| My Struggle with Eyeglasses |
[May. 11th, 2008|01:42 am] |
(Yes, I know this wasn't on my list of topics from my last post. Sue me. :P)
I haven't had much luck with my eyeglasses in the past past year. I've been doing even worse with the clip-on sunglasses that came with them. Since July of last year I've broken one pair of glasses, lost another pair and broke two clip-on sunglasses. As a result I've spent nearly a grand replacing what I lost (to be honest that cost also includes a visit to the eye doctor).
I expect my glasses to last a good long time. Four years, at least. That expectation is the result of my time with my "Harry Potter" glasses I got back in 1995 or 1996:
I got the HP glasses after I lost my previous pair somewhere between Farmington and Cuba, New Mexico during a balloon rally trip. You see I had a pair of regular glasses and a pair of prescription sunglasses that I would switch whenever I went outside (I got sick and tired of photogray lenses). Somehow I lost the regular glasses when I switched on the road back to ABQ. I had to wear the sunglasses until I got home (which was really fun after the sun set).
When I got the HP glasses I eschewed the "regular glasses / sun glasses" idea and got clip-ons. The first clip-ons lasted until 2000 when I lost or broke them during a trip to Minnesota. I got the second pair of clip-ons at a Sunglasses Hut during my trip.
In 2001 I got tired of the HP glasses and got some new glasses made out of plastic lenses. Wow! What a difference! Those new glasses were my first plastic glasses and I couldn't feel them on my face when I wore them. they were that light.
Those glasses lasted a year before they broke. :( In fact they broke during my trip to CGE in Las Vegas in 2002. I had make do with glue and tape throughout the trip until I got home. Fortunately the glasses were covered by my insurance and I got replacements for free.
After a while the clip-ons that came with the glasses broke and I would use the prescription sunglasses whenever I went outside. By the way, here's a picture of those prescription sunglasses:
Those replacement sunglasses lasted until July of 2007 (I accidentally slept on them). They lasted a good five years so I wasn't too disappointed. I had to get an eye examination before I could buy a pair of glasses. No biggy except I was unemployed at the time and the examination plus the glasses were both expenses out of pocket. Ouch.
I hoped to get the new glasses before my trip to CGE2K7 in Las Vegas. They weren't ready until after the show and I had to wear my HP glasses during the trip. No biggie but I discovered that I didn't like wearing my HP glasses. They were HEAVY! I felt weighed down by them. I couldn't believe that glasses made out of glass could be so heavy. They also pinched me and I had a horizontal dent on each side of my head. I even got headaches from them. I was glad to get the new glasses with clip-ons. Everything felt so much better and lighter.
The clip-ons lasted only a few months before they broke. I went back to using the prescription sunglasses whenever I was outside. In the long run that was a mistake because I lost my glasses this past April due to that glasses-swapping thing. It was the end of the day at work. I switched to my sunglasses after I left the building and walked straight to my car. When I got home I noticed that my regular glasses were missing. They weren't in my car. I drove back to work and searched the parking lot and the area around the building entrance. No luck. During the next week I asked around and searched the company's Lost+Found website. No luck. I was back to wearing the HP glasses again.
After I finally admitted to myself that the glasses were gone forever, I went to Costco to order replacements. Fortunately they had my prescription in their records and ordering replacements was a breeze. Unfortunately they no longer sold the frames I bought last year. No biggie. I spent five minutes perusing their display rack and I quickly found the frames I liked. This time I ordered two pairs of glasses. Just in case.
I was told that they would be ready in two and a half weeks. After my trip to OKC. It was like the CGE trip all over again. During my trip - the morning after I arrived, in fact - my clip-ons broke. BTW, here are what my HP clip-ons look like:
Later that day I went to Walgreens to find some replacement clip-ons. They were all too small but I did find a pair of sunglasses that fit over my HP glasses:
Kinda goofy looking. Makes me look like these guys (except mine are darker):
Or maybe this guy:
(No I don't see aliens when I wear the sunglasses. Perhaps I'm one of the aliens. Eh?)
A week after I returned from OKC I still didn't get a phone call from Costco. I went over and the glasses were ready. In fact they were ready one day before I left town for my OKC trip. They told me they called that day and actually talked to someone. I don't think so. My cell phone was turned off and in the glove compartment of my car at the time (unless someone broke into my car and turned on my phone just to answer a call from Costco). They must have dialed a wrong number. That sucks because I really wanted to wear my new glasses during the trip.
Here's what I look like in my new glasses:
Anyway, Costco didn't have any clip-ons that fit my new glasses and I had to go to Walgreens to get some decent clip-ons. I found a set that fit perfectly. I bought two of them, just in case.
Here's what I look like with the clip-ons:
See what I said? Perfect fit! Also, no more dents on the side of my head. Whew!
So, the past 10 months I bought three pairs of glasses, three clip-ons and a pair of (alien-like) sunglasses. I spent between $500-$1000 on those things (I don't know exactly and I'm too lazy to find out). I hope I won't have to spend that much again for my in such a short time (Unless I elect for surgery. Hmmmm.).
About six years ago I was seriously thinking about getting getting RK surgery (or was it Lasic surgery?) so I wouldn't need regular glasses any more. I was planning to open that medical savings account thing the company offered (I forget the exact name) in 2003 and use that to pay for the surgery and save a lot of money. However, they announced the closure of the plant I worked at and I put that plan on hold until I was fully employed again. So the idea is back on the table and I might consider it for next year.
One day you might see me looking like this:
Scarey, huh? :D
EDIT: After re-reading this post, I discovered that I tend to break my glasses while I'm on trips. Maybe I should stop taking trips to save money on glasses.
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| Comments: |
I dig the new glasses! The clip ons fit amazingly well. The only time I've ever had that work is when I specifically bought glasses which included the custom magnetic clip on with them. The glasses looked pretty ugly, but they're pretty snazzy with the shades on. I keep that as my emergency pair in my car at all times.
3 pairs is nothing. I've got so many glasses floating around the apartment. Granted that I've not spent as much as you, but I usually by my "spare" pairs over the internet once I get my prescription. Which, actually, I am way past due to do. It's sad when you must have emergency glasses when you're so blind.
I've decided against LASIK after seeing some horror stories and after what I found out about it vs. other surgeries. My brother got PRK. It has a longer recovery time and is listed as more irritating/painful, but the results are good. He's so happy with it. As well, apparently with LASIK, the cornea is cut and that flap never grows back together and has only the regrown epithilium keeping it together. With PRK, I guess the cutting happens on the epithilium only, which does grow back. Or so my brother says per NAVY doctors.
And that's my long winded response for the day. :)
3 pairs is nothing.
Perhaps, but it's a big deal to me as that is the most number of glasses I've spent in such a short amount of time. Normally I buy 1 pair every few years.
Now if you are talking about total number of glasses in the house, I'm up to seven: the two pair I just bought, the HP glasses, the prescription sunglasses and three pair of glasses I wore throughout the seventies and eighties. That includes the second pair of glasses I ever owned (I wore starting in the 8th grade). I don't throw anything away except maybe my first pair of glasses. I hated those things. They looked like the army's BCGs (Birth Control Glasses). I wanted wire frames and my mom selected those fugly things. I broke them, on purpose, so I could get some wire frames. Then again the wire frames looked just as geeky as my BCGs but at least they were wire frames!
In regards to the Lasik surgery I'm going to do a lot of research and talk to my eye doctor (once I get one) before November when it's time to make changes to my medical insurance (and set up that medical expense account). | |
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