Optician Natasha Brown recently showed Kiana Glanton a pair of glasses with a magnetic clip to make them sunglasses. That’s key for Glanton, who needs the protection.

She has no sight in her left eye and a little sight in her right, due to a condition that causes inflammation of the eyes. 

“It’s a trust kind of thing, because I trust that her fashion sense and then her kind of eye to be able to see my personality and think about my actual lifestyle that she’ll take those things into consideration,” Glanton said.

The Lighthouse Guild Eyecare Eyewear Optical Boutique offers people with vision loss and those who are sighted the best in fashion eyewear, in addition to the many other services provided there. 

The store is open to anyone looking to buy eyeglasses, and all purchases support Lighthouse Guild’s mission to improve the lives of people with visual impairments. 

“Choosing the right frame is good. It’s very important that they wear it. Sometimes it’s more for protection than actyal visual acuity, so we want to make sure that they are comfortable,” Brown said. 

Lighthouse Guild marketing manager Jerry Morak, who has low vision, is thankful for the boutique. 

‘’It’s actually not as easy getting glasses from me, because I have such a strong prescription +10, so you know, I really have to be more selective in the frames that I get, because I have to be able to with a really strong prescription,” Morak said. 

Patients can also get a full eye exam. Optometrist Dr. Rebekah Lin says an annual checkup is pivotal for everyone, because the eyes can be a window into the body. 

“In the back of the eyes, we can see signs of things like diabetes, high blood pressure, we can see early signs and detect those early on. As people age, they are more at risk of developing these conditions as well, so it’s important to get an annual eye exam so that we can check these things and make sure everything looks healthy,” Lin said. 

For more information, visit the Lighthouse Guild's website.