Varifocal measuring · Liverpool
Why we measure on the Visioffice X, not with a felt-tip pen
You will wear your next varifocals every day for the next two or three years. The measurements they are made from take a few minutes. We think those minutes deserve better than a dot of felt-tip on a demo lens, which is why every pair we fit at Winstanley & Son, 252 Park Road, is measured on the Essilor Visioffice X.
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- Every varifocal measured digitally
- Fitted by Gavin himself
What is the Essilor Visioffice X?
It is a digital measuring column made by Essilor, the company that makes Varilux lenses. You stand in front of it wearing the frame you have chosen, look at it naturally, and its cameras record where each eye sits in that frame and how the frame sits on your face. Those measurements are sent to the lab with your order, so the lens is made for your face in that frame, not for an average one.
What does the Visioffice measure?
Each eye separately
The distance from the centre of your nose to each pupil, left and right on their own. Very few faces are perfectly symmetrical.
Fitting height
Exactly where your pupils sit in the frame, top to bottom. This decides where the distance, screen and reading zones of a varifocal fall.
How the frame sits
How much the frame tilts forward, how much it wraps round your face, and how far the lens sits from your eye. A felt-tip pen cannot measure any of these.
Where your eye turns
The point your eye rotates around as you look around, which Essilor measures with 3D imaging and uses to personalise the lens.
What is wrong with a felt-tip pen?
The traditional way is for the optician to sit opposite you and draw a dot on the demo lens where they think your pupil is. It is quick, but it depends on both of you holding your heads level, on the optician’s own eye line, and on you looking straight ahead at that moment. It only gives your pupil position. It tells the lab nothing about how the frame tilts, wraps or sits on your face, so those are left to averages.
Why a millimetre matters in varifocals
A varifocal has distance at the top, reading at the bottom and a narrow channel between them for screens and everything in the middle. That channel has to line up exactly with your pupils. A millimetre or two out and you find yourself tipping your head to find the sharp spot, the reading area creeps into your distance vision, or the screen zone feels too narrow. Those are the complaints we hear most often from people who bring us varifocals from somewhere else.
Measured properly, then fitted by Gavin
Every varifocal we fit, whatever the brand, is measured on the Visioffice X in the frame you have chosen: Essilor Varilux, Nikon, Zeiss or Hoya. When the lenses come back, Gavin fits them on your face himself. Not sure which lens is right for you? Read which varifocal lens is right for you, or see varifocals in Liverpool.
Common questions
Visioffice measuring, answered
What is the Essilor Visioffice X?
A digital measuring system made by Essilor, the company behind Varilux lenses. You stand in front of it wearing the frame you have chosen, and its cameras measure where your eyes sit in that frame, how the frame sits on your face and how you hold your head. Those measurements go to the lab so the lens is made for you.
Is Visioffice better than measuring with a felt-tip pen?
For varifocals, yes. A felt-tip measurement is a dot drawn on a demo lens by eye, and it only gives your pupil position. The Visioffice measures each eye separately in the frame you will wear, plus the angles and distances a pen cannot measure at all, such as how far the lens sits from your eye and how much the frame tilts and wraps.
How accurate is the Visioffice?
It measures where your eyes sit from a digital 3D image rather than from someone’s eye line and a pen dot, so it does not depend on both of you holding your heads perfectly level. That matters because the clear channel in a varifocal is narrow, and a millimetre or two out is enough to make you move your head to find the sharp spot.
Why do the measurements matter so much for varifocals?
A varifocal has distance at the top, reading at the bottom and a narrow channel between them for screens and the middle distance. That channel has to line up exactly with your pupils, at the right height, in the frame you chose. If it does not, your eyes fight the lens all day, which is one of the most common reasons people say they cannot get on with varifocals.
Do you use the Visioffice for every pair of varifocals?
Yes. Every varifocal we fit, whatever the brand, Essilor, Nikon, Zeiss or Hoya, is measured on the Visioffice X in your chosen frame.
My varifocals from somewhere else have never felt right. Could it be the measuring?
It often is. Being measured wrong is one of the four things we see most. Bring them in for a second opinion and we will check where the lenses actually sit on your face.
Book a varifocal consultation
Eye test, frame choice and Visioffice measuring at 252 Park Road, Dingle, opposite Tesco Extra, free parking. Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Or call 0151 726 0622
Written by Gavin Winstanley, who has been making eyewear on Park Road since 1998 and fits the varifocals himself. Last updated .