Prescription eyeglasses

[Unseen122]

My mom got lasik 5 years ago too she also loves it. I don't mind wearing Glasses and hate sugery so I don't think I will ever get lasik.

[izzarina]

I guarentee the frame your hubby got Izzy was pure gold, but was very likely plated - which many frames still are today.

No, I'm sure they're not pure. But it WAS funny to see his face

America needs a Brazilian Wax.

as tempting as that sounds, I think I'll pass And may your friend rest in peace.

[Loren]

Titanium frames? Just what I need in case I get hit super hard in the head while I'm wearing them. I want something that will fly apart like a Formula 1 race car.

Tony

With a face like that Tony, I wouldn't worry

Loren

[Dale]

But, here's my thing. I understand that there are differences in quality among frames. But, yesterday, I paid $120 for my daughter's frames at LENSCRAFTERS. ($200 for the lenses). I guess the quality if pretty good. But, it's still three pieces of plastic and a couple of hinges. I completely don't get it.

[Loren]

As for YOU Loren...

Just be careful you have a back up pair of glasses. It's hard to make beautiful rec****rs if you're eyes are on fire from a raging case of conjunctivitis and corneal ulcers from CL overwear (which we see daily in our practice). You be careful!

You aren't kidding Brian, that's great advice and I think most people who wear contacts have no idea about some of the dangers. Unfortunately, I learned much about these issues the hard way in 2004 - 1st a scratched cornea, and then a splash of acetone in the eye Needless to say, I heard all the contact lens horror stories during my fun hours spent at the Massachusettes Eye and Ear Hospital Fortunately I had the good sense to remove and toss my Contact lens and then rinse my eye quite well after the acetone experience. Imagine my surprise when the ER doc told me that exposure to certain chemicals (wearing CL's or not) can lead to having your cornea's literally melt, even days after exposure (when you think you'd be safe)

Anyway, glad you mentioned the dangers of overwearing CL's Brian, hopefully it'll save someone here from a VERY serious problem.

Now, back to saving the galaxy from monster space alien scum.

Loren (aka Spaceman Spiff)

[Loren]

But, here's my thing. I understand that there are differences in quality among frames. But, yesterday, I paid $120 for my daughter's frames at LENSCRAFTERS. ($200 for the lenses). I guess the quality if pretty good. But, it's still three pieces of plastic and a couple of hinges. I completely don't get it.

The cause Dale: As a society we've become so damn lazy and unskilled that we're at the mercy of everyone. You can damn well bet that the professor whipped up a nicer pair of glasses, for a lot less, using some vine, coconut shells, and washed up old coke bottles on Gilligan's Island. Hmph.

Loren

[glauber]

As for YOU Loren...
Just be careful you have a back up pair of glasses. It's hard to make beautiful rec****rs if you're eyes are on fire from a raging case of conjunctivitis and corneal ulcers from CL overwear (which we see daily in our practice). You be careful!

You aren't kidding Brian, that's great advice and I think most people who wear contacts have no idea about some of the dangers. Unfortunately, I learned much about these issues the hard way in 2004 - 1st a scratched cornea, and then a splash of acetone in the eye

I had a damn microbe i brought from Europe try to eat one of my eyballs. It wasn't pleasant, and after that i swore myself off soft contacts. Only hard contacts for me now! It also helps to go see a real eye doctor who understands CLs, instead of going to Lenscrafters. In the end the prices are the same anyway.

[Dale]

You can damn well bet that the professor whipped up a nicer pair of glasses, for a lot less, using some vine, coconut shells, and washed up old coke bottles on Gilligan's Island. Hmph.

Loren

Right. And that's what I want. It would be cheaper and it would be beyond hip.

Dale

[Loren]

What's your 'scrip Dale, I'll whip something up at the shop tomorrow, although I'm sorta short on coconuts. And those darn glass coke bottles are getting harder and harder to find......

Perhaps something in Boxwood and Ivory would suit you Dale? I'm thinking I could "Elton" them up a bit for you while I'm at it.

Loren

[aderyn_du]

I had a damn microbe i brought from Europe try to eat one of my eyballs. It wasn't pleasant

Eeeww.... that sounds really quite awful, glauber.

/shudders and is thankful for 20/20 eyesight

[FJohnSharp]

My good friend is an optometrist and he ain't driving a BMW. I guess the price comes from the manufacturers.

[avanutria]

I've had glasses since I was six, and am probably darn near legally blind without them - never found out what the definition is. But I've gotten really good at guessing what things are over the years. I don't plan on getting any laser surgery for another 10 years or so, though; I want to find out what happens to the guinea pigs!

Last summer I tried to get new glasses and sunglasses at Lenscrafters in Utah. What an annoying experience! I've had glasses through their company several times before, but they are NEVER right the first time. I can't use the special light plastics because my eyes can't handle the distortion, so I had to have them redone. This also happened the last time I was at Lenscrafters in 2000 or so, but they didn't check the details on their computer so they didn't realise this.

Got the new ones redone, and they still weren't right - long distance in the right eye was blurry. Faffed around at two different locations to try to get it taken care of, and finally invoked the 30 day moneyback guarantee and returned both sets, declaring that I would get new ones in England.

When I got to London in September I went to Specsavers. They had their mild problems too, like 1) forgetting that I was there to pick up my glasses and nearly closing the store with me in it, and 2) forgetting that one pair was supposed to be sunglasses and saying "We still have to dye the plastic, can you come back in an hour?" But other than those two glitches, the glasses have been pretty good.

I thought they would be more expensive here, what with everything else being more expensive. But get this:

Lenscrafters: eye exam: $65
Specsavers: eye exam: £18 = ~ $40

Lenscrafters: two frames, two pairs cheaper plastic lenses, one tinted: $597 (returned and refunded, thank goodness!)
Specsavers: (with perpetual buy one get one free deal) two pairs of frames, lenses, with UV coating on both and tinting on one: £127 = ~ $260

Huzzah for Jolly Old England!

[Charlene]

I didn't think of this before, but when my husband had to replace his glasses, he went to a thrift type store to find the frames. Oftentimes you can find old frames that are made of really solid materials, and then bring them in to a optometrist to have new lenses sized to fit. My husband did this and then went to Wally World for lenses. The guy really wanted to sell him new frames, and was going on about how great the "new" ones were. He said "The ones they make now are great...made of titanium and are really durable and light. If you look at the frames you brought in, I would doubt that they are made of anything as durable.....ok, nevermind, they're made of gold." He was shocked and didn't say another thing about the older frames. Coincidentally, the old, thrift shop frames only cost about $5 and have lasted much longer than any other pair of glasses he has gotten and paid well over $100 for.

The last few times my husband tried to reuse his old frames, they told him it would be cheaper to buy a whole new set, frames and lenses, than it would be to just do replacement lenses This makes no sense to me.

Granted, we didn't try Wal Mart.

I think "legally blind" means you can't see the big E without glasses - that's me all right. Or is it that you can't see the big E even with glasses?

I thought I was going to have to get new glasses when I was still working last year doing medical transcription - after about 4 hours of solid typing at the computer I would start seeing double and it would take a couple of hours after I quit typing before that went away. (Aren't you glad you weren't driving on the same road with me?) Since I quit that job, I don't get that anymore because, regardless of what my husband thinks, I don't spend nearly the same amount on time on the computer now. Passed the eye test for my renewal driver's license so I'm legal for another 5 years now - by which time glasses will probably cost $500 a pair!

[Walden]

I have an eye appt. for tomorrow. Went in last year to get some new ones made and they said my prescription had expired. I have a very high nearsighted prescription, and so have gotten the "thin lenses" since high school. They are still awfully thick. Add that to the fact that I generally need Flexsteel frames, if I want them to last me more than a few months, and it starts getting steep. I've not gone through the tribal program, or anything like that before, to get the lenses. Anyway, I shall see.

[jkrazy52]

Boy, Dale ... did you hit a nerve here! I just got new glasses last week. The eye exam was $65 (not bad), the lenses $149, the frames $86. The sad thing is I used my old frames for the new glasses and put the old lens in a new frame for back-up, or possible future donation. (The local Lion's Clubs collect old eyeglasses.) I didn't get any guff about using the same old frames -- I just didn't get a guarantee on frame breakage.

But think of the whistle(s) I could have bought with that money!

~Judy