Buying glasses online or from a discount retailer can be risky. Our Optical Shop staff are licensed opticians with the experience and training to fully customize your lenses and frames for your unique vision needs. Don’t gamble your clear vision with DIY virtual or at home try-ons. Walk in or schedule an appointment at the Optical Shops in any of our four convenient locations.

Quality – We use the highest quality frames and lenses available so your glasses will be dependable and attractive long after they’ve been purchased.

Value – We offer expert workmanship on fully customized glasses at prices competitive with big chain stores.

Expert Staff – Our licensed and experienced staff give you personalized care to suit your needs from frame selection to explanations of lens options.

Selection – We offer a large selection of frames and our staff will help you select the frame shape, size and color that looks and fits best on you.

Lens Options – We will demonstrate and explain all the latest lens designs and lens treatments to make your glasses look thinner, feel lighter, eliminate glare, and give better vision.

Warranty – We guarantee all workmanship for one year.

Convenience – We have four locations to serve you and are open on Saturday mornings at our Downtown Columbia location.

The post 7 Good Reasons Our Optical Shop Should Make Your Next Pair of Glasses appeared first on Columbia Eye.

Purchase one complete pair of prescription glasses and receive a FREE frame with the purchase of a second pair of complete prescription glasses!

Walk in or schedule an appointment at any of our optical shop locations to take advantage of this offer.

Valid through December 31, 2022. May not be combined with other offers (value packages, coupons, discounts, and insurance.) Offer excludes Maui Jim. 

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Columbia Eye Clinic now carries DIFF Eyewear, a popular brand that combines style and generosity to create “charitable eyewear.”

With a mission to use fashion as a force for good, DIFF Eyewear gives one pair of glasses to someone in need for every pair sold. Since 2015, DIFF has donated more than 1 million pairs of reading glasses to individuals around the world. Their buy one, give one campaign helps provide the gift of sight through eye exams, glasses, medicine and surgery.

DIFF Eyewear has other charitable initiatives including Project DIFF, a fair-trade program that sells sunglass pouches made in Africa to help build the Little Angels School in Arua, Uganda.

They also partner with the charity Tribe Alive to provide women in Tegucigalpa, Honduras with a sustainable wage to support their families.

Not only is DIFF passionate about giving back, but they care deeply about the materials used to make their eyewear. Each pair of frames is hand-cut from a single piece of acetate, allowing for more comfort and flexibility compared to other glasses. With more than 35 unique prescription glasses designs, DIFF Eyewear has something for everyone.

Columbia Eye Clinic is proudly offering DIFF Eyewear at all three of their conveniently located optical shops in downtown Columbia, Northeast Columbia and Lexington.

The post Buy a Pair, Make a Difference: Columbia Eye Clinic Now Carrying DIFF Eyewear appeared first on Columbia Eye.

If you’ve been thinking about new glasses, now is the time! Until July 15th, buy one pair of complete prescription glasses and get the second pair FREE!

Valid at the Optical Shops at any of our three convenient locations.

Click for a printable coupon.

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Digital lenses are available in single-vision, high-index and progressive (no-line bi-focal) lenses, so virtually anyone who wears eyeglasses is a good candidate for digital eyeglass lenses. The lenses are available in thin and light materials, making them ideal for long wear, even with the strongest prescriptions.

If you wear contacts more than your glasses, but are looking to change it up a little, this lens is also perfect for you! The precision of digital lenses will make your prescription look exactly as it did in the exam room and while you are wearing your contact lenses.

Digital Lenses Precision

Digital free-form lenses are fabricated based on the wearer’s prescription with computer-controlled surfacing equipment that is much more precise than conventional tools. Digital lenses fabrication technology allows for surfacing of lenses in power increments of 0.01 diopter, compared with 0.125 to 0.25 diopter increments possible with traditional eyeglass lens tooling. The fabrication of digital lenses accounts and are customized for:

• the lenses position in front of the wearer’s eyes in the eyeglass frame to provide the most accurate lens power.
• the angle between the eye and the back surface of the lens in different gaze positions (for example, when the wearer is looking off to the side rather than straight through the center of the lens).
• the frame size.
• the position of the wearer’s pupil within the frame outline.

The result is that high-definition lenses provide the widest fields of view, sharper image quality, better peripheral vision, and improve your ability to distinguish subtle differences in light versus dark.

Traditional progressive lenses are produced using “pre-molded” templates and the same design is used for every wearer. Digital progressives are customized for each wearer’s prescription. This customization eliminates more distortion and will help you transition to and from far and near vision much more easily.

Digital lenses are available in tints, with treatments like anti-reflective coating and in adaptive lenses that adjust from clear indoors to dark outdoors, to provide the most natural vision for your active lifestyle.

The post Traditional vs. Digital Eyeglass Lenses appeared first on Columbia Eye.

Ask our optical staff about specialty reading, office & computer, sports, safety glasses, and more! 
A great way to use flexible spending dollars before they expire is to purchase that additional pair of eyewear you’ve always needed! Through March 31, 2017, we are offering 50% off a second pair of specialty glasses. No matter what the task, we have eyewear to meet your needs.

This is also a great time to stock up on contact lenses!

FSA funds can be used for prescription eyewear, regardless of whether you have vision insurance!
Typically, flexible spending dollars must be used in the same “coverage period” that the money was put aside. Check with your plan administrator to confirm when your FSA funds must be used so they won’t be lost once your coverage period expires.

How do I purchase eyegalsses or contacts with my FSA dollars?
If you have an FSA debt card, you can use that card at check-out just like you would a normal credit or debit card. If you do not have an FSA debit card, you can make your purchase using another form of payment and seek reimbursement directly from your FSA provider. Most FSA providers will require you to submit a reimbursement form along with an itemized receipt or invoice.

If you have a current prescription, call the Contact Lens Department or drop by the Optical Department at one of our three convenient locations or call (803) 779-3070 to schedule an appointment to renew your prescription. You can also conveniently order all the same major brands of contacts online anytime, anywhere, for delivery to your home of office.

The post Don’t let your flexible spending funds expire! appeared first on Columbia Eye.