I have my eyes back!

[avevale_intelligencer]

The opticians have repaired my glasses and I can see again. Suddenly everything--thinking, moving, reading this screen, watching telly, motivating myself to do things--is about ten times easier. I still have the headache and probably will till my eyes readjust, but that's a minor thing.

I remember with amazement and horror that when I was young and stupid I often left off my glasses because I didn't like the way they felt on my face, or possibly even the way I looked with them on (standard NHS frames, so yes, fairly ugly, but still, what monstrous vanity). Back then I only had a little blurring in one eye, so hey, it couldn't make any difference, could it?

In a couple of weeks I shall have a new pair, and then these will be a valued backup. I shall do my best never to be without such a thing again.

Message of the day; if you need artificial aids for anything, anything at all, always (where possible) have a spare, and never try to do without them unless you know for a fact that it will either improve, or at least not worsen, your condition. And never, ever for the sake of vanity.

And once I have paid for my glasses, I must steel myself and see about getting on to a dentist's list.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Hurray for eyes.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

Glad you have your eyes again! Since I have eyes slightly better than an earthworm's, I understand how you've felt recently.

One excellent option for eyeglasses backups is Zenni Optical. I just checked their information, and they will ship outside the US (though not if charged on a US credit card, except for APO addresses). Their prices are exceptionally low, and I'm waiting to order a backup pair of glasses until I have my traditional near-year-end eye exam (which uses my medical flexible spending account if nothing else has), but other folks swear by them.

I've been erratic about reading LJ; I wish I'd seen the original bit about the breakage, and could have made this recommendation earlier.

[aunty_marion]

Good news! It's hard to see without specs, isn't it...

I hate my eyes almost as much as I hate my teeth. Even with the cheapest possible frame, my lenses tend to cost anything up to £200 a pair, due to my awkward prescription. And it's never been *quite* awkward enough to qualify as a 'complex' one when I've been unemployed, to get it free/cheap(er). I've only got one pair, therefore, as the second pair I got on a two-fer was turned into sunglasses. However, I noticed a couple of months ago that the anti-reflective/anti-scratch coating is wearing off the bottom corner of one lens, so I suppose it may be time (*after* Cyprus!) to go and get my eyes checked again. Last time I didn't need new lenses, so these are, I think, three years old now.

[gingicat]

Well said.

Sorry!

[keristor.livejournal.com]

I just started singing (silently, to myself):

Suddenly see more
what's standing beside me...

Sorry! Glad you have them back, and definitely a spare for people like us is a Good Thing(tm)...

*hugs*

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

My frameless glasses I bought with my redundancy money five years ago (got a second pair at the same time) ... and my eyesight has aged since then so that finally I had to admit that I wasn't able to read the ingredients lists on cans without squinting/taking the glasses off etc. so when I was over in the US in April I finally gave in and got a new eye test and two pairs of glasses ... even with "cheap" US prices, that came to £300 (progressive/varifocal lenses in not particularly expensive frames, one pair polaroid sunglass tinted)

But getting the same prescription in my frameless frames would have been £350 so I figured it was worthwhile, and the frameless are still fine for driving and everything else except for close reading of small text ...

so I have, in theory, four pairs of specs, two in current prescription (one with sunglass tint) and two from the earlier prescription (both with clipon/magnetic sunglass converters)... I can't find where I've packed the non-frameless old ones ... but I have the other three pairs with me at work :-) ... I switch to sunglass version of new prescription if it is sunny outside, otherwise I'm on the non-sunglass one, and I just realised today that the frameless glasses are in the bottom of my work shoulder bag ... will take them out and put them in the car for emergencies!

Glad to hear you're able to see again!

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

Yay, vision does make life easier. And yes on the spare pair, though it still doens't always help - when I lived in Germany for a year, I carefully took my spare pair of glasses with me, but that didn't help much when they were safely in my flat and I'd just managed to snap the plastic frames of mine while cleaning them sitting on a tram into the centre of Hannover, some three hours train ride from said flat! There was much wandering in and out of late-opening shops hoping for sellotape (interesting problem when neither me or my friend knew the word for sellotape), and then the problem of getting an eye test and replacement glasses when I finally got back to my town.