Alternating (eye) glasses?

[Snip 13]

No, glasses are not a "fashion accessory" for me. I have severe, really severe astigmatism. Even getting up in the middle of the night to pee has resulted in injury (yes, missing the door). I've had optometrists grin with glee. "A challenge! I love a challenge!). Because I've had other optical problems, I need a relationship with my optometrist, one who has a connection with an opthamologist. But when we were more flush, and I worked 40+ hours a week, I did have a glasses "wardrobe". Now I'm down to one pair (neutral color frames), which is really stupid of me to do. I think somewhere around here I have one pair of my old prescription. Hey, guess what? I'll never find if if these glasses are destroyed!

Same here I've also got severe astigmastism. My left eye is -6.75 and the right is -3.75. If I take my glasses off to bath or wash my face I can't always find them again. I can't make out faces without them, won't even recognise my own mother
I have brown frames. They look good but the colour is hard to find when i take it off! They blend in with the furniture.

 

[Addie]

If you have a pair of glasses that you are very happy with and your prescription changes, you can keep the frames and just ask for new lenses. You don't have to get new frames everytime. The lens size is pretty much the same in all frames. They can order the lens and place them in the frames when you go to pick them up.

You don't HAVE TO buy new frames everytime your prescription changes. Of course it doesn't make your optomertrists very happy. It is less money for them. If your optomertrist gives you a hard time, just tell them to give you the prescription and you will go somewhere else. And they HAVE TO GIVE YOU a copy of your prescription whether they fill it or not. I usually keep the old frames. I just gave them to my son and he put them in the box that the Lions Club has for old glasses. I had about six or seven pairs. But I kept one that I am going to be using today for my infinity lens. I am very happy with them. A perfect fit.

 

[Kayelle]

I've worn Mono Vision contacts for twenty years and I love them. I take them out at bedtime and only wear glasses before my shower in the morning. No way would I ever go back to wearing glasses full time. Glasses make me claustrophobic.

 

[Addie]

I've worn Mono Vision contacts for twenty years and I love them. I take them out at bedtime and only wear glasses before my shower in the morning. No way would I ever go back to wearing glasses full time. Glasses make me claustrophobic.

Unfortunately for me I am not psycologically suited for contacts. The idea of sticking a foreign in my eyes terrifies me. I have been wearing glasses since I was five years old. I am so anxious to get my new ones. I miss wearing glasses sinice the surgery.

 

[Kayelle]

Actually Addie I never dreamed I'd be able to wear contacts either because I always felt the same way as you. I still remember the assistant at the eye Doctor's trying to teach me how to put them in my eyes. She must have wondered why this grown woman was acting like I was. She actually spent all afternoon coaching me with so much compassion that she made me determined to not let her down. Like with most things that are hard to do, it all comes down to motivation and I was really motivated to stop wearing glasses like I had all my life. It's really one of the best decisions I ever made.

 

[Claire]

If you have a pair of glasses that you are very happy with and your prescription changes, you can keep the frames and just ask for new lenses. You don't have to get new frames everytime. The lens size is pretty much the same in all frames. They can order the lens and place them in the frames when you go to pick them up.

You don't HAVE TO buy new frames everytime your prescription changes. Of course it doesn't make your optomertrists very happy. It is less money for them. If your optomertrist gives you a hard time, just tell them to give you the prescription and you will go somewhere else. And they HAVE TO GIVE YOU a copy of your prescription whether they fill it or not. I usually keep the old frames. I just gave them to my son and he put them in the box that the Lions Club has for old glasses. I had about six or seven pairs. But I kept one that I am going to be using today for my infinity lens. I am very happy with them. A perfect fit.

Addie, maybe it is because my vision is so bad? But I've always asked my optometrist(s) over the years, and they've always been honest with me. Sometimes they've said, yes, you can use the glasses, and sometimes it has been, not only no, but HECK no. One time he said, "this is the vision you have now:" Then "This is what you should be seeing:" In recent years it hasn't been that much of a difference, and he's told me so. I love to read, so always upgrade, then use my old glasses as backup. I guess some of us have better optomotrists than others. Mine have always had my eye health in mind. Otherwise, I'd have fired them!

 

[Snip 13]

Actually Addie I never dreamed I'd be able to wear contacts either because I always felt the same way as you. I still remember the assistant at the eye Doctor's trying to teach me how to put them in my eyes. She must have wondered why this grown woman was acting like I was. She actually spent all afternoon coaching me with so much compassion that she made me determined to not let her down. Like with most things that are hard to do, it all comes down to motivation and I was really motivated to stop wearing glasses like I had all my life. It's really one of the best decisions I ever made.

I went to fetch my first pair of contacts after a New Years party. With a hangover from "bad word"
The tiny lenses looked like dinner plates to me
I took 2 days leave from work to practice! I don't have any right now, just don't have the cash so I'm wearing my glasses. I can take them out or put them in without using a mirror. It becomes second nature!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Addie, maybe it is because my vision is so bad? But I've always asked my optometrist(s) over the years, and they've always been honest with me. Sometimes they've said, yes, you can use the glasses, and sometimes it has been, not only no, but HECK no. One time he said, "this is the vision you have now:" Then "This is what you should be seeing:" In recent years it hasn't been that much of a difference, and he's told me so. I love to read, so always upgrade, then use my old glasses as backup. I guess some of us have better optomotrists than others. Mine have always had my eye health in mind. Otherwise, I'd have fired them!

Claire, I think Addie is talking about reusing the frames not the lenses.

 

[Claire]

Addie, sorry, I did go back and re-read. Yes, if your frames are sturdy and your prescription is available in the same size, of course you can re-use the frames. And Snip, I think one of your eyes is a little worse than mine, but one a lot better. And I have something else wrong with them. But this line made me go back and look at my Rx, trying to see what else .... oh, I have bifocals. The last time I needed to renew my driving license, rather than take the eye test I just had my optometrist fill out a form. Handed it to the DMV guy (remember, small town). He asked if I should have a driving restriction on the license. "God, YES!" I told him if he ever sees me driving w/o my glasses to pull over, call the cops and stay off the road until the men with white jackets come to put me away! I'm not kidding about walking into doors when I get up at 3 a.m. to answer nature's call. for awhile I tried contacts, and once lost one and drove home with one eye closed. Don't want to try that again!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

LOL...you see me walking without mine call for help...

 

[Claire]

Oh, one more aside, Thank Heaven for plastic lenses. When I started wearing glasses (that would be around 1960) mine were so thick and heavy I had a hard time keeping them on my face. I had the art of wriggling my nose in such a way that I could get them back where they belonged when they fell down. Then, sometime around 1970, give or take, my Rx became available in plastic. As each improvement in weight came along, my optometrists wrote it right in on my prescription. Now I pay extra for ultra-lights. Worth every dime.

 

[justplainbill]

I started with glass, switched to plastic lenses for 40 years, and then back to glass a little over 10 years ago. It took about 3 years to become reaccustomed to the weight of glass but I'm glad I did. I'd rather have smaller lenses in glass than larger ones in non glass. Non glass scratches too easily.

 

[Snip 13]

I'm used to my glasses being heavy but I do have a permanent red line across my nose lol!

 

[Addie]

In Massachusetts, the law requires plastic lenses unless stated otherwise by your optometrist.

I no longer see an optometrist. Only an opthamologist. Have been for years. I freak out just to go for an eye exam. When they start to bring the eye exam machine close to my face and eyes, I start to slide down the chair to get away from it. It was last March that it was decided that it was time to have the cataracts removed. The emotional problems regarding treating my eyes without anesthesia created a host of problems that ended up involving five doctors having conference calls galore before a final decision was reached that would calm me down and agree to the surgery. What should and could have been done within a thirty day time, took ten months to solve my emotional eye problems. Contacts will never go into my eyes.

When the day came for me to need bifocals, I ended up falling down a whole flight of stairs the first day I wore them. So back to the doctor to get two new pairs. When I was getting into the car to go to his office, I missed the curb and fell into the street. I have had two pairs ever since. I only use the reading ones for the computer and sewing. When I first talked to my eye surgeon, she asked me did I want perfect vision. I gave it some thought. I decided I wanted to continue to wear glasses, but wanted much thinner lens than I had. I swear I could have cashed in my lens and got back the nickel deposit. Does Coke bottles bottoms come to mind? I have been wearing glasses since I was five y.o. I have been having a devil of a time trying to get used to not having glasses to wear. My surgeon listened to me. I will be picking up my two new pairs next Wednesday. My infinity lens will be a lot, a heck of a lot thinner than what I had been wearing last December. I did have to pay for the infinity lens to be Transitional lens. I can't imagine not having that little extra in the summer or on sunny days. This surgery thing has been quite an advantage.

 

[Kylie1969]

I have recently bought some prescription frames and lenses for reading and doing cross stitch, close up stuff

I went to Specsavers and as we have health insurance, for 2 pairs it only cost $35.00

I have one with black frames and one with purple

 

[PrincessFiona60]

With insurance AND an AARP discount, my glasses still cost over $400 a pair, that's for the lenses...the frames are usually cheap. My insurance pays for the frames, but if I plan on being able to see, I have to shell out for the lenses.

 

[CWS4322]

With insurance AND an AARP discount, my glasses still cost over $400 a pair, that's for the lenses...the frames are usually cheap. My insurance pays for the frames, but if I plan on being able to see, I have to shell out for the lenses.

That seems a bit backwards...you'd think that there would be a limit re: cost per pair, regardless of the frame cost.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

That seems a bit backwards...you'd think that there would be a limit re: cost per pair, regardless of the frame cost.

If I didn't have the insurance my glasses would cost close to $800 pair. The things I need to be able to see are costly add ins. And the insurance only pays for one set of lenses a year.

 

[artofcooking]

FYI, you can buy glasses online for like $30: Save Bundles of Cash by Buying Eyeglasses Online

 

[Addie]

With insurance AND an AARP discount, my glasses still cost over $400 a pair, that's for the lenses...the frames are usually cheap. My insurance pays for the frames, but if I plan on being able to see, I have to shell out for the lenses.

The more horror stories I hear about other elderly folks and their medical costs, the more grateful I am for ESP. They have a great knack for driving me crazy with their over smothering care, but it is better than paying for it myself. I just had to pay $60 for the Transitional Lens. If I had asked my eye surgeon to recommend them, I could have gotten them free. No thanks, I will take what I have with a big helping of gratitude.