay out the facts and attempt to put the question to rest.
Polycarbonate

Born from the space race in the 1960′s and introduced to the ophthalmic lens market in the late 1970′s, polycarbonate has been around the block a few times and enjoys a sizeable market share, particularly in children’s and safety eyewear due to its superior impact resistance. With a higher index of refraction and lower specific gravity, polycarbonate lenses are thinner and lighter than their plastic and glass counterparts. Inherent UV protection and wide product availability also contribute to its popularity.

Polycarbonate, however, is not without its drawbacks. One of the chief complaints about polycarbonate is its optical quality, or lack thereof. With an Abbe value of 29, polycarbonate’s chromatic aberration is the highest of any lens material in use today. Furthermore, with the increase in popularity of drill mount frames, some dispensers are hesitant to use polycarbonate because of its lack of tensile strength and likelihood of cracking around drill holes.
Enter Trivex

Introduced in 2001 by PPG, as the only lens material other than polycarbonate to pass FDA Impact Resistance Test (@ 1mm CT), the High Velocity Impact Test, and meet ANSI Z87.1 ’89 standards, Trivex has been slowly increasing in both popularity and availability. While Trivex has a slightly lower refractive index (1.53 compared to 1.58), it’s specific gravity, 1.11g/cm3, makes it the lightest of any lens material available today. Like polycarbonate, Trivex also has inherent UV protection. However, unlike polycarbonate, Trivex has an Abbe value of 45, making it optically superior. Further distinguishig itself, Trivex is ideal for drill mounting. The tensile strength of Trivex makes it highly resistant to cracking around drill holes, so much in fact, Younger Optics guarantees its Trivex products (Trilogy) for life, against stress fractures and drill mount cracking.
Summary

In summary, Trivex has the impact resistance and inherent UV protection of polycarbonate. With a lower index of refraction, Trivex may be slightly thicker than polycarbonate, but is lighter, and can be surfaced to the same 1mm center thickness. Trivex rises above polycarbonate with both its optical quality and suitability for drill mounting, however since Trivex is still a relatively new product, availability may be limited.

Finally, when comparing the price of Trivex to polycarbonate, make sure you are comparing apples to apples. If you are looking at an aspheric Trivex product, compare it to an aspheric polycarbonate product; likewise if you are looking at a spherical polycarbonate product, compare it to a spherical Trivex product. You’ll likely find the difference to be less than you might think.” – Laramyk

To this I would like to add that when we talk about optical clarity, this can be quantitatively measured. This measurement is called the ABBE value for the definition along with visuals:

“Abbe value
The higher the Abbe value, the more accurately a lens aligns the spectrum of light waves that pass through it. Lens materials with lower Abbe Values are unable to focus these light waves accurately, resulting in “chromatic aberration,” a vision defect that appears as distracting fringes of color around dark type and objects.”

- ‘Trivex true to life educational information’ published by PPG Optical Products (the developer)

Low ABBE

High ABBE

Another travelogue to Bellingham

For the uninitiated, this gives you a glimpse into our town.

*Bonus there is clip of one of our previous neighbors at the old State St address – (Kyle of The Hub Community Bike Shop) and a glimpse of the view from our new location on the waterfront.

For those of you who want to be Cary Grant…

Round frames have been more or less popular over the years. However, some have said “Yes, but will I look like Carey Grant?” The answer is, ‘Maybe.’ Here I present proof.

Kliik eyewear @ Spyglass Optik

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We are finally here. No, really, we are here.

We moved to the Bellwether location over Memorial Day weekend. Yeah, that weekend when downtown Bellingham is cut off for ski to sea festivities…

Amazingly, it wasn’t that bad.

The new office is gorgeous. Very sleek and elegant. The multi talented Dr. Hang (pronounced ‘hawn’, rhymes with fawn) Nguyen of Houstan is responsible for the architectural and tonal beauty.  But more about that later

Did I mention the plethora of eating establishments, including the sushi place 2 doors down?  Sea view, quiet, spa, restaurants, yachts, bike paths, gardens…it is like a mini vacation around here. Another benefit is there is plenty of free parking directly in front of us and in the free parking garage below us.

We managed to get here relatively unscathed and with most of the pieces, but some are still on the way. So, it may seem a little awkward opening the door and not seeing, for example, a front desk, or other clue that there is human life. But no worries, come in anyway and we will materialize to assist you. All the important stuff is here. Exceptional frames, wonderful lighting, beautiful space, fully functioning equipment, and the staff of Spyglass Vision Clinic that you know and love.

At any rate, we are open our same business hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Thurday, Friday 9-5

Wednesday 12-7

Saturday by appointment

Eyewear in the Movies

Face a Face – Paris eyewear has been in the movies lately. Please check out their blog for more updates.

Here are a few examples.

We currently have the Muses frame in stock.