Carol H Tucker Passionate about knowledge management and organizational development, expert in loan servicing, virtual world denizen and community facilitator, and a DISNEY fan
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beladona Memorial Be warned:in this very rich environment where you can immerse yourself so completely, your emotions will become engaged -- and not everyone is cognizant of that. Among the many excellent features of SL, there is no auto-return on hearts, so be wary of where your's wanders...
Eyewear is big business as anyone who meanders on past an eye place in the mall will realize – and I am not even touching on the fortunes made by selling sunglasses. For those of us who wear spectacles day in and day out, getting a new pair of glasses is an expensive proposition that we potentially incur every other year or if we are unfortunate enough to either break our glasses or have major vision adjustments needed. Insurance companies are quite aware of this and that is why vision insurance is pricey, difficult to get, only covers exams and lenses, and has to be taken out for two years at a pop.
First there is the cost of the exam itself, which varies – and you have to decide whether or not you can go to an optometrist or if you need an ophthalmologist. Both are fully trained, but the latter is actually an MD and that is needed if you need prescriptions or surgery of some sort. Usually once you find a place or person to go, you tend to stick with them and woe betide you if you move or your trusted provider retires! And sometimes there are hidden costs – not all pictures and eye drops are “approved”, for example – and then the Eye Doctors of DC charge $60 just to write down the prescription.
Then there is the cost of the lens. Not all lens are created equal! There are stigmatisms that require special grinding. The first decision is whether or not you are going to go with real glass or plastic. Glass lenses are older technology; they are heavy and if they shatter, your eyes are in danger of being cut. On the plus side, Photogray is only available in glass – it changes shades as you go outdoors, but it is sensitive to light [You used to have to “season” the glass by sitting it out in the sun for several hours before wearing them so that it would work well] not UV rays so it works when you are driving. Plastic is much lighter, less expensive than glass, and now that transition lenses are available, most people [including me] go that way. However, the transition lenses react to UV rays, not light, which means in the car you do not have sunglasses while driving now that automobiles all have UV resistant glass. Then there are bifocals, trifocals or graduated lenses – depending on your near/far vision. And there is a special coating that you can get to resist scratching
Last, there is the cost of the frames, and there is no insurance coverage available for this. Obviously if these glasses are going to be on your face pretty much every time someone sees you, so you want something that you really like – trying to figure out what frames look right on you is a stressful activity to say the least – you are trying different things on and you cannot quite see, so you are relying on the opinion of strangers to tell you how you look. And frames are extremely expensive, usually running $500 - $800 for pretty standard issue and even more for the more fashionable items. The bridge has to be wide enough for your face, nose pads are a necessity [for me at least], and certain kinds of lenses will not work with all frames, especially narrow ones or those with unusual shapes. There are features like spring hinges and issues about durability to consider – if you are wearing these every day, day in and day out, you are going to be adjusting them, knocking them on things as you peer now and then, laying down watching TV, so how they will or will not bend is a factor.. And like everything else, there are trends – from what is now known as “bug-eyes” to granny glasses to wire frames to just lenses [without eye wires] to cat eyes to horn rim, etc etc and so forth. Lately there has been an increase of craft made frames or the ability to buy them online, but the problem with that is getting an optometrist who will check the fit and make sure the lenses rest correctly in front of your pupils because the frames can impact the way that you see. And it isn’t like they can take them back if you don’t like the look when it is all done! Once I tried to get a second set glasses at Pearle Vision Center at Hunt Valley Mall [yes it was that long ago] during a special sale, and the end pieces were way too long and stuck out of my hair in the back -- I refused to take them and demanded my money back when they couldn’t adjust them. The manager agreed with me that those frames were never going to fit me and they shouldn’t have sold them to me and that is the only time I have ever been able to give into buyer’s remorse since I started wearing glasses at 8 years old..
So, if you notice someone has new glasses, try to say something nice about them!
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