Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Four-eyes...

Today I had to go back to the eye doctor for my follow-up visit. They fitted me for a new kind of contacts that is supposed to be healthier and get more oxygen to my eyes. I have actually had this brand before and didn't really like it but the doctor kept pushing me so I got them. I was a little ticked though when I had to pay the fitting fee when I have already had this brand!

Since the 1st grade I have had glasses or contacts. My prescription is so bad, I don't even own a pair of eyeglasses. The lenses are so thick, it's embarrassing. Since visiting the eye doctor two weeks ago for my annual checkup they nagged me to get glasses like they always do. Every year I think about it and I look for them, but every year I end up declining it and use my vision coverage towards contacts.

This time they said if I purchased a years worth of contacts I could get glasses for 50% off. It would include everything, frames, lenses, and all the little extras I need like shaving down the sides so they don't look like bottle caps (but they still do).

I went in there this morning feeling good about eyeglasses shopping. I knew it was going to be pricy but with the 50% off I was thinking it would be around $250 and was hoping I could find a cute pair with rhinestones, but shopping for eyeglasses with a prescription as high as mine makes it really difficult. My contact lenses prescription is a -9.00, so you can imagine how thick my glasses would be!
After the doctor checked my contacts, I went back out to the waiting room to look for a pair of glasses. I was a little disappointed with the customer service. I needed a lot of assistance finding a pair that would be just right. I couldn't just pick a pair off the shelf and go!
I found a pair I liked that were by Candies, but I didn't love them so I had already decided that if they ended up being over $250 I wasn't going to get them. With all the additional costs the pair I chose ended up costing $420. They were even a cheaper pair of frames, I was checking! I just couldn't justify spending that much when I (a) didn't like them that much and (b) I am unemployed and almost broke, so I didn't get them.
Eyeglass shopping sure brought back some uncomfortable memories of when I was a kid shopping for glasses! My mom and I always had different tastes and she wanted pairs that I thought were ugly. Then on top of it all they were thick as bottle caps! It wasn't fun! Thank goodness for contacts!!

6 comments:

Amber said...

I also have ridiculously bad eyesight and it's SOO expensive for me to get glasses because it costs so much to do all the shaving down and stuff so the lenses don't look like bottlecaps. Luckily my insurance covers new glasses every four years so I just got a new pair that I LOVE a year ago. I used to wear contacts ALL the time and never wear glasses, but now that I have a pair that I love I find myself wearing glasses all the time!

Maybe you'll have better luck next time you go shopping for glasses. But your right, make sure it's a pair you really love before spending lots of money on them!

Amber @ A Little Pink in the Cornfields said...

My insurance covered one or the other and I always opted for contacts... I'm going to shop around this weekend and maybe I can find them cheaper at Walmart or Americas Best (I think that is what it's called).

Good to hear from you, hope you're doin well! :)

Lesli said...

Okay, I don't wear glasses & I don't need them, but I once bought a pair just so I could look more serious! Or rather, so people would take me more seriously!! My husband, on the other hand, comes from a long line of glass wearers. I think he had to start wearing glasses in the second grade.

Michelle said...

I have glasses, but I only need them to see things far away. Not quite where I need them for driving. It took a while to find a pair, but I found them eventually. Hubby, though, had the bottle cap glasses as he was near legally blind. But this was before we met, and he had gotten RK done (the precursor to Lasik)and doesn't need glasses anymore. He loves not needing them.

Shoshanah said...

I have a -4.25 and I feel blind. So I can't imagine how you feel! I hate glasses too. Pretty much the first thing I do when i wake up is put my contacts in and the last thing before bed is take them out.

Amber @ A Little Pink in the Cornfields said...

Hi Shoshanah! Welcome!

I am the exact same way as you! I depend on my contacts so much, it's horrible. That is why I decided I needed to get some eyeglasses. If something happened and I couldn't wear my contacts I would be in biiiiiiigggg trouble!

My prescription is horrible, but the other day while eyeglasses shopping the optometrist assistant (?? hope that is right) mentioned someone with a -16.00...wow!!