Glasses

[Scheherazade]

Wondering how many of us wear glasses and what type...

[Lokasenna]

Always, alas.

I'm very short-sighted, and I've worn glasses since I was about eight years old. They're an absolute pain...

[Helga]

I have never needed glasses but I have always wanted them, I have always looked a lot younger than my friends and glasses made me look older so I always wanted them. I have been told I could buy glasses with plain glass in them but I think that is kinda silly.

[OrphanPip]

I've worn glasses since around 21, I have myopia but not very severe, I'm allowed to drive without my glasses.

I like them as a fashion accessory though.

[kasie]

I have worn specs since I was about 10. I am short-sighted, can't see much further than my nose without them - I always had a huge fellow feeling with Harry Palmer (Michael Caine's character in The Ipcress File) who couldn't answer the phone and concentrate on the message before he had put his glasses on. I wore contacts for years but eventually had to revert to specs. Now I have 1 - a couple of pairs of distance specs (because losing or breaking a pair would render me housebound), 2 - a pair for middle distance, computer screen, etc, 3 - a pair for reading: I can read without them but am no doubt not doing my eyes much good by so doing and 4 - my favourites - a distance pair with polarised lenses in them, wonderful for driving, they eliminate shadows and dark spots. Yes, I went to Specsavers......

[qimissung]

I wear glasses. I've had to wear them since about 9th grade and I am very near-sighted. I would love to not wear them, but I just can't quite feel comfortable with lasik surgery, and no, I don't wear contacts. I don't know why.

[faithosaurus]

I usually always need glasses, I just don't wear them...

I'm bad.

[MarkBastable]

I have reading glasses which I wear on a cord round my neck, like an even older person than I actually am.

Until recently my main pair were small and oval and very unfashionable.

Almost every pair of glasses in the shop were rectangular. I said to the twelve-year-old who was trying to sell me them, "I don't like the rectangular ones. I want those small oval nineteen-thirties ones that'll make me look like I'm either inventing the atom bomb or dissolving my wife in a vat of acid in the basement."

She called Security. No sense of humour.

I finally found what I wanted on-line.

Recently I've got a new pair that have taken over the number-one-on-the-nose slot. These are larger, round and tortoiseshell, and they make me look like Bertie Wooster's loopy cousin or the forgetful physicist whom the blousy showgirl loves despite the affluent attention of the brilliantined radiogram dealer.

[Lokasenna]

While I dislike glasses, and am continually pondering about surgery, I'll admit I would miss them - I do like to gesticulate with them, and sometimes not being able to see people can be a blessing!

[Delta40]

I don't know why but my vision screwed up while I was pregnant and I've worn glasses ever since. I have multifocals as it is getting harder to read as I get older....sigh. My brother wears them as a fashion accessory and calls them 'artificial intelligence'

[Paulclem]

I had an eye test in 2000, but I felt they were trying to justify me having glasses when I didn't need them. I can't see too far into the distance for detail, but I'm fine with near stuff. (Not too near) I think it was an astigmatism - which I've just looked up. It seems I am nearsighted. It's not bad though - not bad enough tp shell out for glasses.

[Delta40]

I had an eye test in 2000, but I felt they were trying to justify me having glasses when I didn't need them. I can't see too far into the distance for detail, but I'm fine with near stuff. (Not too near) I think it was an astigmatism - which I've just looked up. It seems I am nearsighted. It's not bad though - not bad enough tp shell out for glasses.

Your avatar would never suit them!

[qimissung]

I would really love to Frankenstein with tortoiseshell glasses.

[kiki1982]

Wow, a wopping 42% always wears glasses here!

You can see what I wear on my picture: brown rectangular. My hubby finds them sexy :D and I feel I look more distinguished :D.

Anyway, I have worn them for about a year and a half now, that is after struggling since 21 (that was 7 years before that) with deteriorating eyesight (thank you, computer, I am so grateful). After having a job as a database assistant, I started to see that my eyesiht was 'a little blurry', but didn't do anything about it and then my hubby got fed up and went into an optician with me, here in Germany.

The man said, very friendly indeed, 'Sit down, madam, and now read what's on that slide.' I said, 'Oh, is there something on that wall?' both mouths fall open at this moment Turns out I had -4.50 and -3.50, I couldn't read street signs, parasol signs, bus signs (that's a pain).

Man, was the world clear when I had my glasses ! (although it swam a bit on the side, as they say in Dutch)

[qimissung]

Wow! "Jaw drops" Were you driving a car during this period?

[LadyLuck]

I was blessed with 20/20 so no need for glasses right now. After a few more years of staring at the screen all day for work, and that my change.

[Sancho]

Well, LL, hang onto it as long as you can. I managed to go sans glasses until about a year ago. That was when I had to have my wife hold up the menu for me across the table in a poorly lit restaurant so that I could read it. Now I've got a pair 1.25 cheaters on every single flat surface in my house.

[irinmisfit92]

Always, alas.

I'm very short-sighted, and I've worn glasses since I was about eight years old. They're an absolute pain...

You should wear contacts :D

[Themis]

You should wear contacts :D

Try doing that when you have dry eyes by default!

I'm very short-sighted too and have to wear glasses all the time. I think I've been wearing them since I was about six years old.

[Lokasenna]

You should wear contacts :D

I did, for a year or so, but in their own way they were more of a pain than glasses!

[Serena03]

Where's the 'I should be wearing them' option? I was prescribed glasses many years ago, but never had them replaced since they broke. I am terribly near-sighted which only has minor effect on me, but it becomes very difficult driving at night or when reading street signs.

[PoeticPassions]

I am lucky that I do not need glasses... but I do fear that my vision has deteriorated somewhat, mainly from staring at a computer all day.

[kiki1982]

Wow! "Jaw drops" Were you driving a car during this period?

Haha, no no, I don't have a driving licence. Otherwise I would have gone for an eye test. Although I do still ride a bike and did then too, but here in Germany there are mainly specially designed cycle paths, so no problem there...

[Lokasenna]

Where's the 'I should be wearing them' option? I was prescribed glasses many years ago, but never had them replaced since they broke. I am terribly near-sighted which only has minor effect on me, but it becomes very difficult driving at night or when reading street signs.

Umm... without wishing to nitpick, isn't that not only dangerous, but illegal? If you're 'terribly near-sighted', should you really be driving without glasses?

[Vonny]

Where's the 'I should be wearing them' option? I was prescribed glasses many years ago, but never had them replaced since they broke. I am terribly near-sighted which only has minor effect on me, but it becomes very difficult driving at night or when reading street signs.

I used to drive without my glasses - at night. I'm so near-sighted that my doctor warns me not to walk around without my glasses. At least it's a good thing I wasn't also drinking at the time! Scary now when I think about it - how easily I could have driven into the lake, as many people do.

[JuniperWoolf]

I love my glasses. I've been told by many people that I look better with them, and I agree, they have this great cat-like angle to them and they make my eyes look bigger. Also, and this might just be due to my perception because I'm expecting it, but it really does seem like people treat me differently when I wear contacts. They don't pay attention to me, or they don't respect my opinion as much. My glasses seem to communicate the following: "See? I've read enough books to screw up my vision, so I'm not a complete idiot."

[kiki1982]

Haha :lol: that's great that is, although your cat has a wonky ear :D. :cornut:

Screwed up vision... 'tis a pain...

[Serena03]

Umm... without wishing to nitpick, isn't that not only dangerous, but illegal? If you're 'terribly near-sighted', should you really be driving without glasses?

'Terribly' is probably an overstatement, I just can't read street signs unless I am right at the light or driving by them. At night people's headlights from a distance become fuzzy and causes glare on my windshield. So far my driving has been sufficient regarding this matter, but I have no insurance to get new glasses. I usually will use my GPS to help me see upcoming streets. If anything, my speed and impatience are probably a worse danger.

[Themis]

'Terribly' is probably an overstatement, I just can't read street signs unless I am right at the light or driving by them.

In that case, that's a terrible overstatement. ;)
Because I for one am terribly short-sighted; if being unable to read street signs from a distance were my only problem, I'd be very happy indeed.

[Hurricane]

I was an "always" glasses wearer until last year.

Hell yeah, eye surgery. :coolgleamA:

I did always used to wear glasses (instead of contacts) during exam weeks to make myself feel smarter though, so I don't know what I'm going to do now.

[Scheherazade]

Now I've got a pair 1.25 cheaters on every single flat surface in my house.What are cheaters?


Where's the 'I should be wearing them' option?The poll is not asking whether you wear them but whether you need them.


My glasses seem to communicate the following: "See? I've read enough books to screw up my vision, so I'm not a complete idiot."Oh, boy... How much more do I need to read to reach to that nirvana???

[Lulim]

I always wore glasses since I was three or so. I considered lenses a couple of years ago but it wouldn’t do. I got completely nauseated at the first try-on so I dismissed the notion.

A colleague of mine who used to wear bottle-bottom-style glasses, had is eyes operated and can do completely without glasses or lenses, with much sharper vision now. But no ordinary mortal can afford the surgery.

[Lokasenna]

A colleague of mine who used to wear bottle-bottom-style glasses, had is eyes operated and can do completely without glasses or lenses, with much sharper vision now. But no ordinary mortal can afford the surgery.

I understand that the new, best procedure costs around £3,000 an eye. That said, I'm still tempted - that's probably less than I would spend on glasses in a lifetime, and without the added hassle of actually wearing the things...

[Sancho]

What are cheaters?

Cheap reading glasses.

Not sure why we call 'em cheaters, maybe cheating fate, maybe cheating the eye doc out of a fee. Donno.

Anyway, I can get package of 5 for about 20 bucks at the Walmart (ASDA to you, I think)

1.25s are pretty weak. I'm thinking of moving up to some 1.5s. Woo-Hoo!

[kiki1982]

Oh, no lenses or eye surgery for me, thank you.

Plucking stuff out of my eye every night would be too scary and i can't see with my glasses off, so I can't see how I could see a lense...

And then the smell of burning eye (who was the celebrity who said that on auntie Beeb) or getting your eye sucked out of its socket so you keep it open while they're doing it... I am terrified at the thought of it.

Nope, just normal glasses, that's good enough for me. I'll consider it as a nice ashion accessory :D.

[OrphanPip]

I hate the idea of contacts too. I don't like touching my eyes.

My mother had a lens replacement surgery for cataracts and now she no longer needs glasses, and she wore glasses her entire life.

[Taliesin]

It's time to ask the third of the three great questions (as I'm told) posed by the intelligentsia everywhere:
1)What to do?
2)Who is to blame?
3)Where are my glasses?

Glasses are great though - they certainly make it easier to fool people into thinking that you're smart.

[JuniperWoolf]

Haha, one time I forgot that I was already wearing contact lenses so I put another pair on over the ones that were already in. I got all excited when things got clear as soon as I popped the extra lenses out, I was thinking "oh my god - I'm cured! It's a miracle!"


I understand that the new, best procedure costs around £3,000 an eye. That said, I'm still tempted - that's probably less than I would spend on glasses in a lifetime, and without the added hassle of actually wearing the things...

It costs much less in Canada. My dad was looking into getting me eye surgery one Christmas, and it was $4500 to zap both. I decided I'd rather have the money for school though, I couldn't imagine being a non-glasses wearer.

[MarkBastable]

I understand that the new, best procedure costs around £3,000 an eye. That said, I'm still tempted - that's probably less than I would spend on glasses in a lifetime, and without the added hassle of actually wearing the things...

I'll give you the name of the best guy in the country, if you like, working at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.

[Idril]

I started wearing glasses in 2nd grade...well, that's when I was told I needed to wear them and bought my first pair but I didn't really start wearing them until about 4th grade. :p I have really bad astigmatism and can't see a bloomin' thing without some kind of corrective lens. I typically wear contacts but always have a pair of glasses with a current prescription around in case I'm too lazy to put them in. Because of the severity of my astigmatism, I have to wear hard contacts and if I'm really tired or sick, they just don't feel very good.

[papayahed]

Haha, one time I forgot that I was already wearing contact lenses so I put another pair on over the ones that were already in. I got all excited when things got clear as soon as I popped the extra lenses out, I was thinking "oh my god - I'm cured! It's a miracle!"


:lol:

[Lokasenna]

I'll give you the name of the best guy in the country, if you like, working at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.

I'd appreciate that! Thanks Mark!

[Pensive]

I am lucky that I do not need glasses... but I do fear that my vision has deteriorated somewhat, mainly from staring at a computer all day.

ditto.
though I wouldn't like to trade my present condition with glasses I think they look kind of cute.


Glasses are great though - they certainly make it easier to fool people into thinking that you're smart.
It would have been better if they could fool people into believing you are foolish. The best pleasure of the world is to trick people into taking you to be a fool.

[TurquoiseSunset]

Thanks to being a programmer I am short-sighted. I wear glasses when I work on the computer and when driving at night or to somewhere new where I have to be able to read the road signs, without being on top of them. And sometimes I have to wear them when I'm ordering takeaways and the menu is suspended over the counter or on the back wall. I usually don't have them with me in those cases though :/

I have contact lenses, but I hardly ever wear them. My eyes are so dry most of the time that I find contact lenses to be more of a nuisance than anything else. I will put them in when I go to the cinema or on a hike, or something like that.


Haha, one time I forgot that I was already wearing contact lenses so I put another pair on over the ones that were already in. I got all excited when things got clear as soon as I popped the extra lenses out, I was thinking "oh my god - I'm cured! It's a miracle!"

Hehehe.

One day, a couple of weeks after I first got my contact lenses, I got to work and I was so upset because everything was blurry again! And I had just gotten contacts! I was starting to panic slightly, actually, because what if something else was wrong with my eyes? Anyway, after two hours I realised that I forgot to actually put them in in the first place. Grr.

[kensington]

I like my glasses.

What I wonder about the surgery is, do they implant something synthetic in the eye?

It's a fairly new procedure, and how do we know how well it will hold up over many years? If you have it done when you are 20 years old, how will it age, and what will happen after 60 or 70 years?

It seems to me people can always find something to be dissatisfied about, no matter how good their life is. After the eye surgery they will simply move on to the next thing. They will relentless focus on whatever little thing isn't perfect.

To me, my very healthy, very nearsighted eyes, are my most valued possession, and I wouldn't change them or jeopardize them even if someone paid me.

[ClaesGefvenberg]

Always, alas.Likewise. I have worn them since 7th grade (and should have started earlier).


While I dislike glasses, and am continually pondering about surgery, I'll admit I would miss them - I do like to gesticulate with them, and sometimes not being able to see people can be a blessing!If the procedure had been available and as safe as today when I was 20 I would have gone for it, but now, in my 50's I can't be bothered: I need bifocals these days, so surgery would not rid me of glasses anyway.

Besides, I have had surgery to my eyes three times already. I used to have massive headaches, and when I was 29 they found out that I ought to have been cross eyed. I was not, however: Apparently I was stubborn enough to keep my eyes straight, but it put a terrible strain on my eye muscles and they cramped. Hence the headaches. The first surgery failed slightly: I suffered double vision for a few months until a second one fixed me. Then I had to have a third one a couple of years later, when the trouble was coming back, but I have been fine since. The only lasting effect is that multifocals are out. Hence the bifocals.

Finally, the very fact that I am so keen on reading has resulted in my being very fuzzy about my eyes, and as any surgery is a calculated (albeit very small in this case) risk, I'll pass.

I did use contacts when I was younger, though. It allowed me to use good sunglasses when I was flying (very important that, with the sun glare and all) but it backfired in a rather amusing way once: Apart from myopia I also have astigmatism, so I had to have a way to keep the contacts from rotating in the eyes. This was achieved by making them thicker and thereby heavier in the lower end. Guess what happened when I kept the machine belly up for a while? :lol:

/Claes

[kensington]

Finally, the very fact that I am so keen on reading has resulted in my being very fuzzy about my eyes, and as any surgery is a calculated (albeit very small in this case) risk, I'll pass.

/Claes

I think you meant "fussy" not fuzzy, hehe!

This is how I feel, as well. I admit that the surgery is very tempting. However if if there's a profit motive involved, I don't trust that all of the truth, especially about long-term effects, which are yet undocumented, have come out yet.

And then, personally, I'm just not a risk taker - especially not with my eyes!

[ClaesGefvenberg]

I think you meant "fussy" not fuzzy, hehe!Quite right. I did.:biggrinjester:

/Claes

[Maximilianus]

Myopia payed a visit at the age of six and became a permanent lodger ever since. Myopia and intelligence are said to have been having a sort of affair. Perhaps this is the reason behind being such a genius, with all due modesty.