ForEyes "natural" lens vs. Lenscrafters thinnest lens

[rhymemaze]

Hi. I joined the forum here to discuss this lens "issue" I am having right now.
A couple weeks back, I bought a pair of semi-rimless frames and lenses at Foreyes. My insurance works with them, and they say that they use the same lenses as Lenscrafters, etc. but each company calls the lens by it's own name. In my case, I bought these frames with the "natural" lens package (the thinnest lenses they carry I was told). This is their most expensive package I believe. The others are "air" and "pure" I believe. Right now, I have a pair of semi-rimless glasses that I got at Lenscrafters a year back.

Here is the RX (which I was told has not changed much).
OD: -1.50, -1.00, 175
OS: -1.00, -.75, 175

So I went to pick up the glasses this past weekend, and they came back "loose" meaning the fishing line (or whatever is used to secure the lens on the semi-rimless frame) was moving all around and was not sturdy. The main problem here though was that the lenses were almost twice as thick as the lenses I got from Lenscrafters a year back.

Why are these Foreyes lenses so much thicker than the Lenscrafters'?
I asked my salesperson (and emailed Foreyes) to check on the work order and make sure they were using the correct lens in there. I am not sure what to think here. I mean this is 2008, everyone has these "thin" lenses now right? The salesperson told me that they are the thinnest they will get, but I can see looking at my current glasses that the groove and fishing line they used in the new pair are thicker than in my current set. As a note, my current glasses are more of a rounded lens, whereas the new pair is kind of a rectangle shape. The salesperson told me that they were thicker because of the rectangle lens, but I am having a hard time believing that the whole lens would be almost twice as thick as a result of this.

If they come back as thick, I guess I will take them over to Lenscrafters then and find out if they can fit a thinner lens in there, and if so, I may return the lenses to Foreyes and just take the frames over to Lenscrafters to get the lenses.

Thanks for any information that you can provide on the Foreyes lens packages and this situation.

[Judy Canty]

This forum is for Eyecare Professionals. Consumers are allowed to post in the Just Conversation forum and non-optical topics only. Please be aware that any questions involving optics or eyecare may be removed. These kinds of questions should be discussed with a qualified eyecare professional who has examined you and is familiar with your situation.

[rhymemaze]

Judy thanks for the quick response in deterring me from using this board.
Could you/anyone please assist me in finding a reputable optical board that allows both "professionals" and "consumers" to interact? I have a question on lens material that people in the optical field will have the answer to. I am not trying to intrude on your party, just looking for some answers. Thanks for any help here.

[chip anderson]

How you be done to know they thinner unless you had it filled in the same frame at both places.
With your prescription there is no reason to waste money on any thinner than normal material. They wouldn't be thick to begin with and the amount of thickness eliminated wouldn't be noticeable except in the fool that paid for it's pocket book.

Chip

[rhymemaze]

How you be done to know they thinner unless you had it filled in the same frame at both places.

I can tell the new lenses are thicker by placing the lenses of my old glasses up to the lenses of the new glasses. On the sides, bottom, and overall they are thicker. I am not sure in actual measurements, just by "eyeing" them up.

[Jacqui]

Here is the RX (which I was told has not changed much).
OD: -1.50, -1.00, 175
OS: -1.00, -.75, 175

These could have been made from optically superior glass and you wouldn't know much difference.

[rhymemaze]

These could have been made from optically superior glass and you wouldn't know much difference.

With my Rx:
Is glass thinner than polycarbonate lenses? Is glass thinner than plastic?

[MarcE]

ForEyes and Lenscrafters try to sell you stuff.
Maybe you need what they are selling, maybe you don't.
Take both pair to an independent optician and ask why. A smart and ethical optician will tell you why. Get a quote, also.
In my shop, the thinnest lens available for your Rx, compete w/ Anti-reflection would be $210. Cash price, no insurance accounted for.
I could charge more if I wanted to deceive you, but it wouldn't be thinner, lighter, safer, more scratch resistant, block more UV or anything else you want to dream up.

In short, no one on here can answer you question without knowing your exact situation - and seeing the eyewear. That is why we must refer you to an optician.

If you have questions that can't be answered by your current eyewear supplier - it's time to look for new one anyway.

[chip anderson]

The point is that glass is optically superior. YOU SEE BETTER! You seem to be only interested in thinner. However your Rx is so weak that's except for the extreemly neurotic patient obsessed with "thinness" the amount of thickness saved is insignnificant. Now when Rx's get up to
+or-4.00 and above this becomes significant and often worth the price.
In higher Rx's some of the lens designs may offer some visual advantages
as well. But in yours, the changes may be of negative value.
It's true that people with very thick glasses find this objectionable, but your Rx should not be thick at all unless the lens size is huge, in which case a smaller lens size would have resulted in more thickness reduction than the material would have produced.

Chip

[DragonLensmanWV]

Judy thanks for the quick response in deterring me from using this board.
Could you/anyone please assist me in finding a reputable optical board that allows both "professionals" and "consumers" to interact? I have a question on lens material that people in the optical field will have the answer to. I am not trying to intrude on your party, just looking for some answers. Thanks for any help here.

I don't think there are. You should be able to ask your optical professional anything you want.
The problems most consumers have is they don't ask enough questions of their personal Optician, then come in here and want us to second-guess what their Optician did and why. We have no way of knowing any of the particular problems some anonymous person would have and why their Optician made whatever decision with them.We don't know if your old frame is smaller than the new frame which would make them thinner.
In short, if you're unhappy with them,take them back, tell them your problem, then see what they will do to make them right.
You could see how we might tell a consumer that we would not use a particular lens/frame/material combination, only to have the consumer run to their Optician crying that "The guys from Optiboard said you screwed me!" You can see how this would be a huge mess. We used to let consumers post and ask questions, but all too quickly we ran into problems associated with differences of opinions.
If you peruse Optiboard, you will find there are many opinions about durn near anything.. Also you might find the answer you need, but it might take a lot of poking around. In the meantime, you will learn a lot.

[renee1111]

Here is the RX (which I was told has not changed much).
OD: -1.50, -1.00, 175
OS: -1.00, -.75, 175

So I went to pick up the glasses this past weekend, and they came back "loose" meaning the fishing line (or whatever is used to secure the lens on the semi-rimless frame) was moving all around and was not sturdy. The main problem here though was that the lenses were almost twice as thick as the lenses I got from Lenscrafters a year back.

Why are these Foreyes lenses so much thicker than the Lenscrafters'?
I asked my salesperson (and emailed Foreyes) to check on the work order and make sure they were using the correct lens in there. I am not sure what to think here. I mean this is 2008, everyone has these "thin" lenses now right? The salesperson told me that they are the thinnest they will get, but I can see looking at my current glasses that the groove and fishing line they used in the new pair are thicker than in my current set.

There's no reason why you should have thinner lenses with the RX you supplied above. Especially the fact that you have a semi-rimless frame, because the lens has to have a thicker edge to accommodate the groove anyway. But you know, it is virtually impossible to give an accurate answer to your problem without taking many factors into account. Unless I have both pair of glasses at hand (so I could compare apples to apples) there is no way of knowing what the problem may be...much larger eyesize, diff. pds, stock lens vs. surfaced, prism, etc; That's why it's much better to talk your eyecare professional about these types of problems than to try to find answers on an internet forum.

posted by rhymemaze:
As a note, my current glasses are more of a rounded lens, whereas the new pair is kind of a rectangle shape. The salesperson told me that they were thicker because of the rectangle lens, but I am having a hard time believing that the whole lens would be almost twice as thick as a result of this.

[quote]
And yes, the salesperson is correct in saying that the lenses would be thicker due to the rectangular shape.

[k12311997]

..has this thread grown to 12 posts? Judy gave the corect answer and recieved the to be expected response from the consumer. Let it die.

[rhymemaze]

Thanks for the replies.

I am guessing that the Foreyes "natural" lens package is not the same as the Lenscrafters "featherwates."

Like others have said, when I pick them up again, if I don't like what I see, I'll prolly take them back. First though, I will ride over to Lenscrafters and simply ask if the lens can be made "thinner" there. Having the "cutters" there, they should be able to let me know by looking at the frame and prescription.

[Jana Lewis]

Thanks for the replies.

I am guessing that the Foreyes "natural" lens package is not the same as the Lenscrafters "featherwates."

Like others have said, when I pick them up again, if I don't like what I see, I'll prolly take them back. First though, I will ride over to Lenscrafters and simply ask if the lens can be made "thinner" there. Having the "cutters" there, they should be able to let me know by looking at the frame and prescription.

Diferrences in frames sizes can indeed impact the thickness of your lenses.

However, as many have said here already it is almost impossible for anyone to be able to give you a straight answer without seeing the actual product and knowing what is in involved.

I wish you Luck!

[FullCircle]

Thanks for the replies.

I am guessing that the Foreyes "natural" lens package is not the same as the Lenscrafters "featherwates."

Like others have said, when I pick them up again, if I don't like what I see, I'll prolly take them back. First though, I will ride over to Lenscrafters and simply ask if the lens can be made "thinner" there. Having the "cutters" there, they should be able to let me know by looking at the frame and prescription.

And if I was the lab person on staff at the LC you go to, I'd ask, "Thinner than what?" You're comparing apples to apples, yes, but it's more like comparing a Golden Delicious to a Jonathan.

Do the optician you go to a favor and take both pairs of glasses with you so they can show you exactly why your new ones aren't EXACTLY like your old.

[rhymemaze]

Do the optician you go to a favor and take both pairs of glasses with you so they can show you exactly why your new ones aren't EXACTLY like your old.

Right-o, that's the plan. From reading here, it does sound like the rectangular frame could be a possible factor in the increased thickness of the lens on the sides and bottom. Thanks for your input.

[Judy Canty]

Can we now resume NOT responding to consumers optical question per the posting guidelines?

[eyemanflying]

Can we now resume NOT responding to consumers optical question per the posting guidelines?

It's probably a good idea...but perhaps we can water down the rudeness in future replies. This certainly isn't the way to portray a positive impression of us professionals and also doesn't leave a warm and fuzzy feeling with the consumer. It was a legitimate question and she was in need of advice, and perhaps is also a little embarassed now.:finger:

(Older, wiser, ruder??)

[k12311997]

This forum is for Eyecare Professionals. Consumers are allowed to post in the Just Conversation forum and non-optical topics only. Please be aware that any questions involving optics or eyecare may be removed. These kinds of questions should be discussed with a qualified eyecare professional who has examined you and is familiar with your situation.

Judy thanks for the quick response in deterring me from using this board.
Could you/anyone please assist me in finding a reputable optical board that allows both "professionals" and "consumers" to interact? I have a question on lens material that people in the optical field will have the answer to. I am not trying to intrude on your party, just looking for some answers. Thanks for any help here.

It's probably a good idea...but perhaps we can water down the rudeness in future replies. This certainly isn't the way to portray a positive impression of us professionals and also doesn't leave a warm and fuzzy feeling with the consumer. It was a legitimate question and she was in need of advice, and perhaps is also a little embarassed now.:finger:

(Older, wiser, ruder??)

eyeman there was nothing rude about Judy's respones pointing out the rules, the rudeness started with rhyme's second post. You haven't been around long enough to understand the crap that went on here prior to Steve banishing consumers to just conversation non optical. Optiboard is the Premier Online Comunity for Optical Professionals. It is not the internet help desk for consumer problems.

Edit- That is not to say there weren't civil exchanges, and the reason several people posted to this thread is the sincere desire to help, but the abuse from consumers, especially when we responded in our desire to help "the best person to answer that is your eyecare professional", became overwhelming.

[rhymemaze]

Let it die.

Not sure why you won't let it die. You are in a field that relies on customer service; I just hope this is not an indication of how you handle other consumers where you work.

I had a question on materials that eyecare professionals would know. I read the rules on posting, and appropriately posted in the conversation forum. Why even have a conversation forum for "consumers" if you bash them upon entering?

Anyway, thanks for those that gave me some help along the way. If anyone would like, I will report back my findings after I pick up the glasses.

take care

[k12311997]

Not sure why you won't let it die. You are in a field that relies on customer service; I just hope this is not an indication of how you handle other consumers where you work.

I had a question on materials that eye care professionals would know. I read the rules on posting, and appropriately posted in the conversation forum. Why even have a conversation forum for "consumers" if you bash them upon entering?

Anyway, thanks for those that gave me some help along the way. If anyone would like, I will report back my findings after I pick up the glasses.

take care

actually I didn't bash you, I wasn't talking to you I was talking to the optical professionals who should have known better than to respond to your optical question. the just conversation forum is for non optical topics just to shoot the breeze, what kind of music do you like did you catch the game who will be the next president, which you are welcome to chime in on.

You are breaking and continue to break the rules of this forum.

This has nothing to do with you or your problem. There may well be sites dedicated to offering consumers optical advise over the internet, this isn't one of them.

Hopefully if you were my patient you would have trusted me well enough to seek my advice rather than the nameless posters of an anonymous internet board.

[obxeyeguy]

[eyemanflying]

eyeman there was nothing rude about Judy's respones pointing out the rules, the rudeness started with rhyme's second post. You haven't been around long enough to understand the crap that went on here prior to Steve banishing consumers to just conversation non optical. Optiboard is the Premier Online Comunity for Optical Professionals. It is not the internet help desk for consumer problems.

Edit- That is not to say there weren't civil exchanges, and the reason several people posted to this thread is the sincere desire to help, but the abuse from consumers, especially when we responded in our desire to help "the best person to answer that is your eyecare professional", became overwhelming.

Note taken, thank you.

[Christosfer]

Perhaps there could be some cut and paste responses for such events that give a nice gentle touch.
"As much as we would all love to give our opinions on the matter our experience is that it causes problems..."


Perhaps a light education section for consumers. Guide to edge thickness, why A/R is helpful, how polarization works, why you can't see the street signs through the bottom of your progessive lenses, all that good stuff.

Now someone is going to tell me that it is already somewhere on this gigantic website right?

[amazondoc]

I gotta say I don't quite understand the depth of some of the "professional" hostility I see on this board.

I am a (retired) veterinarian. I fully understand the implications of carelessly dispensing medical information online, and I also understand how tiring it can be to get swamped with requests for free advice.

BUT --

I am also proud to say that I'm a member of a profession that gladly shares info both online and off, where appropriate and when it's not too much of an imposition on our time. I don't know about the optical profession, but in vet med we seem to believe that a well-educated public leads to healthier pets overall. I suspect the same is true of eye care.

It seems to me that those of you who prefer secrecy over education have the easy option of simply ignoring posts that come from us mere consumers. As someone else noted earlier in this thread, the obvious hostility of some here reflects quite poorly on your profession as a whole.

JMHO!!