Eyewear Maintenance

Eye Exams

Please bring your current prescription to your scheduled consultation. If you do not have a prescription and need an exam, please call us to schedule with the optometrist at Bronze Optical. If you have medical issues that may involve the health of your eyes, please call for our referral to an optometrist or ophthalmologist at the Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin Eye Institute.

Lenses

Bronze Optical has access to the full range of lens materials, and the knowledge to determine which lens material best suits your prescription.

Standard lenses
CR-39 plastic or glass may be a fine choice for low to moderate prescriptions and for adult wearers. Because lenses made in these materials can be heavier and thicker, they are not a good choice with larger frames or with stronger prescriptions or prescriptions with prism. Glass lenses are not recommended for wearing during contact sports. Even heat-treated or chemically hardened lenses can break under certain conditions. Consultation questions enable us to identify the best material for you.

Thin lenses
Polycarbonate is a thin lens most advised for children and persons who engage in contact sports. This material is of exceptional impact resistance. It’s not unbreakable, but breakage is rare. (A nail can be driven through some polycarbonate lenses without their shattering.) Moderate prescriptions are best in this material. It is lightweight, thin, and in lower powers has good optics across the lens. Trivex, similar in many ways to polycarbonate, is the latest material for thin lenses in rimless frames, to minimize risk of “spider” cracking around the drill holes or edge grooving.

Thinner lenses
High-index material is best for strong prescriptions and is really crucial for prescriptions in power ranges of – 6.00 or + 5.00 and stronger, in order to achieve a thinner lens and still maintain optimal optics across the vision field. Prescriptions with high cylinder for astigmatism correction are best served with this lens. The cost difference of a few dollars is well worth the improved vision and aesthetics of the lens. Your prescription and how you use your glasses will guide us in determining which index—1.60, 1.67, 1.70, 1.74—is best for you.

Digitally surfaced or high-definition lenses
Lens prescriptions that are more complex—with cylinder or high spherical power—are good candidates for digital. Lenses for unusually large frames may be wisely done in digital to minimize peripheral distortion, or to minimize edge thickness for near-sighted prescriptions. The industry is rapidly transitioning to digitally surfaced lenses and many older, traditional designs are going out of existence.

Blue Zero and BluTech lenses
Blue-blocking lenses help to protect the eyes from the damage and discomfort that can result from extended viewing of LED-lit screens on computers, TVs, phones, tablets, and other devices. BluTech lenses are helpful for those whose night-driving vision is impaired by oncoming headlights. These lenses block high-energy blue light, thus protecting the inside of the eye and helping to maintain normal sleep patterns. These lenses include anti-reflective (non-glare) treatment to further optimize vision. They are available for use both indoors and outdoors, in any frame style, and can be worn with or without a prescription. Some are free of color and some have a beige tint. How you plan to use these will determine which is right for you.

Lens Treatments

We will suggest and explain the benefits of specific lens treatments that we believe would contribute to meeting your vision needs. We’ll never try to sell you lens treatments that you don’t need or want.

Anti-reflective
These anti-reflective treatments work wonders in improving clarity of vision, reducing eye-strain, and virtually eliminating disorienting halos around headlights and taillights at night. High-quality treatments are embedded in the outer surface of the lens, with a protective hydrophobic, easy-to-clean surface. It is not easily scratched. Lower-quality anti-reflective treatments are essentially coatings on the lens. Because they are not embedded in the lens material, they are prone to scratching, peeling, flaking, cracking, and crazing. Bronze Optical only recommends premium Anti-reflective coatings.

Polarization
Blinding glare happens when sunlight scatters off reflective surfaces, causing discomfort and creating dull, washed-out images. Polarization acts somewhat like mini-blinds on a window, “angling” bright light to provide better visual clarity. Great for driving or outdoor activities, beside the pool, fishing. With few exceptions, it’s the all-around best choice for sun lenses.

Transitions
With Transitions lenses, the color darkens and lightens depending on light intensity, becoming perfectly clear indoors. Transitions lenses are a  great choice for the moderately light-sensitive eye outdoors, or for people who are frequently in and out of doors. Transitions Generation S is now available in a wide variety of fashion colors. Standard Transitions lenses do not activate in the car, but Transitions XtraActive does darken partially behind the windshield, though it does not get perfectly clear indoors. Our consultation will determine if Transitions lenses are the right choice for you.

Polarized Transitions
This lens combines transitions and polarization. Indoors, a slight tint, no polarization. When you go into the bright outdoors, the lenses darken and polarize. Enjoy crisper, more vivid vision in varying outdoor light situations. Not recommended for the severely light-sensitive.

Tints
Can serve both cosmetic and practical functions. Maybe you want tinting to provide a certain light protection or perhaps there is a color you think is simply cool. Or maybe your job situation requires tinting rather than polarization, such as the pilot in the cockpit. We’ll discuss your considerations and order what’s right for you.

Frames

We look forward to helping you choose from the hundreds of frames—contemporary, retro, and vintage—which we have personally selected. 

Our inventory includes brands in many styles and colors, in metal, stainless steel, titanium, plastic, and rimless. We can help you choose eyeglasses for primary or back-up use, sunglasses, or glasses for sports, safety, recreation, hobby, TV, or computer use.

Frame brands we carry: • Blackfin • Blake Kuwahara • David Spencer • Dolabany • Dutz • Garrett Leight • Gotti Perspective • Gotti Titanium • L.A. Eyeworks • Matsuda • Oliver Goldsmith • Parasite • Plein Les Mirettes • Laibach & York • Tarian • Theo •

Sun Clips

Turn your regular eyeglasses into polarized sunglasses with a simple clip. While a few frames may be made with a clip available, most of our sun clips are custom-made. This means that you can have a clip made for ANY frame in the shop!  With Chemistrie magnetic clips we can even made clips with blue-blocking lenses, or turn your distance glasses into computer or reading glasses with a clip that you can use when you need it.

Contact Lenses

We can fill prescriptions for any contact lenses your eye doctor prescribes.  Our prices are competitive with all online shops, and when you order a years' supply we'll ship them to your home at no charge!

Eyewear Maintenance

Eyeglasses require preventive maintenance to ensure optimal vision and comfort. Every twelve months or so is a good idea. Glasses that are neglected often do unpleasant things at inconvenient times: Screws and eye wires become loose. Temples and nose pad arms get out of alignment. Lenses become loose in the frame and fall out. Nose pads become discolored. 

Ongoing maintenance of your eyeglasses is one of the fabulous benefits of being a client of Bronze Optical. Call 414-221-7055 to schedule your no-charge maintenance visit. Bring your empty lens cleaner bottles and we’ll refill them for free!