Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Two is one, one is none

I wear glasses. I've worn them since I was ten years old. Without them, I am comically blind.

I wore contacts for many years, but as I've gotten older I got tired of fussing with them, so I reverted to wearing glasses exclusively.

About three years ago, I decided it was time to get my eyes checked (first time in well over ten years) as well as select some new frames at Costco. I was pleased to find my eyes hadn't gotten any worse since my last exam. Despite the expense, I decided to order three identical pairs of glasses.

Why three? Because we're preppers. Two is one, one is none. I put the two spare pairs aside and wore the third pair exclusively.

A few weeks ago, while working outside, I ran face-first into a head-high board I didn't see because my visor blocked it. Thankfully the visor squished down and protected my glasses, although it did splay them out a bit.

In fact, it splayed them enough that they were subsequently very loose on my face and kept sliding down or even falling off if I turned my head too fast. I decided next time I was in Costco I would see if they could be adjusted.

Then last night, in a moment of idleness, I thought perhaps I could tweak them back myself. I gently bent the frame -- and it snapped cleanly in half. "Aaack!" I shrieked.


Groping blindly upstairs to our bedroom, I fetched one of the spare pairs of glasses, and could see once again.


I'll take my broken pair back to Costco and see if they can be repaired, but I doubt it. Nor do I have hope they can simply slip my lenses into a new frame, since I'm sure the frames I got are now passé.

But I don't like being down to merely one spare pair of glasses ("one is none"), not for something as absolutely vital as my sight.

If, like me, you are utterly dependent on eyeglasses, keep this rule in mind: Two is one, one is none.

31 comments:

  1. Another thing to think of when wearing glasses is to get impact resistant or ANSI safety rated ones when you can for extra protection.
    At Walmart, it is $20 more to get rated frames and glasses than regular ones. I assume Costco is similar.
    Due to your farm work, you can likely deduct them on your taxes.

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  2. I agree absolutely and have three pairs of glasses myself. But, I also bought some contacts to store because they are cheap and don't take up any space in my night stand..--ken

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  3. At the risk of sounding like an advertisement, go to www.eyebuydirect.com for your next glasses. Lots of sales and discounts in the latest styles. I bought two pair for about $45 each; like you I got the same frame for each so I always have parts if one breaks; but they've been great. I always wanted to have rimless glasses, but didn't figure they'd hold up to the daily hazards of doing farm chores. At the prices from Eye Buy Direct, I decided to go for rimless, and chose a flexible frame (Ali), and the glasses have been way tougher than I expected. The website is easy to navigate, good tutorials, and quick service. A friend told me about the website when I admired her glasses, and after I priced new glasses at the local optical company, I went to Eye Buy Direct. A good company/service has to be shared. You won't be disappointed.

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  4. I'm wondering if a jeweler could fix that frame? Or, you could go to a rimless frame and use those lenses?

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  5. Zenni Optical online and you can get your perscription for about $20 or so per pair. We have used them for my spouse and with my Church as a good steward charity option.

    A.jones

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    1. I have bought from them and they are pretty good. They have sales sometimes for $6 as long as you aren't as fashion conscience.

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    2. We use Zenni too. Very good quality. Great prices. Reasonable shipping time. It's the only place we'll purchase glasses from (me, hubby, 2 teen-aged boys.)

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    3. We use Zenni as well. My son has severe autism and is very rough on his glasses. WalMart had to replace his frames multiple times and his lenses once in the last year. But it takes time. So I did a Zenni order. He loves the Zenni frames more and they only cost me $7/pr for full glasses and $3.50/pr for frames only. I spent about $100 to make sure I had enough and we are still running on that order. When his new script is written, I'll just order a few pairs with the new lenses. Then I can keep using the old frames for at least another 6 months or so. (until they all are broken or missing)

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  6. If you have your prescription numbers and pupillary distance, you could order glasses on-line. Zinni optical is one of the websites. Glasses as low as $6.95! I don't know if yours would be that cheap but it seems like a great way to have several pairs - just in case!

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    1. Oh my yes! I was popping on here to tell her about Zinni also! What an excellent site! I also add the photo-chromatic (transition type lenses) and oleophobic (fingerprint/glare resistant) and can get a pair like that for 50$. Do check out Zinni on-line.

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  7. You're right. I've always kept my old pair when I get new ones. The problem I have is that my prescription changes at least every two years. I need to get a spare pair too. My local eye doctor keeps discontinued frames, and offers them at a huge discount. I may check these out. I do keep lots of reading glasses, but I really need my prescription for distance. You've motivated me to get another pair ordered. Thanks.

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  8. My prescription changes about every 2 years. I keep the last 2 prescriptions and wear the current one. I have not broken a pair of glasses - knock on every piece of wood within reach - in the past 20 years. I currently buy my glasses at Walmart with $9 frames - it costs $12 to have new lenses put in old frames, so new frames it is. They make adjustments for free forever, I think.

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  9. We use zenni too! Can't beat $6.95 a pair! Been working great for about 5 years now. I asked my optometrist why they could make them so cheap, and she said they use old technology. Still perfectly good. It's tech from the 80's apparently. So for some of the "thicker" prescriptions, the lenses might be a little heavier.

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  10. another plug for Zenni Optical dot com (not "zinni")

    Cheap quality glasses.

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  11. Here's another satisfied Zenni customer of many years! (And so is our daughter.)

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  12. Well, here is my glasses nightmare: 2 years ago I went for new glasses. There was nothing wrong with the old ones, but my prescription hadn't changed the 4 exams and I felt it was time. The new glasses (same prescription) came and were awful, made me dizzy, wouldn't stay put on my face and couldn't work on my computer without getting headaches. Went back 3 time but "it's the same prescription". Now this was the eye doctor I've gone to for almost 50 years. We couldn't figure out what was wrong so I went back to wearing my old ones. Then they broke - not fixable so I wore the new ones and ended up with vertigo. Went to new eye doctor who figured out new plastic was wrong density for my prescription (20-400 with astigmatisms). ordered new glasses - came ground wrong - returned for new lens - came back both ground wrong. Third pair came today. still not as good as the old ones. but we'll see how they work out.

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    1. Patty:

      If you weren't wearing glasses with polycarbonate lenses before, you were probably wearing standard plastic lenses that are meant to have the same optical index as glass lenses.

      See if you can get them made with "CR-39" or 1.50 optical index plastic. It's what I get for all of my glasses (see additional comments here).

      If your newer lenses were thinner, they were probably 1.61 or 1.74 optical index polycarbonate.

      If your vision makes you highly susceptible to edge distortion with high-index lenses, this is probably your solution. The vertigo you describe sounds a lot like this could be the problem.

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    2. The last time I got glasses I had that problem. It turned out that they "centered" the lenses wrong. It was set too high. Oh the headaches that caused. I was back in there the next day, wearing my old pair, and insisting that they fix the lenses.

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  13. My sister works at a local eye doctor chain store. They often have deals such as 2 pair for $69. There are also online places you can buy frames cheaply and have lenses put in at a local place fyi. If you're going to try to bend back frames so they don't fall off I recommend getting them warm fist. As in boil some water and hold them in for 10 seconds(+) as it makes the plastic/metal more pliable and less likely to snap like that

    Learning in NY

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  14. We, too get our eyeglasses from Zenni Optical. Saves us a fortune even with my husbands bi-focals. Those are $200 cheaper with Zenni. My prescription is a simple one and my glasses generally cost $20 or less and that includes frame, prescription lenses and shipping!

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  15. We have been using Zenni Optical for 8 years. It has literally saved us thousands of dollars, as 3 people in my family wear glasses. My script hasn't changed in 10 years, but when I can get my glasses for $15 shipped, I buy a new pair every year. Of course I keep the old ones, so I now have a respectable stockpile of glasses that can be put into service at a moment's notice. They are cheap glasses no doubt, but they serve my purposes well. The only item I have purchased from them that did not work well was a pair of Transitions lenses. After about 6 months, lines started to develop in the coating (microcracks?), leading to generally blurry vision. As long as you go in knowing that the glasses can be disposable, you will be pleasantly surprised!!

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  16. Have Don get out the JB weld for your glass frames. And I think I'm going to look up that zenni for myself. I learn so much from you and your followers.
    Happy Supreme Court thoughts!

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  17. My glasses got so scratched, that I wouldn't wear them at all except when absolutely necessary. I went on like that for a year, and found that when I did have to put them on, they seemed too strong. I found a pair of glasses (with glass lenses circa 1972) that I had in high school, and they were much more comfortable to wear. I finally went to the eye doctor and asked that I be treated as a new patient that she had no records on. She was shocked to find that my prescription had to be cut in half for one eye, and by 3/4 for the other. I only wear glasses for driving mostly and to watch T.V.

    I'm a big fan of Zenni Optical.
    Also, as a prepper, look into the adjustable glasses. You put them on and look at what ever and adjust each eye separately until clear, similar to a set of good binoculars. They are definitely fashion items, but they work, they're around $30, and you never have to worry about finding your exact prescription.

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  18. Seeing that they're rimless on the bottom they will have been grooved for a band to hold them in another frame that has a similar shape lens. I routinely have my current lens put into my old frames whenever I get a new prescription. I wear these glasses when doing farm chores. When the prescription changes I have the optician trace the shape of the lens so they can be made to fit my newer frames.

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  19. BTW, it really helps to have the same optical index for all of your glasses.

    The people who are recommending Zenni Optical probably haven't noticed what I've noticed after I ordered nine pairs of glasses from them: I can switch between all of them without much in the way of adjustment.

    That's because their glasses are accurately produced entirely by machine with repeatable processes, so there is no "hand-tuning" of lenses that introduces errors.

    The trick to getting this kind of interchangeability: order all of your glasses with 1.50 index lenses. These are usually referred to as "CR-39" elsewhere, and this is the industry standard optical index for standard index (versus "high-index") lenses.

    For reading glasses, they need the lower of your PD measurements, so if you're 62/59, for instance, they need the 62 for your regular/distance vision glasses and the 59 for your reading glasses.

    I was able to order nine pairs of glasses with lenses, including two pairs with photochromic lenses, for less than what it would have cost me at a mall optical shop for a semi-mediocre frame and lenses.

    Why nine pairs? Two pairs by four locations plus one set with progressive lenses, of course. I'm one of those people with a backup system for a backup system for a backup system. :-)

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  20. I notice a lot of people on here are talking about using Zenni. Personally I would not give it the flowing recommendation that others have. Every time I have attempted to order from there, the quality is unsatisfactory, if the glasses even arrive at all. NOT recommended.

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  21. I'm lucky in that I can wear cheap magnifiers.
    God bless Ace Hardware and their 3-dollar glasses...
    I've got exactly 1 jillion pairs.
    - Charlie

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  22. Patrice - I've used Zenni exclusively for several years for the four glasses wearers in our family. Nothing but glowing remarks for our experiences. My teens and I are happy with the plastic $15 and under styles. I always have a pair tinted to sunglasses. Even my husband's metal framed bifocals are very affordable (below $100). Plus, you can save your RX and just click to reorder your last purchase.
    Your friend, Jessica :)

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