I can haz glasses now?

[Aggie]

I had an eye exam today, and for the most part everything was good, except:

a) I'm a bit farsighted
b) I have 'average' (i.e. less-than-perfect) focusing ability

which explains why I've been getting eyestrain while doing desk work (a bit of astigmatism in the left eye too, but it's minor and of little concern).  They recommended getting glasses for the office, to reduce the strain, if I so desire.  I've never worn glasses before, but I think it'd be a good idea, at least for the daily grind (reading and such doesn't bother me).

They are recommending Nikon lenses at around $220 ('Nikon I'? saw that jotted down) for the anti-glare properties, plus whatever for frames.  Of course I'm under no obligation to purchase from the same place I had the exam done.  My health benefits will cover up to $300 of the cost.  OTOH, if I'm willing to wait a few months, I could probably get a pair made up CHEAP in Korea (Christie is heading over late summer), but I doubt it'll be less than total cost - $300.


Any general glasses-buying advice?


Chatty, if/when you have time, any specific lens advice?

[goat starer]

get ones like these....

if you are going to be a spekky 4 eyes ... DO IT WITH GUSTO!!!!!



http://www.redhatsandmore.com/v/vspfiles/photos/AC2037-2T.jpg

[Alpaca]

I'm nearsighted, and at this point very nearsighted. What I can think of:

*Shun Lenscrafters.
*Antireflective coating is absolutely amazing.
*Those newfangled scratch-resistant coatings actually work now and aren't a scam anymore.
*When you got to pick up your glasses, make the people tweak your nosepads and the bits that curve behind your ears until they are exactly, exactly how you want them, or you'll find yourself uncomfortable later on and a bit after that you'll find yourself with a pair of needle-nosed pliers trying to bend the damn things into a shape you like. Make sure that the foci of the lenses are centered properly, and make sure that when you wiggle your head around, the image doesn't bend and warp.
*I'm sure this will be easier for you since you haven't been wearing glasses since childhood, but take them off whenever you don't need them.
*Soap and water cleans better than any damn spray, as far as I'm concerned.

[Sibling Chatty]

Nikon lenses are top of the line, with an excellent AR coating.

Read this:
http://www.eyecarebiz.com/article.aspx?article=50419
About coatings, and what they do

Now the Nikon lenses are by Essilor, and their Crizal coating is top quality. The coating price is written into the lens as well.

For your prescription needs, the Nikon lens (unless they've written you a 'progressive addition lens' and at your age that's doubtful) is a lovely, but possibly TOO expensive, option. There's bound to be a Zeiss or something similar available, with coating, for less, that will still provide what you need.

Bottom line, lens brand is less important in single vision that in multi-focal. Vhat you need to look at is coating. If they can offer a decent lens with any of the better coatings for less, take that option.

Frames. Because you may find it easier to see wearing your glasses all the time--especially if you're very sensitive to the astigmatism correction, assuming they put it into the lenses--consider something with a sun clip. A Polarized sun clip. With a good AR coating and a Polarized sun clip, driving, especially in snow and bright sun together, will be MUCH easier. Two kinds of glare reduction!!
=========

My suggestion. Get a decent frame with sun clip and an "OK" lens with good AR. See haw you like 'em, then when Christi goes to Korea, make sure she has not only your prescription, but a couple of photos (full face and profile) as well as the size info from the temple of your glasses AND your PD (pupil distance), which they will measure at the optician's.

Before hand, try on a number of styles of frames, and find several 'looks' you like. (Cell phone cams? Take photos.) Then, let her choose a 'better' frame and lens there, if the cost is lower. (The Pentax-Seiko lenses may well be less there, as they're still doing most manufacturing in Japan.)

It's a matter of shopping for lenses. I'm a Pentax lens person, whenever possible, because I like their PAL (progressive, or multi-focal) lens design, as well as their tagline--Camera Technology For Your Eyes. Single vision, it's not THAT exacting. A decent aspheric lens will do, with good coatings.

Just avoid the big chains with the super cheapie sales, and go for one decent pair, not a buy one/get one come on.
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One other consideration. Do any of the places you work when in the field require safety glasses? The US rules are that certain places require a 'safety glass' and frame. Check that out before making any commitments!
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Also, what Alpaca said...

Adjustments are a MUST, no frame comes ready to fit. (Avoid plastic frames for this reason.) And NO, 'flat' as regards the table is NOT adjusted properly. Your head is NOT flat, most people have one ear slightly higher than the other, and it make take several adjustments to get it right. The goal is RIGHT, not fast.

[Aggie]

Thanks for good general advice Alpaca and specific advice Chatty ( to goat).

I think you've got the right idea Chatty re: picking up one set now and possibly a better set later (in Korea).  My vision coverage should cover most of the cost of a pair here, especially if I can get lenses a little cheaper than the Nikons.  Will do research.

It sounds like I won't need an astigmatism correction, as it's very slight (no numbers handy).  And I will definitely be getting single-vision lenses at this point of my life, though I suspect I'll need progressives much later (parental units have 'em).

Also, I anticipate that I won't be wearing the glasses for anything except computer work, at the office, because it's not really a matter of how well I can see, it's more about how much work my eyes have to do to get there (i.e. I can focus on close objects OK, but it's tiring to do so - it's duration assistance).  So the safety glass factor isn't important (if I was nearsighted, it'd be a must because EVERYWHERE needs safety glasses with side shields).

[Sibling Chatty]

You need a basic CR-39 lens with a good AR coat, then.

The Nikon lenses would be overkill. Extreme overkill, when a basic CR-39 lens with AR could cost half that...or a bit less.

If you can, get the numbers off the prescription, and a note as to how much astigmatism. (Astigmatism can increase, and tracking it is a good idea.)

[Aggie]

It sez like this...
                       


As far as I know, it sez I have ADD. 

[goat starer]

( to goat).

well thats the last time I try to be helpful 

[Sibling Chatty]

It sez like this...
                       


As far as I know, it sez I have ADD. 

OK, that ADD means "add on for reading" making that a multifocal lens--a progressive.

That would be what is referred to as computer glasses...and $220 for the Nikon lens is a fair price. There might be a less expensive alternative, but only barely, if the costs of the add-on multicoatings are as high there as they are here.

[Alpaca]

Dug out my prescription to see the details - I'm -4.75 in the left and -4 in the right, both spherical.

[Aggie]

With a 40% off sale on frames this month, it might be worth a look at what the optometrist I went to has to offer.

Thanks for interpreting, Chatty. 

[Sibling Chatty]

Dug out my prescription to see the details - I'm -4.75 in the left and -4 in the right, both spherical.

Are you in a high index lens or polycarbonate?

You're at the point where I (Dan's teachings, of course) start suggesting a good high index lens rather than CR-39 or polycarb. There's a polycarbonate brand called Trivex that's good, but at a -4.50 or -5.00 I suggest the high index, even though it costs more, because it is much lighter and thinner as well.

Some places sell polycarbonate as 'high index' but it's not THAT much lighter, not really much thinner, and has some problems with biorefringence. (Seeing little rainbows or tiny 'ghost' images when you look at something.)

Having dealt with people that were -14.00 and thereabouts, I think of a -4.00 as 'not that bad'.
========

Aggie, the thing you'll probably notice the most when you get your glasses is that the computer will be much easier on your eyes. You don't think about there being glare from the screen until you don't see the glare because the AR coating cuts it.

The slight reading add will make dealing with smaller print much easier, and balancing out the minor difference between the two eyes will be...restful for your eye muscles. That's really next to no astigmatism, so yeah, ignoring it would be fine. You'd never notice. Most practitioners wouldn't have caught that little bitty number. Whoever you're seeing has to be good!

[Alpaca]

Chatty, I'm still polycarbonate, but if my vision gets any worse while I'm still growing (for the record, this is purely eye shape - all the innards work exactly the way they're supposed to), I might do something different. Every time I've gotten glasses prior to this pair was through Lenscrafters, just-pick-the-options-you-want, and I have no idea what I had then - the most specific I can get is polycarbonate. I can dig up some specifics on these lenses tomorrow - I do know that we shopped around a bit before getting them. Dunno what I'll do next time, but I'm hoping there won't be a "next time" (in the sense of a new prescription) - it seems that the really bad period is over and that it's leveling out now for the past few years.

[Sibling Chatty]

Next prescription, ask about high index.

Polycarb's just an inferior material, and there are much better options.

I am NOT a fan of poly even for 'safety glasses'. Yeah, it'll take a bullet, but it also will 'go out of shape' from that bullet enough to enter the eye and brain anyway. And if it's struck from the side? It'll shatter into needlelike shards, and you don't just lose the eye, you may lose half the face. I hated doing polycarb rimless...there aren't too many occasions that the edge of the lens will be hit hard enough to shatter it, but I saw one person it happened to, and that was enough to put the fear of polycarb into me.

You're probably correct on the vision changes stopping at your age. Standard pattern, you'll have 5 to 7 years of little to no change, a minor shift at about age 25, again somewhere between 32 and 35, and then around age 40, presbyopia. I love marketing studies. The frame people did all the work to get those figures--so they could market frames to specific demographics.

(Yeah, I still read Eyecare Weekly on line every week. Don't know why, but I do...)

[anthrobabe]

     saw my eye doc Thursday
bi-focals are next
he on the otherhand thinks it is very funny.