Glasses Specialist

Family Vision Care Center

Stephen E. Chase, OD, FCOVD

Optometrist located in Torrance, CA

Eyeglasses give you the ability to enjoy every day with clear vision. The frames you choose are also a great way to express your own personality. Dr. Stephen Chase at Family Vision Care Center works with everyone in your family who needs glasses to correct their vision, ensuring each patient gets the best lens for their eyesight and lifestyle. To schedule an eye exam and talk about glasses, call the office in Torrance, California, or book an appointment online.

Glasses Q & A

What common vision problems are corrected with glasses?

Eyeglasses effectively correct:

  • Nearsightedness (myopia): nearby objects are clear, while distant vision is blurry
  • Farsightedness (hyperopia): distant objects are clear, but close-up vision is blurry
  • Astigmatism: blurry vision at any distance
  • Presbyopia: difficulty focusing on close objects


What causes refractive vision errors?

Refractive vision errors occur when light entering your eye isn’t focused directly on the center of your retina. They’re caused by your:


Light enters your eye from all directions, so your cornea must be perfectly round to refract, or bend, the light evenly and focus it toward the center of your lens. A misshapen cornea may cause farsightedness, nearsightedness, or both.


Your lens refracts light again so that it’s properly focused on the retina. If your lens is curved too steeply, it causes nearsightedness; when it’s too flat, you develop farsightedness. Presbyopia occurs when age-related changes affect its ability to change shape and focus light.


What is astigmatism?

When you have astigmatism, light may be focused in front of the retina, behind it, or both. As a result, you can have blurry vision -- both distance and close-up.

Astigmatism occurs when your cornea is shaped more like a football than a round ball. The football shape bends light at different angles, scattering the light rather than focusing it on the lens or retina.


What types of lenses are used in eyeglasses?

At Family Vision Care Center, you have access to many types of lenses used to correct vision problems.

  • Single vision lenses: correct distance vision
  • Multifocal lenses (bifocal and trifocal): correct reading and distance vision
  • Progressive lenses: three vision powers (trifocal) in one lens without visible lines


What specialty eyeglasses are available?

Dr. Chase can customize your eyeglasses and prevent eye strain with anti-stress lenses. A few examples of specialty lenses or lens coatings include:

Computer glasses

There are two types of computer glasses. One type, called anti-fatigue, correct your refractive vision error while also providing the proper magnification for the distance from your eyes to the computer screen.

Another type of lens is specially designed to deflect harmful blue-violet light that’s emitted from the computer screen. Eliminating your exposure to this range of light helps reduce eye strain and may prevent damage to your vision.

Anti-reflective or no-glare lenses

These lenses are specially coated to eliminate glare by reducing the amount of reflection on eyeglasses lenses.

To get eyeglasses that give you clear vision and reflect your personality, call Family Vision Care Center or book an appointment online.