When people think about new spectacles, they usually think about two things: the frame and the prescription.
What often goes unnoticed is everything that happens between them.
A prescription tells us how a lens should correct vision. It doesn’t tell us how that lens will sit in front of your eyes.
The position of a frame on the face, the distance between the eye and the lens, and even the angle at which spectacles are worn can influence how a lens performs.
This becomes increasingly important with more sophisticated lens designs and complex prescriptions.
Modern lens technology allows certain measurements to be incorporated into the lens design process, taking into account not only the prescription, but also how the frame is worn by the individual.
It is one of the reasons why two people with identical prescriptions may have very different visual experiences.
The best visual outcome is rarely determined by a prescription alone. It is the result of many small details working together.
Perhaps that is why dispensing eyewear remains both a science and an art.