I guess I'm just not embarrassed to look "silly." My cheaters are around my neck if they are not on my nose. I think hanging on neck makes look extinguished. er... distinguished. I meant distinguished.
Glasses Frames, Necessary Evil
- Thread starter mso489
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warren, the glasses around the neck bit can look good, if you don't fumble much. You can dramatize lifting them to your face. All the world is a stage, and all that. I'm most aware of needing distant vision, so I pretty much leave them on my face. I hope the specs look good or maybe better yet are inconspicuous. cosmic, having the skill to make your own is great, very cool. Real men make their own glasses frames, if not grind their own progressive lenses.
My nose got smashed by an M-16, when I was in the Army. Since then I have trouble wearing frames with nose pads, they are very uncomfortable and slip constantly. Therefore I must wear solid, sunglasses type frames. I do agree with MSO, if you aren't asleep or in the shower, they are on your face, so they are worth investing the money into. There are three things in life that it's always wise not to scrimp on, your mattress, your footwear and if you need them your eyewear.
philo', ouch! That sounds like a nasty encounter with an M-16. Guys, rest assured, I'm taking all of these comments under serious consideration. I will carefully consider keeping the up-market frames I have. I think they would probably last another four years, if needed. If I went for new ones, I'd at least look at clear frames, that don't look quite so studious (maybe). If I didn't look too much like Erskin Bowles (N.C. politician who wore trademark clear frames when they were rare). If I went that route, I might get the current pair retrofitted if I needed a back-up, like for travel or otherwise. I'm still weighing all the considerations. Hope the old eyes can be updated with a new good prescription with no bad news beyond the bill. Interesting that all the progressive lenses seem to have been consolidated under one company ... Verilux and about six other name brands. Astute business moves at work.
mso, I know how much I enjoy having frames I really, really like and I regret not taking more time in choosing them in years past. If I were you, I'd make a special trip to wherever you buy your glasses and just look at the frames and take as long as you need. If you do it on the tail end of an appointment, you're probably going to be ready to leave and spend less time than you need.
You'll have to post a pic when you've got them.
You'll have to post a pic when you've got them.
pitchfork, it's true, choosing the frames often ends up being a rush job for an item that is going to be perched on your nose for a year or more, usually more. So yes, I may drop around and do some pre-shopping. Also, that will give me time to think it over. I'm not photo adept, but I could give it another shot ... if I don't feel too self-conscious. I ain't no fashion plate, ho-ho. Thanks for all the good ideas and suggestions, and I'm open to any others.
Just had my yearly exam. For the first time in memory my prescription hasn't changed significantly, so I didn't order new glasses. Frames prices are a total rip off. I'd go with Orley on this and reuse your frames if they're in pristine condition.
Conversely, you can follow Woods' philosophy and bump into walls, fall down stairs, or miss opportunities to get laid because your were too blind to notice the "come hither" look that your dog was giving you.
Conversely, you can follow Woods' philosophy and bump into walls, fall down stairs, or miss opportunities to get laid because your were too blind to notice the "come hither" look that your dog was giving you.
sable', it's really cool when no prescription is needed. Congratulations. I've had that happen. Neither my wife nor I have had an exam in a while because we are so medically pre-occupied with her docs, but that's a long story. If I can get by with a prescription update, I'll be a happy camper, a poorer camper, but still happy. When I was high school and undergrad age, I had trouble seeing exam questions and other stuff on the blackboard, but it took several visits over several years to confirm. It was the U.S. Navy that finally told me to go get some glasses (before I was sworn in). They put the onus on me because I wanted to go to OCS -- for which I was rejected since at the time they needed only engineers and tech guys. Otherwise, I could have just waited until after boot camp and gotten freebie glasses. Instead, I went to boot camp packing my new specs, which I used only for tests and such, maybe rifle range. They were great glasses and frames, and the eye doc was a Navy reservist and wanted to help me.
MSO, I cannot fathom why you didn't want gov't issue BCG's and chose to get civilian glasses instead. 8O
MSO, I am an optician so maybe I can help. First off, if you like your current frame I would definitely reuse it, so long as it doesn't have any obvious damage or excessive wear. That will save you a ton right there. If you do get a new frame, most people prefer the feel of either a plastic or metal frame, but both work fine. Look for one that fits your nose well, with plastic you want a solid hug over your bridge. Frame width and temple length are important too but not as critical as bridge fit. For color I would probably look for a thinner black plastic or a grey frame. If you can find a 'grey horn' color that fits it could be the ticket. Don't pay more than 200 for a frame, if you do you are mostly paying for the brand. I wouldn't spend less than 100 though if you want a quality, sturdy frame. I agree that frames are shockingly overpriced, but so are other kinds of apparel too. I am sure those 150.00 Nikes cost about 10 bucks to make. Retail markups for frames are usually pretty comparable to a clothing store, although some opticals have a steeper markup to try to make some money off vision plans, who have pretty bad reimbursement rates. For lenses, most opticals are needing to be more competitive, so you should find a decent progressive with thinner lenses and a good anti-reflective for about 250.00.
@woodsroad, Luxottica is the evil empire. You should see what Eyemed (their vision plan) does to eye doctors. Their reimbursement rates are ridiculously low. What the media doesn't tell you is that there are other evil empires. VSP is by far the largest vision plan, and owns Marchon eyewear, who has Nike, Flexon, Nine West, and a number of other popular brands. They are just as bad as Luxottica, you just don't hear about it.
hiplains', thank you for the professional consultation. The frames I have may indeed suffice. They were high-end, still look somewhat with-it, and are in good shape. Also, thank you for the several posts on the big eye glasses cartels. It is a cash cow for someone. Any publicly traded? Must be some way to get some of our money back. Thanks all. Any other ideas are welcome. This thread has been a short course in eye glasses buying.
Just a quick update, eye exam went pretty well for an old dude. I decided to stick with the current frames, as was suggested on the thread, an especially good idea since having the clear and dark glasses fitted with the new prescription cost an impressive amount. My wife and I did a double-header, both went in for exams. She needs to have cataract surgery -- not a happy thought, except she knew her vision was faulty and now she knows it can be fixed, so better to find out and get it right. She's brave and upbeat about it. It's supposed to be quick and bloodless, so we'll be optimists.
My mom had cataract surgery about 10 years ago, and came out with 20-20 vision. She's 90 years old now, and still doesn't need glasses. (she previously wore reading glasses) I think the procedure now is even more effective and streamlined.
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