Full Optical Shop in Pontiac, MI and Clarkston, MI
We have full-service optical shops in both Pontiac, MI and Clarkston, MI. We carry a wide variety of frames to fit every budget. We accept many vision plans, including Blue Shield Vision, VSP, and EyeMed (Access and Select networks). Our desire is to assure you the best vision possible and your glasses, contact lenses and sunglasses are an important part of that process. We guarantee the quality of our frames and lenses.
Our promise to you, our patient, is to fit you with the right glasses for you and your lifestyle.
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What do the numbers on my eyeglass prescription mean?
Above is a typical vision prescription. This person is age 59 and has good overall vision with astigmatism. What’s with all the numbers and letters?
OS and OD — These are Latin abbreviations: OS (oculus sinister) means the left eye and OD (oculus dextrus) means the right eye. Occasionally you’ll see OU, which simply means both eyes.
Sphere (SPH) — OK, the further away from zero the number on your prescription, the worse your eyesight refractive errors are. This means the light is refracted further from exactly on the retina in the back. Higher numbers mean more correction is needed. A “plus” (+) in front of the number means you are farsighted (you see better at distance) and a “minus” (-) means you are nearsighted (you see better up close). These numbers are represented by diopters, which is the unit used to measure the correction (focusing power) of the lens your eye requires. This is figured out with the phoropter machine where we flip lens options back and forth in front of your eyes until we find the correct one to make your vision perfect.
Cylinder (CYL) — This indicates the amount of lens power for astigmatism. Astigmatism is the amount your cornea is shaped like a football instead of being round. Most people have some degree of astigmatism. If you don’t have any, then this column is blank.
Axis — If you have astigmatism, you’ll also get an axis number. It is a number from 1 to 180 and gets a little detailed, but involves the lens meridian that contains no cylinder power to correct astigmatism.
Near Add — This is the added magnifying power applied to the bottom part of the multifocal lenses to correct for presbyopia. It is always a plus, usually in the range of +0.75 to +3.00. Presbyopia affects virtually everyone’s eyes after they turn 40, and makes it more difficult to focus on up close objects, such as when reading.
This gives you the basics of how your prescription works. If you have other questions about what these numbers and letters mean, just ask one of us next time you’re in for your eye exam.
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How often should I get a new pair of glasses?
This corresponds with your eye exams and your changing prescription. If your prescription hasn’t changed, your eyeglasses don’t need to either. Eyeglasses don’t wear out or degenerate. Of course, you could look in the mirror and see an outdated style looking back at you. Or your glasses maybe have become stretched to the degree that they no longer fit your face. Plus, if you wear glasses full time it’s always nice to have a new pair as time passes.
If your prescription changes, then your eyeglasses should change with it. It’s a myth that looking through an incorrect prescription will damage your eyes, but it can lead to eyestrain and headaches. Plus, don’t you want to see as clearly as possible?
Why should I go to the eye doctor when I can buy cheap glasses at the drug store?
Sure you can get a pair of readers for just a few dollars, and that may be all you need for up close vision. But if you have refractive errors, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, those readers won’t do you any good. You need the refractive errors corrected by eyeglasses or contact lenses. This isn’t something to take casually, unless you continually want to have headaches and tired eyes due to them trying to continually correct for your cheap dime store glasses.
At Wilkinson Eye Center our refractive assessment tells us where your vision is related to what is deemed perfect vision, 20/20 vision. This test will tell us if you are farsighted (meaning you see objects at distance better than up close), nearsighted (up close vision is good, distance vision is not as good), or have astigmatism (your cornea is more oblong shaped than round so that it doesn’t focus properly at different distances).
We’ll also give you a prescription that has your vision correction broken down. It also tells how much astigmatism you have. The phoropter test equipment tells us exactly what changes you need to see perfectly. That’s the reason that test keeps flipping between different potential refraction changes, and we ask you which of the alternatives is better than the other.
The most important factor in coming to the team at Wilkinson for your eyeglasses and contact lenses is your eye exam. This is where we test for all of the eye diseases, from glaucoma to macular degeneration. Most eye diseases don’t show any early symptoms before they start causing permanent vision damage, but we can spot them at their onset if we see you regularly.
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What People Say About Us!
Such a warm, kind staff—every person I interact with there! Dr. Schmitz is very thorough and so personable. He has provided me with wonderful advice on maintaining my eye health. The staff in the eyeglass shop are extremely helpful in finding glasses that are comfortable, stylish and right for my face! They have always helped me choose glasses I love to wear!
Transitional contact lenses
In April 2018, the FDA approved the first contact lenses that incorporate an additive that automatically darkens the lens when exposed to bright light. In other words, the first contact lenses that behave like sunglasses. These contact lenses are the invention of Johnson & Johnson Vision and are an extension of their popular Acuvue line. The company says the Acuvue Oasys with Transitions Light Intelligent Technology is the “first-of-its-kind contact lens that seamlessly adapts to changing light to provide all-day soothing vision.” These lenses were named by Time magazine as one of the “Best Inventions of 2018.”
These lenses balance the amount of indoor and outdoor light entering the eye, including filtering blue light and blocking harmful UV rays. They improve outdoor vision by lowering glare.
Am I a candidate for transitional contact lenses?
If you wear contact lenses or eyeglasses, you are likely a perfect candidate for these new Acuvue Oasys with Transitions™ lenses. Currently, as they are still very new to the market, Acuvue doesn’t offer Transitions for patients with astigmatism. Surely that will change down the road as Acuvue has various options for astigmatism in their other contact lens lines.
Have Additional Questions? Contact Us
Wilkinson Eye Center has a full optical shop providing glasses to patients in Pontiac, MI and Clarkston, MI as well the surrounding areas. Call (248) 334-4931 or fill out a Contact Form here to schedule an appointment!
