No CommentsThe debate about the p.d continues to rage on in Optics! When you have an eye test and they either use a ‘trial-frame’ (that odd looking pair of adjustable specs that opticians use) or the automated machine that swings down in front of you with all the lenses inside it (phoropter), the Optician must set the instrument up with the correct p.d to be able to test you properly, so it is routinely measured during a sight test, but it is never noted! So much so that if you request the measurement in most cases it is refused.
The p.d is needed so that the optical centre (the optimum vision point of the lens) is positioned directly in front of your pupils when your wear the specs as intended. This is very important both for visual comfort and clarity. If this is set incorrectly there may be visual consequences the higher the prescription the more important it is.
Some online retailers use average values depending on the gender of the customer, this may mean that the p.d could be many mm out! Some will give you videos and demonstration how to measure it yourself. It isn’t difficult to do, but it does need to be accurate. You can see this on You Tube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvO2gwt3Rak&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o18-PIaIro4
There is even now an ‘app’ for the iphone for measureing the p.d it will cost £3 to download and seems to work quite well. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id381060059?mt=8 This seems allot to pay when we can do it for nothing!
As the p.d is a measurement between your eyes this is generally fixed during adulthood unless there have been changes in facial structure or characteristics. This is why ciliaryblue are happy to take this measurement from your existing glasses, old or new. We prefer to use p.d’s measured by your Optician, but this isn’t always possible. When we measure it we tell you what it is so that you can use it in future with us or other online retailers.
So please ask for your p.d during the eye test, as it has to be measured and the Optician will find it very difficult to refuse the information when put on the spot!
Failing all of the above you can always email us a photo with you wearing the frame to be reglazed and we can use a scaling program to measure the p.d from the photo.