Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Four Eyes

I feel like today is going to be a bad day.

Yesterday I went to get my new glasses. I haven't gotten new glasses in about 5 years. I wear contacts, and I really only wear glasses at night before bed. But I wanted to get some with an updated prescription and that looked good enough that I could wear to work if I ever couldn't wear my contacts for some reason. Now, I am very near-sighted -10.5 in one eye, and -9.5 in the other. So I knew my glasses would be thick, but I paid extra for "thinning" and this is what I picked up yesterday:


Are you kidding me??!? Those glasses are bulging out the back, side and front of the frame! I was really disappointed. And they make you sit there and try it on... 'oh how are they?' ... 'um, am I supposed to be able to have my peripheral vision completely blocked by the edge of these lenses?' ... 'oh, that's normal.' Um - no it isn't!! And I asked them if I had any options and he just looked at me awkwardly.

So I get home and I compared them to my other glasses, which maybe were a tiny bit less strong of a prescription but not much, and they are seriously 1/3 of the thickness.

I'm just so mad. They make you pay in advance, and then you're stuck with whatever crap they give you?? It is so unfair. I'm going to go back this weekend and show them my old glasses, and show them what "thinning" is supposed to look like, but it probably won't do any good. Apparently there is no customer satisfaction at Clear Sight Optical.

I paid over $350 for something I just want to throw away. I keep thinking about it and getting madder and madder. I feel like they are stealing money right out of my pocket and there's nothing I can do about it.


Plus my eyes look freakishly small and beady. Not happy. Not happy at all.

24 comments:

  1. That is ridiculous! I would be super frustrated too! :(

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    1. I collect glasses do you have any glasses I can buy

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    2. I collect glasses do you have any glasses I can buy

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  2. They should of explained the different index's to you. For a prescription so high they should of went with at least a 1.67 if you were looking for thin lenses. It looks like they used 1.57 which is only one step up from 1.49 standard plastic lenses. To top it off they didn't even grind the edges down which would of made a difference.

    That is poor service right there and it wouldn't be so bad if you only paid a 100 bucks because then at least you can say I have something for the morning and night without contacts. Try an online internet source next time. Even their return policy is better than the one you received. You'll also pay less than half what you paid.

    BTW, I still think the glasses look remarkable on you.

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  3. You look fine.
    I think the glasses look lovely on you & the thick lens giveyou a stylish look.
    Remember glasses are often called the jewels of the face.
    Wear them full time & you will forget you have them on.
    I have known others like you & they are happy wearers now.

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  4. Hi! Good news from the Lowlands of Holland. My life partner has a prescription that is considerably higher than yours (-12.00, cylinders included)and she needed a backup pair of glasses. We ordered a big frame from Zenni Optical which was dead cheap (around 10 bucks) and then sent them to ciliaryblue in the UK to get the frame fitted with lenses. We ordered 1.74 Elite lenses (varifocals) and the total coast was well below your glasses. You don't need varifocals and my estimate is that you can have your problem fixed for about one third of the price you paid. Her lenses were less than 6 millimeters at the edges and they did not stick out, neither at the front or the back (I can send you photos). I notice that the frame you chose is very large and this also influences the overall result. I understand your anger but you look great in the glasses anyway.

    Rob, aka "Crystal Veil", from Holland

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    1. thanks! I did end up ordering others from glassesusa.com (which I actually didn't like either) but now I have a store credit from there, so I've got to use them. I did get the 1.74 the second time around and they were still pretty thick- I can't figure out what my glasses from 8 yrs ago or so were, almost same prescription but very thin! thanks for the comment

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  5. I think they look great!

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  6. Hey. They look great, don't worry about it. At this prescription it's inevitable that your lenses are going to be on the "thick" side as you will normally get approx 1mm per diopter (e.g. if you're minus 10, you're lenses will probably be 10mm thick), that's according to my optician. I've also got a high prescription that is similar to yours (-9.75, -8.5) and my lenses are probably a little thicker than yours but this is because the frame is bigger. I was also worried about how my friends would interpret my new look, and how I would do my makeup with my deteorating eyesight but everything is fine, and I've grown used to having these thicker lenses and find my vision is much better than with either contact lenses (make your eyes so dry!!) definitely wouldn't sacrifice these lenses for some of the higher index lenses that other posters/opticians recommend. Best wishes. Michelle.

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    1. huh- 1mm per diopter!? :( so, what was the con of having a higher index lens?

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    2. Hello there. I know this blog post is old, but could you give me some information? I have glasses that give me small eyes as well, they look incredibly small because I have myopia, even with my glasses off. When I've been changing glasses, I noticed they changed the way my eyes are shaped, sometimes closers towards the nose and sometimes away. Do eyes usually correct this appearance after wearing contact lenses? And how long does it take for this to happen?

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  7. As you know for myopia correction the larger the frames the thicker the lenses. Current fashion dictates this trendy style of wide frames. It is not (necessarily) well suited for a high prescription like yours. If the thickness bothers you consider a smaller, that is, a less wide frame. Selecting frames that don't exceed the width of your face will reduce the amount that's minified as well as reduce the cut-in appearance of your cheeks . Your eyes will still be smaller but your glasses will look less like goggles. Look at it this way, too: considering you are wearing them only before bed forego the fashion aspect entirely and get a pair that's smaller and lighter that accomplish the task at hand. Perhaps even small wire frames. My partner did this and now she wears her glasses more often giving some relief to constant contact lense wering. Be sure to select the appropriate size frames that puts each pupil (the pd) in the center of the lens.

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  8. hi anne, for thinner lenses it is essential to have a much smaller frame, the edges of lenses should be flattened and in europe you could get glass lenses with 1.9 index (disadvantage: heavier, more dissortion - so an index of 1.7 might be the better choice)

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  9. You look so sexy and gorgeous in your glasses! ;) I wish more girls were not afraid of wearing their strong glasses in public.

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  10. I just found your blog while surfing the web. I am also very nearsighted (worse than you). I think the glasses look very attractive and I hope that by now you enjoy wearing them.

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  11. Hi Anne,

    I came across your blog while searching for information about eyeglasses as I am facing a similar dilemma with my strong prescription.

    Anyway, I know you posted this message almost 2 years ago but you'll obviously be purchasing glasses again in the future. I've found two websites where you can calculate the lens thickness for any frames that you are interested in.

    http://opticampus.com/tools/thickness.php

    http://www.justeyewear.com/thickness-calculator/


    In addition to your eyeglass prescription you'll need to know the frame bridge size (width of the nose) and frame eye size (width of each lens) and your PD (pupillary distance). You can get your PD for free if you go to the Vision Center of a Walmart and ask for it. They use a device called a pupilometer to measure it.

    Something many people don't know is that one of the best ways to reduce the thickness of your lens is to reduce the width of the lens. The chief reason your glasses had such a thick lens is that you chose frames with very wide lens.

    Like you I had my heart set on a pair of frames with wide lens, 56mm. That is until I calculated their thickness. Now I'm looking at frames with a 50mm lens width. The drop in lens thickness is almost 2mm.

    Plug numbers for varying widths into one of those websites and you'll see what I'm talking about. I prefer the first link.

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  13. It’s really frustrating to waste money on something you can't bring yourself to like. I don’t believe that’s the thinnest it can get. I hope you’ve found a more reliable optical center to get your glasses corrected and fitted the way you wanted it. Good luck!

    Doris Gibbs @ Moody Eyes

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  14. I know this post is old but I feel like we got the same glasses and we have the similar prescription. I was upset as well but just went with It and wore them at night and when my eyes hurt. I'm getting to the point where I need to be wearing glasses more often since they always feel dry! Have you found better glasses?

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    1. Nope. Tried an online co again and they just were the same super thick, vision distortment, and headaches. Returned them and wearing the same old ones. I think next time
      I'm going to go for the LASIK.

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  15. My script is -10.25 and -9.25 and, unfortunately I've jumped through all the same hoops you have while trying to find glasses that have both good form and good function. The fashionable frames aren't going to work with current vision correction lens technologies - the optical physics require the lens to be thinnest at the center and progressively thicker further from the center. With our correction level, any frame with an eye size above 40mm is going to create the "tiny-eye" effect along with a degree of visual distortion. You can get higher index lenses these days in the US (up to 1.9) and that helps a lot, but if you want lenses that don't perceptibly distort your natural eye size and that introduce a minimal of visual distortion, you really need a combination of a high index lens and a very small (preferably round/circular) frame shape - what we used to call "granny glasses" or "hippy glasses". If you get a pair of 30 - 35mm round frames made of acetate rather than metal (to further camouflage the lens thickness) and get single vision 1.9 lenses, you should be able to get your lens thickness down to around 1.5mm at the center and around 3 mm at the edges (since a typical acetate eye frame thickness is thicker than 3mm, none of the lens will protrude). Since the center is so thin, there is almost no perceptible eye size distortion and visual acuity will be as good as currently possible. Round lenses are makign a fashion comeback, but will likely never look as cool as some of the 50+mm designer frames. However, since you don't have a round face, round lenses will probably work well for you aesthetically.

    https://www.eyeglasses.com/eyeglasses/chakra-eyewear-k1410.html

    https://www.eyeglasses.com/eyeglasses/chakra-eyewear-k957.html

    https://www.eyeglasses.com/eyeglasses/chakra-eyewear-k1396.html

    All the doctors I've consulted have discouraged LASIK due to the higher risk of corneal haze and higher risks of just about everything else as well. Until someone develops digital eyeglasses that correct myopia without relying upon conventional lens technology and its inherent physical limitations, those of us who suffer with high corrections don't have a lot of safe, functional options.

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    1. Digital eyeglasses? I hope it never happens.

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  16. Really appreciate this post, I had a very similar experience and it is disappointing when you receive the glasses :( :( :(

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  17. I'm sorry,
    but who did tell you that thick lenses are ugly and esthetically unattractive?

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