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      Wednesday, June 17, 2009


otherstuff
01:24 PM - 06/17/2009

The topic: Three years ago today

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I had an eye exam at CostCo.  Got my first set of multi-focal contact lenses.  And a prescription for progressive lenses.

What are these types of lenses you ask?

The multi-focal contact lenses are interesting.  One lens is for close-up.  For things like reading.  The other lens is for distance.  And the eyes adjust to this.  The progressive lenses, for me, where three in one. The top part of the glass is for distance, say driving or a movie.  The center was for work mid range, like being on the computer and looking at the monitor. The bottom part was for reading.

I bought the first set of contacts at CostCo. There were six right lenses and six left lenses.  Right for reading, left for long distance (this is how I remembered which was which, kind of like how I remember how to set the table; left has four letters, so the fork (also four letters) goes on the left, knife and spoon each have five, as does the word “right”).  The dominant eye wears the distance lens. I bought two pairs of glasses at Wal-Mart, because I didn’t care for the frame selection at CostCo. 

Well, I didn’t wear the contacts all the time. I would have liked to, but I found them bothersome when I was driving, since the left lens wasn’t as strong as it would have been had I just had regular lenses for distance.  Because of the multi-focal aspect, both sides were adjusted a little so that I wasn’t tripping over stairs and my feet and cracks in the sidewalk.  So, things in the distance were still a bit fuzzier than they needed to be and I still had to hold the package a little way away from my eyes to read what it said.  I quit wearing the contacts on a regular basis.  Last month, I decided to give them another try.  And I’d forgotten that I had killed one of the left contact lenses. I think my hand wasn’t completely clean of something and whatever was on it, ate into the lens and it became blurry.  I opened up my little container that had the most recently used lenses in it, and much to my dismay, realized that you do not store your contacts in the case upside down in a drawer.  They were completely dried out.  I looked for the lenses still left from my original prescription. In the box that had the left lens, which with regular use, should have been emptied two and a half years ago, were two lenses left.  For the right, I had three.

I opened one of each and got them in my eyes.  Cool.  Then yesterday, when I was trying to put the left one in, something happened to it.  I don’t know if it got scratched somehow, or maybe ripped. I could see something wrong with the edge when I held it up to the light and I tried rubbing it out a couple of times with saline, but that sucker was really uncomfortable when I put it in.  I had to open up the last lens.  Which left me two fresh right and no fresh left.  I figured it was time to call and make another appointment.  I went in today at 11:15.

Now, I had a scathingly brilliant idea, I just hoped the doc didn’t laugh me out of the examining room.  Because I really like the idea of contacts. It was nice to be able to read something close and look up and read something clearly in the distance.  I explained to him what I was thinking and he said it was doable. And he made the prescription for my right (reading) contact lens a little stronger, so I could read closer. My left stayed the same.  He put a pair of contacts in my eyes. Then, he did a little more testing.

I got what I wanted.  Besides the new contacts, I also got a prescription for new glasses. These will be worn only when I’m wearing my contacts. They will correct the strength of the contact lenses so that I’ll be able to see distance equally well with both left and right eyes when wearing the contacts. They will be for when I’m driving or going to the movies or walking around Disneyland.  He kind of didn’t get why I wanted to do this. Which makes me think he’s never worn makeup with contact lenses.  (I didn’t wear makeup today, because it’s a PITA to deal with contact lenses and makeup.  At least it is for me.  My routine is shower, scrub face, then when I’m out of the shower, put on wrinkle crea

anti-aging lotion (we used to call it “wrinkle cream” way back when I didn’t need it), wash my hands thoroughly, put lenses in, then put on my makeup.  When I take the lenses out, then I take the makeup off.) He asked “why don’t you just take the lenses out and put your glasses on when you go to a movie?”  Doesn’t that sound so simple?  Well, number one, I really don’t want to have to mess with taking my lenses out at a movie theater, then put them back in after the movie.   Number two, I don’t carry a purse.   Number three, I don’t want to have to wear glasses when I’m out shopping or whatever.  Just have the glasses on when I’m in the sun.

My eyes, distance wise, haven’t changed since my first prescription, back in the early eighties; I can still see fine with those glasses, the sunglasses I have in my car and in my truck are the same ones I’ve had since 1988.  I’ve got a clear set and a set of transitions from the nineties that still work well.  And the progressive lenses I got three years ago still have me seeing clearly.  The only change since my first pair is I need something for reading. I’ve probably got over twenty pairs of reading glasses throughout the house. In my bathroom, here in the office, in the family room, in my jewelry drawer, in the cars…I even got some pretty nifty reading sunglasses at peeperspecs.com for when I’m down by the pool. 

Anyway, I got my prescriptions.  I went over to the eyeglass center at CostCo and actually found a pair of frames I liked.  I bought two of them. One as sunglasses and one as transistions, so I can wear them indoors or out.  I don’t know how those frames will look with clear glass, I guess I’ll find out soon enough. Now that I think of it, they might look dorky.  Oh, well. *lol* I also bought new contact lenses. 

Total cost today was a little over three hundred and fifty dollars.  It cost me over four hundred just for two pair of glasses three years ago at Wal-Mart.  That didn’t include the cost of the contacts or the eye exam.  Today’s did. I wish CostCo had had frames I liked three years ago.

Oh, and if you need glasses or contacts and you’re a CostCo member? Get your prescription filled there.  Earlier this week, when I realized I had no more left lenses, I checked 1-800contacts for my prescription. Baush and Lomb SofLens multi-focal. It’s $327.92 for an eight box order ($327.92/16=$20.49 per lens).  Today, at CostCo, for those same lenses, I spent $69.74 ($69.74/12=$5.81 per lens).  Big difference and well worth the trip to CostCo.

Oh, and remember the reason I had to go to begin with? Because I ran out of left lenses?  The doctor gave me two.  So I’d have two full sets of replacement lenses. Wasn’t that nice of him?


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lisaviolet is seventy something, married with no kids, takes care of lots of cats, likes taking photographs, loves Southern California weather and spends altogether too much time avoiding her responsibilities.

In her spare time, she makes pretty things to sell in her store.

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