Glasses (and contact) wearers?

[W4GPL]

I've been wearing glasses since I was a young teen.. and in general, my prescription has stayed stable for a long time. But recently, as my body falls apart rapidly, I noticed that with my glasses weren't solving all the blurry words & signs at a distance. So having stocked up a bunch of HSA monies, I decided to treat myself to a trip to the eye doctor.

Being relatively new to the area, I went with the advertising ploys and randomly chose Lenscrafters. The doctor (independent of Lenscrafters though in their office) was excellent. I've never had an eye doctor take so much time with me doing the 'better/worse' stuff. It was tedious, but worth it.

Then the guy who helped me pick out eyeglasses was awesome too. He had me choose 8 frames.. 4 regular and 4 sunglasss.. and then he took me over to a computer that took a picture of me wearing each one of them and it analyzed all sorts of shapes and angles. I was quite blown away.. and then finally when we narrowed it down to the two.. he spent another half hour adjusting them using the same photo technology. Very geeky and very effective. I've never had such a well fitting pair of frames before.. snug and comfortable, very stylish -- they look like they were made for me.

Then came the money talk... holy eyeballs batman. I paid less for my first car -- literally! But I relented because I was so impressed with the service and the quality. And an hour later.. I walked out with my awesome pairs of glasses.. and it's the best clarity I've ever had.

Though incredibly expensive, a service worth checking out.. maybe this particular location (Cherry Creek Mall for our Denver folks) was special, but I'm a believer.

[PA5COR]

Just got new glasses here from a local shop, measuring and new frame and glasses came down to 275 euro, from which i got 75 back from my healthinsurer.

[N8YX]

'DSG's latest set came to around $500 - these being titanium and frameless. Mine are slightly less but have a frame of sorts - and both were ordered with auto-darkening. Ride a motorcycle or bicycle on a brightly lit day and see how much you appreciate that.

[PA5COR]

I hate auto darkening glasses, had them for a few years, but they always stay somewhat tinted even in low light conditions, so watching t.v. you always have a colour tint and it takes time to go from colored back to no colouring, i have tinted prescription sunglasses for that.
Mostly they come with lots of discount buying standard glasses 100 euro extra for the tinted ones.

[n6hcm]

i have two pairs of glasses that, together, would have cost about $1500 if i paid retail. one pair (the complicated pair) cost $600 out of pocket, and the other about $350. the complicated pair are wire frames, polycarbonate lenses, progressive bifocals with transitions and edge polishing. the less complex pair are plastic frames, polycarbonate lenses with transitions. the complex pair are almost like not wearing glasses at all except that now that i have progressive bifocals i need to start wearing larger lenses which are problematic because of my strong rx. i'm nearsighted and the larger the lens means the edge gets thicker ...

so: next year i need to figure out whether i want two pairs of glasses for specific situations or one all-purpose pair ... if the latter then i probably want plastic frames, larger lenses, progressive bifocals.

i used to wear daily-wear contacts but i'm too lazy to put them in each morning. glasses: reach out, put them on, done.

[PA5COR]

Always had glasses, no need for contact lenses, most of my glasses have bifocals for reading and far off sighting.
-1.25 and -1.75 but one has 8 cylinders in it, so i know how thick the sides are ;)
Full rimmed metal spectacles are a must then, found a nice model, and have 1 year warranty on that, but even after that they don't mind fixing a problem for free, since i'm a long time costumer there.

Wearing glases since age 8, now 52 years back, it comes natural get out of bed, shower, get glasses on, clothes on and be set for the day.
Always keeep the old one as spare in the car, with my sunglasses.

[KK4AMI]

I've been wearing glasses since I was a young teen.. and in general, my prescription has stayed stable for a long time. But recently, as my body falls apart rapidly, I noticed that with my glasses weren't solving all the blurry words & signs at a distance. So having stocked up a bunch of HSA monies, I decided to treat myself to a trip to the eye doctor.

Being relatively new to the area, I went with the advertising ploys and randomly chose Lenscrafters. The doctor (independent of Lenscrafters though in their office) was excellent. I've never had an eye doctor take so much time with me doing the 'better/worse' stuff. It was tedious, but worth it.

Then the guy who helped me pick out eyeglasses was awesome too. He had me choose 8 frames.. 4 regular and 4 sunglasss.. and then he took me over to a computer that took a picture of me wearing each one of them and it analyzed all sorts of shapes and angles. I was quite blown away.. and then finally when we narrowed it down to the two.. he spent another half hour adjusting them using the same photo technology. Very geeky and very effective. I've never had such a well fitting pair of frames before.. snug and comfortable, very stylish -- they look like they were made for me.

Then came the money talk... holy eyeballs batman. I paid less for my first car -- literally! But I relented because I was so impressed with the service and the quality. And an hour later.. I walked out with my awesome pairs of glasses.. and it's the best clarity I've ever had.

Though incredibly expensive, a service worth checking out.. maybe this particular location (Cherry Creek Mall for our Denver folks) was special, but I'm a believer.

No, I went to the Lenscrafter at my Mall. I was very happy with the service. I bought a pair of self-tinting bifocals and got a second pair of sunglasses for free (Driving and Fishing). It was a buy one get a second pair for free deal. After I saw the price, I thought they just charged me twice as much for the one pair to make up the difference, phew! The cost of glasses is certainly going up, enough to make me consider laser eye surgery. But I do like glasses. I don't know how many times glasses have saved my eyeballs from injury.

[kf0rt]

We've been pretty happy with Lenscrafters too. Prices are ridiculous.

Saw a short 60 Minutes piece on eyeglasses recently. It's an "eye opener" you might say.

Found it - here ya go:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7424700n&tag=segementExtraScroller;housing

[KB3LAZ]

My wife pays 15€ a month for her contacts.

[K7SGJ]

I quit using optometrists several years ago, and opted for an ophthalmologist. More of it was covered under my medical instead of vision. A few years back, she told me I had cataracts, and to keep a close watch on them. None of the eye glass places ever mentioned it to me, and maybe because it wasn't bad enough in their estimation, or maybe because the equipment wasn't as sophisticated, IDK. Anyway, a couple of years ago, she told me they qualified for insurance covered surgery. I opted for multi-focus lens implants which cost a bit of out of pocket $$. The "free" ones would allow you to choose near or far correction, which required glasses to cover the areas the lens didn't correct for. The multi-focus work from reading distance to far distance. I love them. I can read, use the camera, watch TV, and everything else with out requiring glasses. And what a big difference in viewing colors. The only time I need help is when doing really fine work or in low light. Bottom line is, as you age, go to an eye surgeon every so often for a muich more in depth eye exam. They perform a battery of tests that optometrists don't because they don't have all the additional equipment.

[AE1PT]

Lenscrafters is a crapshoot driven by location and production flow. Add to that overpriced and variable quality (on several counts) and you are the sucker they are looking for. More about that in a paragraph...

LC's docs are independent--they lease space and pay a commission on customers. Like any OD, they are variable in quality--although LC has been pushing hard to make them into high-end salesmen as well with expensive computer aided refractions and pricier lens/contact specifications on scrips. The perfect consumer choice... In any event, the better option for those over 40 is to move onward from optometrists and onward to ophthalmologists. For those with medical insurance the cost of a visit to the latter is usually covered by a simple copay as it is a visit to a medical doctor--and the degree of assessment for potential problems due to aging and existing health issues is much more comprehensive. The MD can do lots of eye tests that an OD is not qualified or licensed to do.

But on to Lenscrafters. Did you gentle readers know that a company called Luxottica pretty much controls the world market for frames? Or venues to buy said frames? That's right hamsters--go to LC, Pearle, Sears Optical, Target, and a bunch of others and you are still dealing with Luxottica. And at a decreasing scale of prices. What's up with that? Even independent opticians buy the bulk of their frame stock from them. Consumer Reports and other organizations report that consumers generally pay more for the same thing at LC than they would at an independent (think of the local optician or optical shop attached to your optometrist or ophthalmologist's office) locally owned and operated boutique venue. The locals will also spend a WHOLE lot more time fitting and adjusting your contact lens prescription than a chain box store.

Or how about lenses? The vast majority of the US market is held by Essilor, followed by Vision Ease and Sola (AO, Zeiss, etcetera). The market is mostly filled in after that by VERY cheaply made Chinacrap lenses sold under a variety of rock bottom discount opticians (Dr. Bizer, so on). Bottom line is that two companies control over 75% of the US finished optical goods market.

As a high myope with presbyopia, I have had two unpleasant experiences with LC that ended in my taking advantage of total refund policy. Never again will I deal with them. I do sometimes look at their frame selection--writing down a product number and buying it for half the price through my independent optician. The last time I used Sams Club. My major requirement is that any optician carry Varilux Comfort progressive lenses. After one has worn these for a while, the others just don't measure up. And that is a common refrain that dispensing opticians will share with you. Once they learn that you have been in these, they will keep you in them or the alternate owned also by Essilor, Crizal--which is essentially a special coating applied to a Varilux lens.

Short story? See an ophthalmologist once you get over 40. Do business with your local optician and save money. And oh, support a local business as well...

Fuck Lenscrafters.

[N2NH]

Used to be near-sighted 20/420 left eye (yes although legally blind, the draft board said I was still eligible for the draft - c-suckers). As I've gotten older that eye is 20/40 but the right is now 20/200 farsighted. Can see distances very well.

As for Optometrists, the private ones are excellent. LensCrafters were not only expensive, but the ones that I went to had awful reviews. Sterling Optical was a crap shoot. Often they got the prescription wrong and vision was blurry. Cohen's was excellent. A bit pricey, but great selection, great fit and excellent exam. JC Penney's great exam, so-so glasses with not much of a selection.

With the plan I have now, I don't have to pay anything for my glasses. I go to the Healthcare center (in NYC it was a city owned healthcare center), get an excellent exam, took about an hour, and in a week I pick up the glasses. When people tell you that government doesn't work, they're full of shaving cream. These are literally the best glasses I've ever owned. Great frames, great fit, great prescription, clearest that I've ever seen. I couldn't believe how good they are. I can even drive with these bi-focals - no problems. The ones I had last time were crap and fell apart in a few months. These are much better.

[KJ3N]

But recently, as my body falls apart rapidly...

If your body is falling apart rapidly at nearing 33, you're so fucked. :neener:

I didn't noticed my eyesight shifting until I was in my late 40s. I used to be able to focus and read the markings on a 2n3904 at about 5-7 inches distance. Now it's more 12 inches distance.

I've worn glasses since I was 12 or 13. My distance vision has always sucked.

[K7SGJ]

Used to be near-sighted 20/420 left eye (yes although legally blind, the draft board said I was still eligible for the draft - c-suckers). As I've gotten older that eye is 20/40 but the right is now 20/200 farsighted. Can see distances very well.

As for Optometrists, the private ones are excellent. LensCrafters were not only expensive, but the ones that I went to had awful reviews. Sterling Optical was a crap shoot. Often they got the prescription wrong and vision was blurry. Cohen's was excellent. A bit pricey, but great selection, great fit and excellent exam. JC Penney's great exam, so-so glasses with not much of a selection.

With the plan I have now, I don't have to pay anything for my glasses. I go to the Healthcare center (in NYC it was a city owned healthcare center), get an excellent exam, took about an hour, and in a week I pick up the glasses. When people tell you that government doesn't work, they're full of shaving cream. These are literally the best glasses I've ever owned. Great frames, great fit, great prescription, clearest that I've ever seen. I couldn't believe how good they are. I can even drive with these bi-focals - no problems. The ones I had last time were crap and fell apart in a few months. These are much better.

When I used to wear glasses, I always got the ANSI rated frames required by OSHA for workplace safety. Although a bit heavier, they were much more rugged.

[AE1PT]

When I used to wear glasses, I always got the ANSI rated frames required by OSHA for workplace safety. Although a bit heavier, they were much more rugged.

We always called those 'birth control glasses...' :stickpoke:

[NQ6U]

We always called those 'birth control glasses...' :stickpoke:

Been wearing them for years, no kids. QED.

[N8YX]

We always called those 'birth control glasses...' :stickpoke:

When the lights are off, does that really matter? :snicker:

[K7SGJ]

We always called those 'birth control glasses...' :stickpoke:

Yeah, that's because you could see that nasty thing from a distance instead of having to put your nose in it. However, for some of us, it was...................well getting close was................I really liked..............well I usually took off my glasses before...............oh never mind.

Reminds me of my high school prom. I was kissing my date good night when her parents walked in on us. She ended up breaking my glasses as she stood up.

[AE1PT]

When the lights are off, does that really matter? :snicker:

Depends on whether you take your glasses off or not.

And the larger question is, how many wore those elastic straps across the back??? :hahano:

[K7SGJ]

Depends on whether you take your glasses off or not.

And the larger question is, how many wore those elastic straps across the back??? :hahano:

My girlfriend did, but that was on her bra.

[HUGH]

Free eye tests for me now I'm ancient (over 60). Varifocals in my choice of frame (mid-price, tough, no fancy designer stuff) are equivalent to about $400 with free reading glasses thrown in. This is an independent local optician, an excellent personal service and they straightened my old, battered pair of varifocals for free.

I nearly forgot the standard glaucoma and retinal tests included too.

[N2NH]

Depends on whether you take your glasses off or not.

And the larger question is, how many wore those elastic straps across the back??? :hahano:

I did. I had one called "Croakies". (http://store.croakies.com/sportretainers.aspx) They're not too apparent, unlike the older ones. Used it when I worked on very physical jobs. Made of neoprene and it's lasted years. Also good when driving to keep glasses in place.

[wa6mhz]

I hafta use COKE BOTTLE BOTTOMs for glasses lens, so no chance of Contacts. Besides, glasses give me some Eye protection from Solder splatter and lead cutting. Others have to wear goggles which steam up.

My glasses were pricey, but no where NEAR the prices I am seeing here. I thought $300 was pricey! Currently, my lenses are all scratched up and need replacing. I can get a few more miles on the frames, but I might as well keep these intact so I have a working SPARE set of glasses should these ever get lost or damaged.

Glasses are probably the MOST IMPORTANT thing in life to me, as without them, I am as BLIND AS A BAT! I have clear vision for about 6 inches, then it is all blur!!! But, the positive aspect of it is that I have incredible CLOSE UP vision for working on Surface Mount parts, which is my job. That is why I would never ever get the Laser eye treatment. I would lose my close up magnivision that I need so much to do my job. So I live with poor distant vision and correct it with glasses. The power seems to have leveled off as there has been very little change the last 20 or 30 years in the lens requirement.

[n6hcm]

re: ophthalmologist v. optometrist ... many plans (especially HMO-style plans) limit access to ophthalmologists which is why optometrists make out like bandits. in my plan, because i'm diagnosed as diabetic, i need no referral to go to any ophthalmologist which works out well. i still see the optometrist because i've been seeing him for years, but the ophthalmologist detects things that the optometrist didn't (like the beginnings of cataract development).

an internet friend of mine just had cataract surgery and is super-pleased with the results. this sort of thing isn't imminent for me, but it's nice to know about it far in advance.

[n6hcm]

I hafta use COKE BOTTLE BOTTOMs for glasses lens, so no chance of Contacts.

actually, one doesn't correlate to the other. my lenses are -9.00 and i'm able to wear contacts just fine (not all contact lenses are available in this strength but plenty are). the astigmatism you may have is more important wrt contact lenses than the poor quality of your vision.

[KB3LAZ]

actually, one doesn't correlate to the other. my lenses are -9.00 and i'm able to wear contacts just fine (not all contact lenses are available in this strength but plenty are). the astigmatism you may have is more important wrt contact lenses than the poor quality of your vision.

And those coke bottle lenses can be replaced with much slimmer ones these days.

[KK4AMI]

So what I gather from this thread is we are "all" as blind as a bat? Could this be attributed to excessive exposure to RF or time? :)

[K7SGJ]

And those coke bottle lenses can be replaced with much slimmer ones these days.

They are now replacing coke bottle lens with coke can bottom lens. Much thinner.

[kc2zfa]

I've worn glasses since 1982. I've always bought frames from www.shuron.com (http://www.shuron.com)
My current day-pair is the Revelation (Ebony) which came in at $87:

[K7SGJ]

I've worn glasses since 1982. I've always bought frames from www.shuron.com (http://www.shuron.com)
My current day-pair is the Revelation (Ebony) which came in at $87:


Can you burn ants with them?

[WX7P]

I've worn glasses since 1982. I've always bought frames from www.shuron.com (http://www.shuron.com)
My current day-pair is the Revelation (Ebony) which came in at $87:

Very 1957.

[WX7P]

I had LASIK in 2000, so I haven't had to mess with optometrists or glasses except for cheater reading glasses from the drugstore. It's been great.

Brand eX #1 is an optometrist and when we where married, she was still in optometry school (I paid for it). I had my eyes examined about 900 million times by her classmates because I have 3 pigment spots in my left eye which was a big deal to them.

[kc2zfa]

Can you burn ants with them?

No, but I've burned chicks with them...does that count ?

[K7SGJ]

No, but I've burned chicks with them...does that count ?


Oh hell yes. In fact, that'll get you bonus points.

[AE1PT]

No, but I've burned chicks with them...does that count ?

Where exactly did you burn them? Did they like it? Prurient minds want to know... :yum:

[WØTKX]

Hair broiled in Astroglide has a distinct olfactory hue. :mrgreen:

[kc2zfa]

Where exactly did you burn them? Did they like it? Prurient minds want to know... :yum:

many have asked me to put out their fire, the ignition of which they attributed to my specs directed towards them.

[W5GA]

And the larger question is, how many wore those elastic straps across the back??? :hahano:

Whatchoo talkin' bout? I still do!:wtf:

[KJ3N]

And the larger question is, how many wore those elastic straps across the back??? :hahano:
Whatchoo talkin' bout? I still do!:wtf:

Moobs? :chin:

[W5GA]

Moobs? :chin:
Gloobs

[KG4CGC]

Scratched lens sufferers should check out polishers. They still have lens polishers? Save a metric butt ton of money. Most people replace their glasses just because they want the latest frames fresh out of Hollywood. Interesting to note. Whatever they're wearing in Europe this year, you'll see being offered stateside in about 3 years. I hear people always talking about how horrible their fashion sense is over there then they're wearing the exact same outfits in 3 to 5 years. Morons.