Does anyone here wear glasses or contacts?

[lothar]

I went to the MVA to renew my license and got a shocking revelation today.
I failed the vision test. I couldn't read the last box on the 4th line.

I tried to ask her "did I get the other letters I read" and she said I missed a few but for some reason she didn't want to go much into detail(maybe it's the same exam with the same answers everyone takes every 5 years so she wasn't trying to divulge much information?)
Makes me wonder how I passed the vision test 5 years ago...

Even though I don't have vision insurance, I'm now looking to Angie's list for recommendations because I want to go to an actual doc and not just get it done at a Wal-Mart or Lens Crafters chain.
Any recommendations/tips regarding frames, lenses, or anything else would be appreciated.

Also, those of you that wear glasses or contacts, at what age did you start wearing them?

 

[KnickNut3]

Your poll needs a "I needed glasses/contacts but paid a doctor to burn my retina into the right shape so I don't need them anymore" option. Or just remove the "never needed" part of the "no" option.

 

[Schadenfroh]

I required glasses earlier in life, but PRK and later PTK corrected that shortcoming.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I wear glasses mostly and contacts when I have them. I have the tendency to forget to buy replacement disposable contacts when I run out, and I'm quite prone to losing them down sink drains and such.

I've been wearing glasses since I was about 6-7 years old.

 

[Gibson486]

I have been wearing them since I was 5. I will tell you now, there really is no advantage to going to a non chain place unless you want to devleop a relationship with your dr. Also, those people who are at the chains that give you the actual tests are docs.

As for glass recommendations...it all depends how much you want to spend. The lense could be $200 alone and the frame $250 alone. You just have to shop around. also, Make sure they do not skimp on anti reflection or anti scratch (if you decide to get them). The very cheap coatings of those flake if you wear them daily.

 

[Jaepheth]

Glasses? On a tech forum?

I'm pretty sure only farmers wear glasses.

 

[coldmeat]

I wear contacts, from the minute I get up to the minute I go to bed every day.

 

[lothar]

I required glasses earlier in life, but PRK and later PTK corrected that shortcoming.

Sounds like I missed this option.

Please add "I used to require them, but surgery has largely corrected the issue so they are no longer required." as one of the options in the poll.

Also change "Yes, I'm supposed to be wearing them but I do not or choose not to do so, period." to "I'm supposed to be wearing them but I do not or choose not to do so, period." that way there won't be any ambiguity on the "yes" part in that statement.

 

[Arcadio]

There should be an option for "Yes, I wear contacts and glasses. I wear contacts most of the time, but I wear glasses when I want to give my eyes a break."

 

[AstroManLuca]

My vision is okay, but not perfect. Something like 20/40 uncorrected. I don't think I can pass the driving test without them. Been using glasses for the past 3 years.

Wife wore contacts, the breathable kind that can stay in for a while. She used to leave them in way too long. Supposedly she would have been fine had she taken them out at least once a week, but she would leave them in a month or more. Eventually she got an ulcer on her eye and had to use antibacterial eyedrops for a few weeks, and the eye doctor refused to give her more contacts. So she wears glasses now. Sucks for her though because she's blind without them.

 

[illusion88]

I wear contacts every day. My Drivers License is restricted so I have to wear corrective lenses to drive (legally at least).

I was prescribed glasses 10 years ago. I started wearing contacts about 6 years ago, right when I started skiing full time. It's pretty tough to wear glasses underneath goggles. They make goggles with fans in them, called Over The Glasses goggles, but I never liked the styles. So contacts it was! Now, I only wear my glasses around the house before I put my contacts in.

I personally use Lens Crafters for my eye care needs. You see an actual optometrist who isn't actually connected with Lens Crafters. It's his practice, not Lens Crafters. It's more like his office is on the side of the building. Lens Crafters is just the company that makes and sells the glass and frames. I did go to an optometrist (not related to Lens Crafters) for my very first prescription.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

I want to go to an actual doc and not just get it done at a Wal-Mart or Lens Crafters chain.

Do you think the ODs at a giant corporation like Lens Crafters and Wal-Mart are less capable than the ODs who work for a giant corporate healthcare management system or a group of MD/DO ophthalmologists?

Any recommendations/tips regarding frames, lenses, or anything else would be appreciated.

Just make sure your frames are comfortable. You shouldn't notice that you're wearing glasses.

Also, those of you that wear glasses or contacts, at what age did you start wearing them?

13. On the way home from the optometrist I remarked to my mother that I could read street signs.

 

[lothar]

There should be an option for "Yes, I wear contacts and glasses. I wear contacts most of the time, but I wear glasses when I want to give my eyes a break."

Then vote, "Yes, I wear contacts" since that's mostly what you wear.

 

[dullard]

I first got glasses when I was 16 and didn't really wear them much until I was 20 and couldn't pass the driving test. From then on, I wore them pretty much non-stop while awake.

Eyes change over time. Even those people with lasik correction will need glasses in a few years since their eyes will continue to change. The change isn't usually dramatic past age of about 25, but it does gradually change. If it changed quickly, check for diabetes as rapid eye change one of the first symptoms.

I suggest you go to an independent shop. I once went to a chain (Lens Crafters) and their doctor charged more than double what all other eye exams charged (~$150 vs ~$70). I was in too much of a hurry to shop around and forgot to ask the price. Also, many of them do add-ons that are pretty useless, so tell them you want just the basic exam.

Independent shops often have a bit cheaper frames/lenses than the bigger chains. But, there are really cheap chains (America's Best or Walmart come to mind) that will be the cheapest of them all if you are willing to accept the fact that they only stock discontinued out-of-fashion frames. The big chains try to not special order frames for you (different size or color than what they have in stock), but independant shops have never complained to me.

 

[Kaervak]

Don't remember my age, but I was in middle school when I started wearing glasses. In 8th grade I switched over to soft contacts and then several years later switched again to RGP lenses (some weird reaction to the soft lenses). The RGP lenses are nice in that they last seemingly forever, but I hate the damn things. The lens for my right eye has never fit properly no matter how carefully they measure. My left lens is perfect, no complains about it at all though. If my right lens could ever get sorted out I'd have no problem with RGP, however as soon as I can afford PRK I'll never wear a set of contacts again.

 

[Krynj]

Only when the sun's in my eyes.

 

[busydude]

Also, those of you that wear glasses or contacts, at what age did you start wearing them?

16. I always used to sit in the front at class, watch TV from close distance. The moment I realized my vision deteriorating was when I could not see the faces on silver screen clearly; at first I thought the projector was out of focus, but then soon I realized that my eyes were the problem.

 

[Aikouka]

I've been wearing glasses since the 5th grade. I recall another kid in my class asking me to read a speed limit sign (I believe that's what it was) that was out in the distance. I couldn't read it, and I went home and told my mom that I needed glasses .

I do own contacts as well, but I don't really like them. I find it nicer to just throw on a pair of glasses in the morning rather than fumble with contacts... especially since I've never been that good at putting them in (this is where you joke that this seems to be a reoccurring problem for me ). I also have an issue where my contacts tend to "gunk up" quickly and I'd have to use eye drops maybe every hour or two just to keep them clean. I remember being at Blizzcon 2 years ago and trying to see a projector screen up on the ceiling, but it was definitely fuzzy. It was fine only an hour or two before then .

So yeah, I just wear glasses. I have the half-frame style (example)http://images.madeinchina.com/p/995/5178995/Monalisa-Alloy-Half-Frame-Glasses-Spectacles_5178995.jpg, which I highly recommend over the normal full-frame (example). This may not be proper terminology, so what I mean is that a half-frame only has a metal frame going around the top half of the lens (and connecting the two lenses together). There is actually a tensioned wire then going around the bottom half of the lens that holds it in. Before this pair, I used to have the normal full-frame (metal all around the lens), but the screws would eventually come loose often after a year or two of wear. I've actually lost screws in the past because they fell out and I didn't notice until my glasses fell apart .

 

[rcpratt]

I started when I was like...9? Get some soft contacts, it's not a big deal.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I have glasses but only within the last year. My near vision is fine, it gets a little out of focus reading things far off though. I wear them when driving sometimes but not for much else...not even required for driving at this point. Everything just looks a little clearer with them on, like hi-def. Everything looks a little soft without them.

 

[MotF Bane]

I've had glasses since age ten. 20/70, I've pretty much worn them all day every day, barring a couple of years where I just got pissed off and stopped wearing them except to drive.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Only when the sun's in my eyes.

Same.

 

[busydude]

Everything just looks a little clearer with them on, like hi-def.

I think you might be interested in HD vision. Just wrap these around your current glasses and you see everything in 2 x HD vision.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H486w6C6Yk&feature=related

 

[JulesMaximus]

I've been wearing glasses since the 5th grade. I recall another kid in my class asking me to read a speed limit sign (I believe that's what it was) that was out in the distance. I couldn't read it, and I went home and told my mom that I needed glasses .

I do own contacts as well, but I don't really like them. I find it nicer to just throw on a pair of glasses in the morning rather than fumble with contacts... especially since I've never been that good at putting them in (this is where you joke that this seems to be a reoccurring problem for me ). I also have an issue where my contacts tend to "gunk up" quickly and I'd have to use eye drops maybe every hour or two just to keep them clean. I remember being at Blizzcon 2 years ago and trying to see a projector screen up on the ceiling, but it was definitely fuzzy. It was fine only an hour or two before then .

So yeah, I just wear glasses. I have the half-frame style (example)http://images.madeinchina.com/p/995/5178995/Monalisa-Alloy-Half-Frame-Glasses-Spectacles_5178995.jpg, which I highly recommend over the normal full-frame (example). This may not be proper terminology, so what I mean is that a half-frame only has a metal frame going around the top half of the lens (and connecting the two lenses together). There is actually a tensioned wire then going around the bottom half of the lens that holds it in. Before this pair, I used to have the normal full-frame (metal all around the lens), but the screws would eventually come loose often after a year or two of wear. I've actually lost screws in the past because they fell out and I didn't notice until my glasses fell apart .

Otherwise known as nerd glasses.

 

[Aikouka]

Otherwise known as nerd glasses.

I thought the thick full-frame with tape in the middle are the definition of nerd glasses .