independent eyewear / optical laboratory

Built around
how you see.

Precision frames, prescription lenses and optical adjustments designed as one system — not three separate purchases.

view frames our lens lab

48 mm

145

Close-up editorial photograph of a precision eyeglass frame

K01 / graphite / NOT BY KERN BY THE WAY 48 □ 21 — 145

A pair of glasses is a mechanical object, an optical instrument, and something you wear on your face every day.

We design for all three.

Person wearing a precisely fitted pair of contemporary eyeglasses

ON THE FACE / By Bùi Hoàng Long

A frame can look unlike you on a table and completely different once it meets YOUR face.

FRAMES / 01

The core collection.

Five geometries. Deliberate proportions. Materials chosen for adjustment, repairability and long wear.

47 □ 20 — 145

Acetate

Plant-derived cellulose acetate, cut from sheet, polished by hand and heat-adjustable at the bench.

Titanium

Lightweight, corrosion-resistant and particularly useful where fine adjustment matters.

Steel

Thin sections, crisp geometry and enough rigidity to hold alignment over years of use.

KERN LENS LAB / 02

The frame is only half the instrument.

Prescription, material, coating and position all affect what reaches your eye.

Optical lens catching reflections and spectral light

Light bends before it reaches you.

K E R N O P T I C A L F R A M E L E N S 4 8 2 1 1 4 5

CLEAR

Our standard prescription lens with hard coating and full UV filtration.

1.50 STANDARD

Reliable optical material for low prescriptions.

1.60 THIN

Reduced thickness for moderate prescriptions.

1.67 HIGH INDEX

Thinner profiles where lens power requires it.

1.74 ULTRA HIGH

Maximum thickness reduction for stronger prescriptions.

FIT / 03

Millimetres matter.

Proper eyewear fit is not just frame width. Bridge geometry, optical centre, vertex distance, pantoscopic angle and temple position all contribute.

vertex

tilt

Pupillary distance

Positions the optical centres of the lenses relative to your eyes.

Bridge

Controls where the frame sits, not simply how wide the nose opening is.

Vertex distance

The distance from the rear lens surface to the eye becomes increasingly important at higher powers.

Pantoscopic tilt

The angle of the lenses relative to the face affects both fit and optical performance.

THE BENCH / 04

Glasses should be serviceable.

Eyewear repair bench with precision hand tools and frame components

adjustment bridge / temple / alignment

repair screws / pads / hinges

lens replacement existing compatible frames

refit after prescription or lens changes

R SPH CYL AXIS ADD

— — — —

L SPH CYL AXIS ADD

— — — —

PRESCRIPTION WORK

Prescription changes
the whole object.

Single vision, occupational, progressive and sun prescriptions. Lens recommendations are based on prescription, frame geometry and intended use.

KERN OPTICAL

Frames should fit. Lenses should be correctly specified. Glasses should disappear when you wear them.