Glasses

It rained today! For some, that may not be an exciting thing. For us, it was very exciting. We've had very little rain the past couple of months. We had to make a trip to Chillicothe this morning, and it seemed very strange to drive with inclement weather!

I made a mandatory appearance at the local Career Center, for a workshop on filling out applications and writing resumes. With all due respect to the workshop leader, I probably could have taught the workshop! The good news was that our leader was subbing for the regular workshop leader, and he didn't see the need to keep us an entire hour.

Even though we gave ourselves plenty of time for the drive, given the weather, we were surprised to find the highway department working in the rain at several spots – there was highway pavement repair, as well as roadside mowing in a couple of spots. I dropped hubby off at Walmart, then enjoyed visiting at the Career Center with high schoolmate Connie Wheelbarger Epperson. That's the one bright spot of going to the Career Center!

Hubby had his annual eye exam at Walmart, and I did our shopping there once I was done with the workshop. We were home before one, and I got everything put away. It's amazing how ready I was to sit down and relax. I really should have more energy!

Now that hubby has had his eye exam, it's my turn to make an appointment. I hate that. I'm hoping that my prescription hasn't changed, but the lenses I'm wearing now are really scratched up. I'd love at some point to know how much money has been spent over my lifetime on eye exams and glasses! I know when my childhood optometrist built a new house in town, Mom commented that we probably built one wing of the house!

Having a regular optometrist is a luxury that some people don't appreciate. I spent the first twenty years of my adulthood moving around frequently. That makes it difficult to find a reliable optometrist (or dentist, or physician). I don't have good eyesight – a real understatement! I got my first pair of glasses when I was 13, and I'm not sure any prescription has lasted longer than two years.

One big issue with not finding a regular optometrist is the money you put out for glasses. I've spent in excess of $500 for one pair of glasses......admittedly, part of the cost is because of how strong my prescription is. And, since nothing seems to be simple, I also require a prism in one of my lenses because my eyes aren't able to focus “level” - one eye focuses higher than the other eye. You know, when you're having an eye exam and you see two identical items and the optometrist tells you to let them know when you see only one? That measures if your eyes are focusing “level” or not......I can never tell them I see only one item when I'm supposed to. So, everything increases the cost and lengthens the processing time. I envy people who can go into an eye shop and get their new glasses the same day! For me, the usual processing time is two weeks.

Hubby has a relatively simple prescription. He's able to go an online source he's found and order new glasses for a really reasonable price. He realizes how fortunate he is to be able to order multiple pairs of glasses – some regular, some with light tinting, others with heavier tinting to wear in the sun.

At least the current frame styles are better than they used to be. I remember with the 80's big frames....I had a pair of plastic frames with rigid nosepieces. They kept sliding because the nosepiece was too wide, and the optical tech's solution was to heat the bridge and bend the frames into a slight “V” across the bridge. With those big frames and my strong prescription, I felt like I was looking at life through a fisheye lens! I didn't make it very far before I had to find another optical place to bend the frame back to normal!