What a spectacle! Boots make first ever glasses for him... and her

By EMINE SINMAZ FOR THE DAILY MAIL

Published: | Updated:


Frustrated spouses may say they knew it all along – but it seems men and women really do view things differently.

An optician is offering the UK’s first ever gender-specific glasses after a study revealed that the sexes read and see in different ways.

And according to the researchers, these differences have nothing to do with our eyes – and everything to do with our height and the length of our arms.

His and hers: Boots is offering the UK's first ever gender-specific glasses (pictured)

His and hers: Boots is offering the UK's first ever gender-specific glasses (pictured)

The glasses come after a study that found the sexes read and see in different ways

The glasses come after a study that found the sexes read and see in different ways

The study found that these discrepancies cause men and women to hold books and newspapers at different distances, creating different visual needs.

The study has led Boots opticians to launch the UK’s first ever gender-specific varifocal glasses. David Real-Firman of Essilor Group, the company which has created the gender-customised lenses, said: ‘We took 13,000 varifocal-wearers and studied their personalised measurements and found that there was a difference between the measurements of men and women.

‘We used those measurements to design a new lens, which brings the benefits of personalised lenses without the additional costs.

‘Reading distance is a function of a person’s height and men tend to be taller than women so they often have a longer reading distance. Standard lenses do not take that into account and these new lenses are optimised for a specific reading distance by gender.’

Men tend to be taller than women so often have a longer reading distance. Standard lenses do not take that into account

Men tend to be taller than women so often have a longer reading distance. Standard lenses do not take that into account


The lenses also take into account other factors, such as the distance between where the glasses are worn and the eye, the angle of the glasses on the person’s face, and the position of the area of the lens the eye looks through while reading.

Mr Real-Firman said this is because women tend to have smaller heads than men and will often wear their glasses closer to their face, which affects how they read and see.

Lorraine Cobley, of Boots, said: ‘This new technology is all about improving the wearer’s experience. Customers can also be assured that these lenses have not increased the cost of the range which means they can get the latest innovation without a huge price tag.’

Women tend to have smaller heads than men and often wear their glasses closer to their face

Women tend to have smaller heads than men and often wear their glasses closer to their face

Varifocals are designed for glasses-wearers who have separate prescriptions for different distances, such as one for watching TV and  one for reading.

The two prescriptions are combined in one lens. The wearer looks straight ahead to focus on things in the distance, then has to lower their gaze to read close-up material using the other part of the lens.

Mr Real-Firman said: ‘In general, varifocal customers have problems with distortion at the edge of their glasses and experience a “swimming” or blurring effect, and this new design eliminates that.’

 

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