No long lines
Optical salons “Metropole” is a Latvian company that has been operating on the market for 20 years, and currently there are a total of 39 optical salons in Latvia. One of them is an optical salon in Tukuma, which moved to new, spacious premises on Pils Street at the end of last year. And one of the main reasons for such a decision was that the existing ones, which were located in the shopping center building, were too narrow and uncomfortable. This is important, explains I. Boriskova-Pļaviņa, because “Metropole” salons not only offer the opportunity to buy glasses, but also provide other services. “One of them is an eye test, which results in either a prescription for glasses or, for example, a statement required by the drivers’ health commission. In addition, we also perform vision tests for children from the age of six, which are necessary, for example, to start school.” In order not to form months-long queues for vision tests (they are performed by an optometrist), in the optician’s salon you keep track of how long the appointment queue is at any moment. And if necessary, an additional day is determined when the tests should be carried out. Application is possible both in person, by calling by phone or applying electronically.
“In addition, what our specialist advises on is, for example, eye exercises, because not all problems can be solved with glasses alone. There are cases when a person can improve his vision with his desire and systematic training. This is the case, for example, in situations where there are problems with focusing the eyes, switching from near to distant viewing, that is, with the eye movement itself,” explains I. Boriskova-Pļaviņa. And all this, of course, under the guidance of a specialist or optometrist.
When your favorite glasses are crooked
Another service you can get here is glasses repair. And it is important that not only the glasses that were bought at some point in this salon, but any. “You can certainly come to us. There are things that we can do on the spot ourselves, for example, what to screw, bend, straighten, but if it is something more complicated, we will send the glasses to an optician. This means that we can help save your favorite glasses in about three days, including shipping.”
We were wondering what are the daily habits that tend to shorten the lifespan of glasses in particular? One of the sins that not only optical, but also sunglasses, is that if we leave the glasses on the dashboard of the car in direct sunlight. Specialists emphasize that this can permanently damage the glasses. The coating of the lenses can crack under the influence of heat, which can later interfere with their optical quality. Also, when the lenses expand under the influence of heat, their frame is deformed, which is impossible to straighten afterwards. “Speaking of everyday life, of course, it is not desirable to carry glasses in your pocket, just like that – without a case – throw them into a purse. No matter what the coating of the lens is, if we run over it with keys, a scratch will form. If it is small and located in the periphery, it may not be a problem, but if it is somewhere in the area of the optical center, the spectacle lenses will be damaged, mostly irreversibly,” emphasizes I. Boriskova-Pļaviņa.
It would also be necessary to think about how we remove the glasses, because it is more advisable to do it, not by taking it by one leg, stretching it, but better by the bridge of the nose. Also, speaking of cleaning, one of the recommendations: if we are working in the garden or relaxing on the beach, it is recommended to rinse the glasses in water afterwards – so that they are not rubbed off. Second, clean your glasses with professional cleaning products, not random ones, including window cleaner. Otherwise, the lens of the glasses will also be damaged.
Choosing glasses is a thoughtful decision
We were wondering what it is that you should especially pay attention to when choosing glasses? I. Boriskova-PlĆaviņa’s advice – the main thing is not to rush. “A person with glasses will have to live everyday, use them. A consultant from the outside can comment, tell, for example, how the lens will look in the selected frame, so that there are no unnecessary experiences afterwards. Namely, how big or small the eye will look, how thick the lens is, and there are combinations that compensate for one thing or another. On the other hand, the client’s task is to be guided not only by whether he likes the specific glasses, which is also an important factor, but also by how he feels in them. Well, for example, don’t the glasses press behind the ears, don’t they hit the cheeks, how do they feel when they are on the nose, and so on.” This is important, because wearing, for example, glasses that press somewhere on a daily basis can lead to regular headaches. Also, indentations can form on the face where the glasses are located, these areas can become sensitive and so on. That’s why it’s important to sit, think, feel how the glasses fit, how they behave when we read, for example, whether they don’t slip off, and so on. “No one else will be able to say this from the outside, everyone should check it for themselves.”
It is also relatively seasonally relevant that it is getting sunnier, and for people who wear glasses on a daily basis, vision protection is also relevant. In this case, the specialist explains, there are at least two solutions for glasses wearers. Namely, one is the so-called lenses – chameleons, or photochromic lenses, which darken outdoors, but become transparent again indoors, but even more importantly – protect the eyes from UV radiation to the extent of 100%. By the way, there are also lenses with additional material that protects against the so-called “blue radiation” produced by various devices. The other option is also optical sunglasses, which are a more convenient solution in situations where you have to spend the whole day outdoors.
Let the athlete see…
We also asked about what exactly is the special thing about the range of glasses and eyeglass frames in the salon. “What we are proud of in the frame segment is certainly the frames of the Metropole brand, which we develop together with a procurement specialist, taking into account fashion trends, as well as creating an offer for various needs and requirements, starting from the budget group, ending with, for example, titanium eyeglass frames for people who have high quality requirements.” The salon also offers brands that cannot be found elsewhere in Latvia, such as “Woody’s Barcelona”, “Mr. Wonderful», which are more intended for teenagers and delicate women, as well as French designer Caroline Abram frames and «Zeiss», which are more classic frames. It should be noted that there is also a wide range of glasses suitable for children, where it is more important that the frames are more flexible, without screws, more comfortable for children.
The second essential element is lenses, and here Metropole cooperates with Carl Zeiss AG, which is the world’s leading company for precision optics and also produces, for example, microscopes, medical equipment, binoculars and cameras. “The feedback from customers is also very good. What makes these lenses stand out is probably their transparency, which is a standard that the company does not deviate from.”
Taking into account that the outskirts of Tukums also has its own ski tracks, ski masks in various sizes are also available in the city salon. They are special in that they have replaceable glasses, which allows you to adapt the masks to the weather, for example, with a coating that prevents them from fogging up. “And, by the way, for those people who need optics to see and safely go down the mountain, special silicone inserts adapted to ski masks are also available. In other words, you don’t have to try to fold your glasses into the mask.”
We are becoming more colorful
At the end of the conversation, we were interested in what is currently happening in eyewear fashion, if, for example, in the spring you want to go with a particularly current eye ornament? “It must be admitted that at the moment there is no single direction. For example, in fashion there are so-called oversaizi – big, angular glasses that maybe someone else remembers from the 60s and 70s. But on the other hand, what I would like to emphasize is that classics will always be in fashion, which is also confirmed by manufacturers at international exhibitions. That is to say, there are brands that maybe change some color, the thickness of the glasses frame, but are generally unchanged. And then the opposite direction is a segment that follows big words in the fashion world – they can be elongated drops, asymmetric lenses, cat eyes, bright colors. But usually they are more seasonal, not permanent trends,” explains I. Boriskova-Pļaviņa, the principle of how fashion enters the world of glasses. But exactly about the nuances of the moment that have been observed – they are spectacle frames with a relatively wide leg, dark, saturated green color or colors in general are also relevant. It is slowly entering the Latvian society as well, where maybe its adherence to the classics
has usually been even more pronounced – this has been observed in the salon.