monday, september 03, 200

 

 

http://glassyeyes.blogspot.com/Much has been said about the pupillary distance when ordering glasses online and the difficulty in obtaining it. It’s a very important measurement and contrary to what the opticians will tell you, it’s very easy to get — in the comfort of your own home even!A few of the sites have methods requiring you to have a friend hold a ruler up at the bridge of your nose or something akin to that. That’s a pain and not very precise. I’ve got a better way.Here are the required tools:1) a pair of your existing eyeglasses (doesn’t matter too much on the prescription — just so you can see through them)2) a non-permanent marker3) a ruler (with millimeters preferably*)How to do it:1) Stand in front of a mirror2) Close your left eye3) Mark the center of the right pupil with on the eyeglass lens with the marker.4) Repeat with other eye5) Measure the distance between the two dots6) You’re doneYou can have a friend do this for you also, but I had better results doing it myself. It works. I had my “professionally measured” PD from the last time I was mugged at Len Crafters, and it was identical to my latest measurement. Didn’t surprise me at all as this was precisely the method they used to measure it.Anyway, if the optometrist is giving you hell about getting the PD, tell ‘em to stuff it and do it yourself. I think you’ll be happy with the result.* NOTE: If you don’t have a metric ruler (and if you’re a child of the seventies like me, you’ll never be without one), just pop your standard measurement as such into the google and you’ll get the number you need. Ex. “2 9/16 inches to mm” returns “(2 9/16) inches = 65.0875 millimeters”.

 

 

By Joe Stewart  

I guess I could blame it on the New York Times.  They recently featured a story about buying eye glasses on the Internet.  And I bought into it.  Hook line and sinker.

You see I am writing this little story wearing what most of those around me have described as “women’s glasses”

Not a problem except for the fact I am a just turned 60 year old Baby Boomer male who was simply trying to save a buck.

This story will also serve to dispel the myth that we Baby Boomers don’t know how to use the Internet.  Oh boy do we know our way around the Internet.  I purchased the eyewear online.  From Optical4Less in Hong Kong.

Before you jump to conclusions let me tell you the Progressive Lens optics are perfectly clear and in focus.  The frames fit perfectly.

The only problem is the frames. They are designed for someone more daring than I.

Or a woman.  Or a young hip and cool kinda guy.

How did this happen you ask.  Well the picture on the website wasn’t exactly big and or clear enough for me to actually see what I was buying.  I remember thinking,”how bad could they be?”

.

I began this voyage of discovery armed with a fresh Eye Prescription from my Eye MD.

All I had to do before ordering was to measure my Pupilary Distance and make sure I had funds in my PayPal account.  (See I told you we knew our way around the Internet.)

The Pupillary Distance is another matter however.  Do you know yours?

If you don’t and don’t even know what the PD is read on.

It is the distance between your pupils.  To get the measurement all you need is a ruler that is graduated in Millimeter segments.  Then look in the mirror and at arm’s length hold the ruler up to measure your pupils.  (I will pause here for a moment so that this image lingers a moment in your brain.)

I learned after the fact that most adults have a PD of between 55-65.  My measurement is 66 millimeters.  Yes I have a big head.

The other considerations for purchasing eyewear frames include the width of your face;  the size of your nose and the distance between the corner of your face at the eye and the back of your ear. 

Stay with me now, this really isn’ t brain surgery.  It just appears to be confusing.  This is why most people simple go to their hometown optician and pay a small fortune for a pair of glasses.  But if you pay attention here, you too can order your next pair online.

With your Millimeter ruler in hand measure your current glasses from side to side.  Measure from the widest part of the glasses.  Mine measure 140mm.  Don’t judge.

The nose bridge measurement is a little tricky.  Mine is about 18mm.  Again some noses may be smaller.  Not many bigger unless you are, or have been, a pugilist.

The final measurement is the temple bar.  You know, the side piece with the hinge that fits over your ears and secures the eyewear to your face.

If the glasses you now have fit well then take the measurement from your current glasses.  I do use the term current loosely since most boomers have had the same pair of frames since Jimmy Carter was in office.

My temple measurement is 141mm.  This number may printed on the inside of your glasses.  The problem is of course when you take your glasses off to look you can’t see the damned numbers.  My suggestion is that you find a partner to work with in taking the eyewear numbers.  Preferably some one with 20/20 vision and a calm demeanor.

This may come in handy later when you need someone to blame for the FU.

The next order of business is the selection of the lenses.  Now this is brain surgery.

Did you know there are 350 different kinds of lenses made for eyeglasses?

The simple explanation is that your choice depends on your prescription, just how good or bad your eyes are.  If your eyes need a really exotic prescription to help you with the ravages of time and time outdoors without sunglasses etc. then your choice is limited to roughly the same sort of material they used to use to make Coke bottles.

This is just a layman’s example.  Trying to understand this part has me boggled.

My suggestion is this.  If you aren’t going to be playing field hockey while wearing the glasses and your eyes are about normal for your age, buy the basic plastic lenses. 

My expert sources tell me that the optics are just as good as the more expensive Polycarbonate Lenses for way fewer bucks.

This is all the how to purchase eyewear help I am giving you in this episode.

Let me get back to ME.  The story continues.

So once it sank in that I was wearing women’s eyewear and realized I wouldn’t be comfortable with people starring at me in public I had two choices.  I could give in and go crawling back to my local optician and pay him the $400 or so dollars for a new pair or I could go back to the well, that is go back to the Internet.

I chose the Internet of course.  So here is what I did.

It occurred to me that since ordering the prescription lenses on the Interent worked out OK all I needed to to was figure out the frame part of the equation.

So I found an Internet Eyewear site 39dollarGlasses that will replace the just the lenses in the frames that I know won’t embarrass me in public.  Ones that I already own and use.

So after a half dozen or so clicks I have now committed to my fourth pair of prescription glasses in the last three weeks.  (If you are keeping track I will explain the other pairs later in the story.)

I ordered a pair of basic plastic progressives to be implanted in frames that I already own. No ups no extras.  $80.10 plus $5.96 shipping.  This is from 39DollarGlasses in Ronkonkoma, NY, in the good old USA.

Now I don’t exactly know where the lenses will be made, but at least I know that they be shipped to me in Los Angeles from New York.

It was as I had already gone online to print out a USPS label that I had another nagging feeling that I had screwed up again.  What if the basic plastic lenses delivered to mefor under $90 were not right.  I would still be trapped in the house unable to go out in public without any hope whatsoever.

So I then ordered a second pair of replacement lenses. 

 

This time I upgraded to the Progressive bullet-proof Polycarbonates with $25 worth of Anti- Reflective Coating. $152 with free ground shipping.

I grabbed the second pair of frames from two prescriptions ago and quickly wrapped them in bubble wrap, then reopened the USPS shipping box and added the second pair.

Since I don’t have a postal scale and I had originally entered 1 pound for the weight I guesstimated that I still was in the ballpark fee wise.  $11.56 Priority Mail.  I taped it shut and took it to the Post Office.  The Postwoman took it and tossed it into the outgoing pile.  I am in business!

This was on a Thursday 16 days ago as I write this.  I am getting a little nervous. 

Late yesterday I went on their website and clicked on the live help button. 

Much to my surprise an operator typed in a message offering help.I asked him/her to give me a status report.  Ah, both orders were in the final edging process and would be shipped tomorrow.  Which is now today. 

I just checked the order tracking link at their website and it indicates that both pair are still in production.  My imagination is now running wild.  What if these guys are not in New York.  What if say they are in Pakistan or Afghanistan or Kazakhstan and some guy just bought my frames at a street fair somewhere way over there?!

It is now 1:00PM in Pacific Standard Time.  It is now 4:00PM in New York.  I figure that I will know within the next hour whether or not this story will have a happy ending or not.  I am going to leave you for a bit to let the drama build while I take a nap.

It is now 2:34PM and I am back from my afternoon nap.  Again, please don’t judge.

Before I check on the status of the lens replacement shipment let me confess to you that I made a bit a mistake when I initially ordered the glasses online from Hong Kong.

Instead of clicking on the Progressive Lens box I clicked the Single Lens box.  I then quickly sent an email to Hong Kong explaining my mistake and asking them to change the order to Progressives from Single Vision.  Are you with me so far?

Due to the time difference it took several emails and three days to sort this out.

I was then told that the Single Lens version had already been made.  To make me happy “Fiona” told me they would sell me the version that was already made for about half price.  $16 for Single Vision. Wow.

The new Progressives would be made for another $98US.

What choice did I have?   I emailed back, yes.

I figured I would use the Single Vision for night driving.  Did I mention that the frame is the exact same style as the “women’s” glasses.  Yes I now have two pair of the women’s frames. 

The optics for the Single Vision by the way is perfect.  At least it will be dark when I wear these in public.

During the same initial buying frenzy on the Hong Kong site I also purchased a pair of night driving glasses in Single Vision with Elvis Costello style heavy black frames for $36 plus $8 delivery Hong Kong To Los Angeles. 

How’s that for a good price.  These glasses are great.  The frames fit and are of OK quality and the optics are fantastic.

I will now also confess to you that this online ordering of eyewear is addictive. 

Not can be.  Is.

In between the flurry of Hong Kong buying and the ordering of the replacement lenses which I am about to check on, I purchased a pair of Silver Framed Aviator prescription Polarized sunglasses from the online company headquartered in New York. 

 

They were delivered for $86 in about ten days including two weekends. 

That was pretty fast.  Remember I live in Los Angeles, normally a five day delivery time from New York.  That is what gave me confidence in the New York operation.

They are actually amazing for the price.  The prescription has been checked and is right what it should be.  All is good with this purchase.

So here we are about 4 weeks and six pairs of glasses (eyewear) into this odyssey.

I have now spent a total of $425 for six pays of glasses.  OK four pair if you don’t count the two identical women’s frames.

Fast forward to the next day.  It is now Saturday morning.  I was too despondent to write any more yesterday.  When I checked the order tracking gizmo it indicated my new lenses in my old frames were still in production.  It is now the weekend.  The Internet eyewear people in New York do not work weekends.

So I am left to navigate another weekend without eyewear I can comfortably wear in public.  I say navigate, because I must plan every move carefully.  If I go to the grocery store for example I will have to stick with those items I am very familiar with.  No glasses to read the labels on new stuff.  Getting gas for the car will be a bit easier since the numbers are fairly large.  Have to stick with the pumps that take the credit card can’t be caught trying to sign a paper receipt with a dozen people in line behind me.

Right about now I am feeling that those of you who have not been in this position are getting ready to unload on me for buying eyewear on the Internet.  Well I suspect that those of you who might be thinking that are the very same people who would never buy shoes on the Internet either.

No pain no gain.  If this works I will have saved a lot of money.  Of course I may spend the same amount, but for many more pairs of glasses.

I will now pause the story here and wait to see when and if I will see clearly again.

Please stand by.

Nothing like the Internet and a little time on one’s hands.

  

I just ordered two more pair of eyewear from way “over there.” A pair of progressives and a pair of single vision prescription sunglasses. I will henceforth refer to these as my “emergency” eyewears.

The lense replacements I ordered arrived today via DHL.  They shipped to me from New York on June 18.  Today is June 22.  I initially placed the order online May 29 and May 30 for the second pair.  Do remember that I had to send them my frames via USPS.

The post office tried to deliver on Saturday 2, but as I wrote earlier New York does not work on weekends.  They were successfully delivered on June 4.  Let’s do the math…June 4 to June 18.  I get 14 days.  That of course includes weekends which we know don’

t count as work days.  USPS delivered the package across country to Los Angeles to New York in about a day and a half.  I mailed it on Thursday May 30 and the first delivery attempt was the following Saturday morning.  That is pretty fast.  DHL took from Monday June 18 to Friday June 22.

My heart raced as I opened the package.  The first thing I noticed was that they shipped the two pairs of glasses back to me in the same cheesy glass cases I used to ship them.

I was hoping for two new cases.  This company has very nice cases.  I know from my initial purchase of the prescription eyewear.  Oh well.

I tried the first pair on and looked around.  First distance.  I have focus!  Then I tested the small type.  I have focus.  Ladies and gentlemen I will be able to leave the house and go out in public for the first time in three weeks.  This was the basic progressive package with plastic lenses and no anti reflective glare coating.

The second pair also seems to be perfect.  This pair features Verilux Progressive lenses with the anti reflective glare coating.  Very nice.

I have always been skeptical about the reflective coating that has cost me about $50 per pair since I have been buying eyewear.  I have suspected that it was one of the add-on profit builders for opticians.

That really is why I ordered one with and one without.  I want to see if I can see the difference.

First I tried the pair without the anti glare and looked into the mirror.  Wow the reflective glare was significant. 

 

Now the test.  I gently placed  the pair with the anti glare coating on my nose and ears.  I turned to look in the mirror and was amazed.  The reflective glare was almost non existant.  I was wrong.

 

This stuff actually works.

 I am back in business.  I can see again using a pair of frames that won’t draw criticism from family friends and neighbors.  The winner is the pair of replacement lens from 39DollarGlasses.com in New York.  The lens are Veralux Comfort.  And they are great. No eyestrain whatsoever.  I can even walk up stairs and drive with these Progressives.  I have always had to use single vision lenses to drive and go up stairs. So this is a good day.  And my friends it is a new day for shopping for eyewear on the Internet.  

Take that ye of little or no faith.  Next I’ll go online and buy some shoes…