A change or more of the same?

[LovelyLadyLux]

This week when I go to the USA I've got an optometrist app't to have my eyes checked. I've had the same prescription now with no change to my glasses for probably the past 5 years. Not sure if I'll need a new prescription but I do need new glasses regardless.

The glasses I've always worn have been rimless in that looking at me straight on you really don't SEE glasses. You see a gold coloured nose piece and small wire side stems but there are no rims around the actual piece of eye glass. I also need bifocals now and wear transition lens which I also get coated with something so that they darken when I go out into the sunshine.

Guess I'm wearing the least amount of eye glass I can - skinny side stem wires and skinny nose piece. My glasses are NOT in style now as most of the glasses style are all favoring the wide side stems and black rims.

Am mulling a change. Have to say I really don't care for style. I'm my own style! but my present glasses are broken in the corner so I can't just replace the lens if I need to.

I hate going and trying on. Usually that just confuses me and I never know what looks 'better' .......

Does anybody wear the newer style? Do the wide side stems bother? Does having rims around the front hinder vision? Does it take a while to get used to them?

I'm basically having my eyes looked at in the USA cause I've cruised the optometrist offices here and none of them are carrying my style of glasses anymore so am hoping to find a pair down in the USA. Hoping I don't have to change my style but ?

[Grandad]

We are in a similar situation in that we are both having eye tests right now, my wife last Friday and me this Friday. Until about three years ago we both had rimless glasses. Then we went to half rim and then last year we both went, as fashion suggested, for tortoiseshell rimmed frames. We don’t do a ‘his and hers’ thing but have followed the same styles. We have both agreed that, although the rimmed glasses suit us, according to family opinion, we are both going back to rimless.

The heavy frames ARE visible to the eye and to illustrate this, I had a visual field test recently to confirm my ability to drive. The optometrist was not happy with the first test and asked me to re-do it without my glasses which he said was fine.
We both need progressive lenses and will have them with UV protection. I WILL NOT have reactalites but Mrs G may, or might keep her present glasses for bright days.
I won’t post it here, (I daren’t) but if you go to my album you will find a comparison collage of rimless, half rim, and tortoiseshell frames. As you mention LLL, it is the temple bars that are largest with the thicker frames.

At the end of the day, you should have what you are happy with especially if, as with us, you wear them all the time. We will go for Varilux lenses because we believe they are superior.

[LovelyLadyLux]

I think you've just convinced me Grandad, although I was probably 80% there already that I'm going to have to find another pair of rimless frames. In the past I have tried on frames with rims but I typically don't like them visually on my face and I also usually find them heavy. I need nose pads on my glasses to keep them ON my nose (don't have much of a bridge) and lots of the heavy black or other colour frames seem to just have the moulded nose bump which never seems to sit well on my face and I'm forever pushing them UP my nose.

Ahh well - I'll see what is in the store. I'd love to have my present frames re-fitted but I've broken the left hand corner so I think the frames overall are toast. They're also pretty old and I can't fault that they haven't done me really good service.

I'm getting progressive transitional lens re: bifocal or trifocal or quadfocal or whatever I'm at now I also get the coating on the lens so I have no need of sunglasses.

Since I do need to wear glasses 24/7 I do get what I consider the best and most comfortable. Want 1 pair and want them to be as comfortable on my face as possible.

I'd love to go back to the days when I didn't need glasses as I really do find wearing glasses a real pain in the patoot.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Checked the photo and the middle glasses are extremely close to what I wear now. Am hoping to find another pair just like that! Basically rimless or very very slight light rims.

[Jayway]

So. you are all paying a fortune for glasses. None of you ever tried the specs with all the tiny holes in that are supposed to correct your vision ? ? Advert usually found in newspapers. I gave up on glasses years ago, found they were making my eyes worse. Do have a 3 euro market pair in a case just to read the tiny letters on food products, (all Nestle products are GM= welcome to cancer) like the minuscule print on the bottom of maize sacks that told me I was feeding Glory GM rubbish. I live in a sunny country but do not use sunglasses and after all these years and my advancing age can read my books perfectly outside.

[LovelyLadyLux]

I've never even heard of glasses with tiny holes. Don't get the theory behind them as to how having the tiny holes are supposed to work.

Unfortunately I've had to wear glasses since I was in my mid-forties and now I need bifocals. I can see an eagle in a tree but can't read print without my glasses anymore.

I personally do not know what costs to much re: frames other than there must be a phenomenal mark up and somebody is holding the market on them with a tight grip. The lens I can understand as they do have to be made but paying a fortune for frames kinda gets to me.

I've never owned more than 1 pair of glasses at a time (other than I keep my old set as a spare) so usually try to get an innocuous set that I can wear with anything anytime anywhere. I've seen some people buy, for example, red frames and they look ever so good with different coloured outfits.

Will have to see what I can find for me .....

[Grandad]

Strangely enough LLL, pinholes across a lens DO improve your vision sharpness but reduce the light. I have a hospital eye appointment every 6 months and when I have to read the chart they do it with and without a pinhole eye shade. I can read more with the pinholes but you could never wear them all the time.
Frames and lenses here are very expensive but if you NEED them (never mind what Jayway says) and have to wear them all the time I think it is worth the expense to feel and look good.
I have bought cheap progressives in the past for under £100 but you get what you pay for and the lenses are nowhere near as good as quality lenses.

[LovelyLadyLux]

I agree Grandad and in that I now need to wear glasses daily I want the best and most comfortable I can get. Just want 1 pair but they must fit, be comfortable and have good lens. Most of my eye tests have done two things. First there is the puff of air test where they checking for glaucoma. Next you get the drops in the eyes in the darkened room and read the letters on the chart while the Optometrist switches lens and looks into your eyes.

[Jayway]

LLL. try this experiment - find a page of print you cannot read without your glasses. Take them off, make a tiny window with two fingers and two thumbs. Hold this very close to your eye, look through the window and you will be able to read. Works even better with black lens with the pinholes in.

[Grandad]

Jay, I agree with what you say. It is the pinhole camera principle where everything is in focus, without a lens, BECAUSE the hole is small and the depth of focus is long.
If I wake at night and want to see the time on the bedside clock I do exactly as you suggest and form a small hole with my thumb and index finger.
BUT there is no way that such a device could be used to correct failing vision.

[Grandad]

LLL, as we are on the verge of spending quite a lot of cash on new specs we have been looking specifically on TV to see what looks good on some of the presenters/actors. Even the heavy rims look good on some so it is a bit of a dilemma. We may end up in the middle ground of half rim on the basis that they are stronger and do not interfere with visual field............but that all might change.....again
Mrs G usually has new specs each year but I only change every two or three years so I get better value not being too concerned about the 'fashion' aspects. One thing I will say and that is that the solid frame specs are comfortable to wear and you don't get any pressure marks that you can get from the nose pads on other styles.
I know I am waffling but new specs are never an easy decision when it is nice to have something different but you want something that is comfortable.
Pwehaps it WILL have to be a pair of pinholes as prescribed by our friendly optometrist Jayway. (Only joking Jay)

[LovelyLadyLux]

Went to a large store yesterday and was trying on different sets of glasses. They had none that were rimless - only half rims (which are ok by me) but I was really looking for the Titanium lens as they tend to be the strongest with the most flexibility and NONE in rimless or half rims so I might end up with full rims but not the big heavy kind. Unfortunately I must have the nose pads as those are the most comfortable for me.

I was surprised at the wide variety of colours the frames were made in - rose gold, bronze, wines, blues and on and on.........nobody ever hear or plain old gold and silver? Not too sure I want to wear wine coloured glasses cause then I really could be seeing the world through rose coloured glasses

My app't is this afternoon, will probably get a new prescription and will definitely be getting new glasses as the verdict on the pair I have now (which I really quite like) is that they can't be fixed (although I've thought of mailing them to Horus cause am sure he can come with with some way to re-spring the spring that has sprung on the outer corner )

I know all the newer frames are heavier and on some of the movie stars and TV personalities they do look really good but am not too sure they're for me. Will have to see what I come up with.

[Horus]

Light weight lenses, wire frames (gold) and spring loaded sides is what I always wear regardless of new styles. Oh and I have tried them all in the past 'Varifocal' Bi-focals', 'Reactorlite' lenses, anti scratch coatings, you name it and I have tried it. All a total waste of my money over the years and now I just go for a single prescription lens in the frames described above, one pair for reading/computer and a distance pair which I hardly wear. If I can I will take the old pair in and have them re-glazed with my new prescription, nothing to do with being tight, I am just tired of being ripped off by opticians.

[Grandad]

For me the basics are progressive focus with uv coating. Won't have bifocals or two pairs when one good pair fits all needs. I won't have reactalite because the glaucoma does not like sudden light changes and driving from sunlight into a tunnel is pergatory with reactalite lenses.The lenses are where the money should be spent in my opinion so I am not too fussy about frames as long as they look OK.
My eye test is tomorrow morning..........

[LovelyLadyLux]

Saw the optometrist today and he did all the standard tests and my eyes & retinas are good.

I did get a new prescription which I anticipated and after looking through all the eye glasses offered - Fendi, Sophia Loren, De La Renta, Verscace and on and on I opted to get generic half rims (partly cause I haven't been able to find rimless) in flexible titanium that are a bit of a relatively neutral gold/bronzy colour but the rims are so fine you hardly see them anyway. The lens are rectangles.

The lens are thin (darn I can't remember the name) and I paid $9/lens to have the sides polished. This is the first time ever I've been asked if I've wanted the sides of the lens polished so there are no rough bits. I'm positive this has always just been done but now the man showed me 3 different lens that showed the difference between the side edges of the lens being polished and not. The unpolished lens were rough and I think would even scratch the skin if dragged across. To me this is just another money grab cause I can see who would NOT want the edges of their eye glass lens polished smooth.

My lens are progressive bifocals and I did get the scratch proofing, glare proofing & tinting to sunglasses when I'm outside.

I wanted titanium as I wanted the flexible aspect but apparently these are not that popular anymore.........now I'll have to wait 'til I'm back from hols to go and pick 'em up.

[Grandad]

Never heard of the edges of lenses NOT being polished LLL. I still have two pairs of rimless varifocals (one clear and one sunglasses) that I got from the supermarket chain, Tesco, for £250 for the two and the edges are well polished. I still use the sunglasses.

I went for my eye test this morning and, although I have a 6 monthly hospital appointment for the glaucoma, he found swelling of the macular in the glaucoma eye and has referred me to the AMD clinic at the hospital. He is holding the prescription until we get to know the hospitals findings.

An excellent optomotrist who my wife has been to before but my first visit.

[Horus]

Good job he spotted this earlier Grandad, even a 6 months delay before your hospital appointment could be crucial when it comes to eyes.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Polished lens edges - I've always had rimless or half rims and I've never ever ever been asked this before and when the guy showed me the edges of the unpolished lens they really were very rough. IF I had gotten a pair of glasses with lens edges in this shape I would have probably refused them. Just another money grab on a small scale. When I was checking my receipt this morning it was $9 for BOTH lens not each - which makes me wonder if people do opt for only getting ONE lens edge polished leaving the other rough ) My new glasses including polished lens edges are $320. To get the same in Canada would run $500+

One of the other factors is that a standard Optometry fee for an eye exam in the USA averages $75 cash. In Canada the average fee as eye exams for adults are not covered by insurance (or, at least now my retirement insurance does not cover the exam) runs about $150.

Good the doctor found the macular swelling Grandad and good you've been referred for treatment. Do keep us informed as to the status of your eye and let us know what all is happening and what the treatment might be.

I know I've had the test for glaucoma since I was about 50. Is this the eye puff test? Apparently my father's mom had glaucoma but that really was a hundred years ago however with this tidbit of family medical history I faithful report it to each and every eye doctor I've gone to. Apparently it does affect many of us.

[Grandad]

Yes the 'puff' test (no comments please Horus or Kiya ) is an indication if the pressure is around 20. But the more definitive test is the Visual Field that should detct any lost vision that may not show with the pessure.

If I need any treatment, and I think it most likely, it will be injections of Lucentis or Eylea, into the eye. Sounds unpleasant but mrs G has had 8 injections since the same opometrist detected AMD in one of her eyes last January.

Your eye tests sound very expensive LLL. NHS eye tests are about £15 I believe. Never had to pay because my mother had the desease and relatives of a glaucoma sufferer have free tests. Your Canadian glasses costs sound about the same as here but the US is very much cheaper. In the past we have bought new glasses in the UAE. Very good eye test, excellent lenses and frames, for less than half UK prices. Horus is right, spectacles are a big rip off.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Eyeglass frames can be ridiculously expensive in both Canada and the USA and I have really no idea why. There isn't much material involved so am sure once a machine is calibrated it can churn out thousands of pairs quite quickly yet the price is typically very high for a pair.

I think some of the cost might be attributed to the price of fashion.