blue and gigantic
May 11, 2018 12:30 AM Subscribe
The spectacular power of Big Lens How one giant company will dominate the way the whole world sees.
In the process, optical retailers learned the strange fact that for something that costs only a few pounds to make (even top-of-the-range frames and lenses cost, combined, no more than about £30 to produce), we are happy, happier in fact, when paying 10 or 20 times that amount.Eff these people. No one is "happy" to pay the ridiculous prices these people charge for lenses. To even suggest such a thing is to admit how little you know or care about the customer. Of course, you don't have to care, since you've captured pretty much everyone.
I've been wearing glasses for somewhere around 52 years now. I've essentially never known a world without a frame around it. I have a crazy-strong and astigmatism-laden prescription for which I wear progressive trifocal lenses, which would be the stereotypical coke-bottle lenses if it weren't for high-index lenses.
I've needed new lenses for several years now, but haven't gone to my eye doc because I just can't afford the price for new lenses. The last couple of times I got lenses, they were able to get them made to fit my existing frames, so I was able to save that bit of the cost, anyway.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:14 AM on May 11, 2018 [19 favorites]
I already knew about Luxottica but didn't know that there was a similar lens company and that now they're going to merge (!!!).
I wear stupid glasses. Strong prisms, progressives--they're absolutely essential to me being able to participate in the world. I would not be able to drive, or do my job without them. I recently switched optometrists (because really, as noted, they're basically all the same as far as how much it's going to cost you) and they failed to note that my previous prescription had been progressive, so when I had my new pair made they were standard non-progressive. I was unable to function for the couple weeks it took to get a new pair made (and then I got charged an extra $150 to go from standard to progressive). I have vision insurance but much like dental insurance really the only thing it's good for is getting a free annual eye exam and knocking $50 off the frames.
So yeah, I'm not "happy, happier in fact, when paying 10 or 20 times that amount." I'm pissed, but hamstrung. If I want to be able to work, drive, care for my child, I need my specs and I need them to be fiddly and complicated and made correctly.
posted by soren_lorensen at 5:37 AM on May 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
I wear stupid glasses. Strong prisms, progressives--they're absolutely essential to me being able to participate in the world. I would not be able to drive, or do my job without them. I recently switched optometrists (because really, as noted, they're basically all the same as far as how much it's going to cost you) and they failed to note that my previous prescription had been progressive, so when I had my new pair made they were standard non-progressive. I was unable to function for the couple weeks it took to get a new pair made (and then I got charged an extra $150 to go from standard to progressive). I have vision insurance but much like dental insurance really the only thing it's good for is getting a free annual eye exam and knocking $50 off the frames.
So yeah, I'm not "happy, happier in fact, when paying 10 or 20 times that amount." I'm pissed, but hamstrung. If I want to be able to work, drive, care for my child, I need my specs and I need them to be fiddly and complicated and made correctly.
posted by soren_lorensen at 5:37 AM on May 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
Luxottica previously
monopolistic M&As previously previously previously previously previously previously previously
Incidentally, I've been looking up global monopolies lately, and Luxottica appears to be one of the most successful, somehow flying under the radar in a way that ABInBev, say, has not. I would love to find a chart of global monopolies and everything they own so I can add yet more companies and brands to my boycotting list (sigh), but it seems such information isn't easily available and is very time consuming to compile myself.
posted by ragtag at 5:40 AM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
monopolistic M&As previously previously previously previously previously previously previously
Incidentally, I've been looking up global monopolies lately, and Luxottica appears to be one of the most successful, somehow flying under the radar in a way that ABInBev, say, has not. I would love to find a chart of global monopolies and everything they own so I can add yet more companies and brands to my boycotting list (sigh), but it seems such information isn't easily available and is very time consuming to compile myself.
posted by ragtag at 5:40 AM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
I’ve been buying my eyewear from a place in Hong Kong for years. It’s so nice to be able to afford a spare pair of glasses. Factually 10% of the price of Luxottica product.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:43 AM on May 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:43 AM on May 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
It's pretty easy to boycott something if you don't really need it. If you're in a situation where a monopoly is truly the only choice, a boycott is not really an option. Fortunately, if you do need eyeglasses, there are pretty cheap alternatives for the needs of many.
The Guardian is particularly good at anxiety. Though I often find it overwrought. There are some interesting things in the article. The Luxottica story is not a new one and pretty meh as far as I'm concerned. The tidbits about the increase in myopia and the historical regulatory capture of the eye care industry are far more interesting, but are shorted in order to fulfill the hand wringy angle of the day.
posted by 2N2222 at 6:00 AM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
The Guardian is particularly good at anxiety. Though I often find it overwrought. There are some interesting things in the article. The Luxottica story is not a new one and pretty meh as far as I'm concerned. The tidbits about the increase in myopia and the historical regulatory capture of the eye care industry are far more interesting, but are shorted in order to fulfill the hand wringy angle of the day.
posted by 2N2222 at 6:00 AM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
Fortunately, if you do need eyeglasses, there are pretty cheap alternatives for the needs of many.
Care to share with the class?
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:06 AM on May 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
Care to share with the class?
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:06 AM on May 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
Fortunately, if you do need eyeglasses, there are pretty cheap alternatives for the needs of many.
Sadly, I'm not in the "many" group. I need to have the services my eye doc provides, which crucially includes having new lenses re-made until I get a pair that works for me. My prescription is, apparently, tricky, and have had to have new ones re-made more than a couple of times over the years. The Warby-Parkers (or whomever the low-cost-service-of-the-week is) of the world won't do this.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:11 AM on May 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
Sadly, I'm not in the "many" group. I need to have the services my eye doc provides, which crucially includes having new lenses re-made until I get a pair that works for me. My prescription is, apparently, tricky, and have had to have new ones re-made more than a couple of times over the years. The Warby-Parkers (or whomever the low-cost-service-of-the-week is) of the world won't do this.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:11 AM on May 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
every time there's an eyeglasses thread everyone with simple prescriptions is like "lol you FOOLS why don't you use THIS OTHER place like i do" and i just hurl myself right into the sea. DON'T YOU THINK WE'VE TRIED.
posted by poffin boffin at 6:32 AM on May 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 6:32 AM on May 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
I don't know about the situation in the UK, but in the US at least I think the traditional eyeglasses companies ("company" now I suppose) have a lot of pressure from newer sources. I've used EyeBuyDirect for glasses a few times and have been happy with them. I have a pair of Warby Parkers as well but they are a bit snug on my giant head (got those before they opened any brick & mortar shops). My prescription is pretty simple and I have gotten my eyeglasses exclusively online about the past ten years. Mrs. exogenous likes to get hers at Costco. At my eye exam a few months ago they happily gave me a copy of my prescription with only a bare effort to sell me a set of glasses at the shop there. I suppose the people saddled with difficult prescriptions will be stuck with EssilorLuxottica.
posted by exogenous at 6:36 AM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by exogenous at 6:36 AM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
I now go to an optician who is very good at fitting strong / complex lenses. I hope her business does well - as everyone with simpler prescriptions goes online, her customers are more and more likely to be people like me, with smaller margins and more complex needs.
Actually, I'd be really happy to know that my glasses only cost her a fraction of what I paid. Because she has so many expenses: rent on a storefront, relief staff, etc. She can't be selling that many pairs a day to pay for all that.
posted by jb at 6:39 AM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
Actually, I'd be really happy to know that my glasses only cost her a fraction of what I paid. Because she has so many expenses: rent on a storefront, relief staff, etc. She can't be selling that many pairs a day to pay for all that.
posted by jb at 6:39 AM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'm not in the "many" group either. I'm fine going to a good local optician for the glasses I need, but they're getting harder and harder to find, as more and more people get their lenses from the cheap chains or online. I can't blame them, but it scares the crap out of me to watch the opticians slowly disappear. Some of us really do need that kind of service.
I pay a premium for my progressives, it's worth it, and I'm thankful that I can afford it.
(Thankful, too, that I can afford my hearing aids, which, even getting just the mid-range ones, are more than double the cost of the 4 pair of glasses I wear. And are not nearly as good.)
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 6:41 AM on May 11, 2018
I pay a premium for my progressives, it's worth it, and I'm thankful that I can afford it.
(Thankful, too, that I can afford my hearing aids, which, even getting just the mid-range ones, are more than double the cost of the 4 pair of glasses I wear. And are not nearly as good.)
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 6:41 AM on May 11, 2018
Ooh, I can be eponysterical at last.
Not that I've anything to say, just standing here, eponysterically whistling.
But actually... having worn glasses since I was nine, with strong astigmatism and lately both long and short sight, it was getting a bit awkward to be always putting on and off the different glasses - I did not get on with bifocals or varifocals at all. I was beginning to feel mole-like.
I cannot praise our local Specsavers enough, one of the chains mentioned in the article. Their cheapest frames are £25 which is not too bad at all. I too feel that the expertise brought to bear on fitting customers' lenses justifies the high mark up on glasses: that's skilled and delicate work opticians do, requiring not just science but people skills and good communication. I'm so pleased with like all of the staff I encountered after my latest appointment I'll be buying chocolates for the whole office. They were that considerate and efficient.
posted by glasseyes at 7:14 AM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
Not that I've anything to say, just standing here, eponysterically whistling.
But actually... having worn glasses since I was nine, with strong astigmatism and lately both long and short sight, it was getting a bit awkward to be always putting on and off the different glasses - I did not get on with bifocals or varifocals at all. I was beginning to feel mole-like.
I cannot praise our local Specsavers enough, one of the chains mentioned in the article. Their cheapest frames are £25 which is not too bad at all. I too feel that the expertise brought to bear on fitting customers' lenses justifies the high mark up on glasses: that's skilled and delicate work opticians do, requiring not just science but people skills and good communication. I'm so pleased with like all of the staff I encountered after my latest appointment I'll be buying chocolates for the whole office. They were that considerate and efficient.
posted by glasseyes at 7:14 AM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
Eh, I paid $190 usd shipped for three pairs of glasses at -9/-7 with -2 of cylinder at different angles, in high index, with AR and anti-scratch, and they all worked fine. Took three weeks to get here. One time a few years ago they goofed a pair up and then sent a replacement free. Lens grinding is all done by CNC machines these days. I hate Luxottica with a fire, it’s one thing to charge wacky markup for luxury goods, but everyone needs to see.
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:17 AM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:17 AM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
every time there's an eyeglasses thread everyone with simple prescriptions is like "lol you FOOLS why don't you use THIS OTHER place like i do" and i just hurl myself right into the sea. DON'T YOU THINK WE'VE TRIED.
TBH, if someone ever posted a comprehensive "how to" comment, I'd fave that so hard.
I already know that I can get cheap glasses (and bespoke suits, and...) from Hong Kong. But I don't know how.
What information do I need to get from my eye exam to send to the HK glasses folks? How do I get this from the optometrist without feeling like a cad because the eye exam itself is kind of a loss-leader for their glasses?
How do I pick out glasses that look good on me when I can't see them in person? How do I get my insurance to pay its share?
What website is reputable and reliable?
At a certain point, it becomes exhausting having to ponder these things, and for something so essential to my life, it feels easier to just spend the $100 above what insurance covers to do it in person, with someone who can answer questions for me.
posted by explosion at 7:52 AM on May 11, 2018 [12 favorites]
TBH, if someone ever posted a comprehensive "how to" comment, I'd fave that so hard.
I already know that I can get cheap glasses (and bespoke suits, and...) from Hong Kong. But I don't know how.
What information do I need to get from my eye exam to send to the HK glasses folks? How do I get this from the optometrist without feeling like a cad because the eye exam itself is kind of a loss-leader for their glasses?
How do I pick out glasses that look good on me when I can't see them in person? How do I get my insurance to pay its share?
What website is reputable and reliable?
At a certain point, it becomes exhausting having to ponder these things, and for something so essential to my life, it feels easier to just spend the $100 above what insurance covers to do it in person, with someone who can answer questions for me.
posted by explosion at 7:52 AM on May 11, 2018 [12 favorites]
we are happy, happier in fact, when paying 10 or 20 times that amount
I found it amusing - in a grim, cynical way - that I came here to rant about that same exact statement, only to see everyone else making the same rant.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:58 AM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
I found it amusing - in a grim, cynical way - that I came here to rant about that same exact statement, only to see everyone else making the same rant.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:58 AM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
> TBH, if someone ever posted a comprehensive "how to" comment, I'd fave that so hard.
I dunno if this will do it for you but:
Go to an optometrist. Tell them up front that you would like to exchange money for a full prescription for having glasses made -- including your IPD (inter-pupillary distance) measurement. Just say that you want to walk out with a piece of paper you can take to an optician. If you need reading glasses or multi-focal lenses, the prescription will be more complex, but it's still just a spreadsheet of labeled numbers. (If they won't do it because loss leader, find someone who will.)
Finding an online optician probably should be done by referral from people who've had good luck with multiple orders from a particular vendor. For example, I'm very happy with optical4less.com because they don't screw up my scrips, have good sorting tools (I like small lenses and can sort them to the top) and the frames are a nice balance between super trendy and totally generic, with a price to match. Other people I'm sure will have other suggestions.
Assuming you've found an online optical place, type the prescription numbers into their personal profile system. Some of them will also allow you to upload a picture of your face for "virtual mirror" testing of frames. If you're really picky about current trendy styles (like the "cat ears" frames that seem to be all the rage right now) then you're probably not going to find them online for cheap. That's more fashion than function.
Finding good frames to fit your face is mostly a matter of looking at frames that look good on you now, measuring their total width and lens size, and looking for ones online that are similar. The nice thing about buying less expensive glasses is you can order more than one and change them out to fit mood and need.
Wait for delivery, try them on, if there's a problem give them feedback and they'll almost certainly send you a new pair to correct the issue.
I dunno how to get insurance to pay for eye exams and necessary glasses. I would assume receipts would be useful?
But seriously, if you feel you get good value for money at Hakim or LensCrafters or whoever, you're not wrong and bad, you just have different priorities for where to spend your money. Hope this helps.
posted by seanmpuckett at 10:20 AM on May 11, 2018 [9 favorites]
I dunno if this will do it for you but:
Go to an optometrist. Tell them up front that you would like to exchange money for a full prescription for having glasses made -- including your IPD (inter-pupillary distance) measurement. Just say that you want to walk out with a piece of paper you can take to an optician. If you need reading glasses or multi-focal lenses, the prescription will be more complex, but it's still just a spreadsheet of labeled numbers. (If they won't do it because loss leader, find someone who will.)
Finding an online optician probably should be done by referral from people who've had good luck with multiple orders from a particular vendor. For example, I'm very happy with optical4less.com because they don't screw up my scrips, have good sorting tools (I like small lenses and can sort them to the top) and the frames are a nice balance between super trendy and totally generic, with a price to match. Other people I'm sure will have other suggestions.
Assuming you've found an online optical place, type the prescription numbers into their personal profile system. Some of them will also allow you to upload a picture of your face for "virtual mirror" testing of frames. If you're really picky about current trendy styles (like the "cat ears" frames that seem to be all the rage right now) then you're probably not going to find them online for cheap. That's more fashion than function.
Finding good frames to fit your face is mostly a matter of looking at frames that look good on you now, measuring their total width and lens size, and looking for ones online that are similar. The nice thing about buying less expensive glasses is you can order more than one and change them out to fit mood and need.
Wait for delivery, try them on, if there's a problem give them feedback and they'll almost certainly send you a new pair to correct the issue.
I dunno how to get insurance to pay for eye exams and necessary glasses. I would assume receipts would be useful?
But seriously, if you feel you get good value for money at Hakim or LensCrafters or whoever, you're not wrong and bad, you just have different priorities for where to spend your money. Hope this helps.
posted by seanmpuckett at 10:20 AM on May 11, 2018 [9 favorites]
> Go to an optometrist. Tell them up front that you would like to exchange money for a full prescription for having glasses made -- including your IPD (inter-pupillary distance) measurement.
Optometrists rarely measure pupillary distance because PD is the optician's task, as part of fitting the eyeglasses. You can measure your PD at home with a whiteboard marker and your current pair of eyeglasses or a pair of cheap sunglasses: Stand in front of a mirror more than 1 meter away. Stare at your own eyes, and put a dot on your eyeglass lens right in the middle of each pupil. Take the glasses off, measure the distance between dots. PD is always reported in millimeters, even in the U.S.
My eyesight reached a point a few years ago where I was unable to order glasses online. My prescription was so extreme and both eyes were so unlike that the web forms would state the prescription was impossible to fulfill or the figures were in error.
Other things to keep in mind with regards to ordering eyeglasses online: If you have a narrow PD, large frames or frames with large nose bridges (where "large" is typically over 22mm) might not fit. Some online shops will not allow you to order glasses with a 24mm bridge if your PD is under 56mm, for example. Online sites will attempt to recommend lens index based on your prescription needs. If you have extreme myopia, a higher-index lens will allow you to wear larger frames with less of a coke bottle bottom appearance. However, higher-index lenses will (generally) also have lower light transmission than lower-index lenses -- in other words, the world will be slightly darkened.
IMO lens coatings are a good idea. The price markup is offensive but the result can be hard to argue with, as the anti-scratch and oleophobic coatings mean lenses that are considerably less fragile and are much easier to keep clean. Blue-blocking coatings, for glasses used with computer displays, are more controversial; my optician will usually provide them when asked but says that research is still ambivalent regarding their effectiveness. I have reading glasses with and without and can't tell much of a difference in daily use; it's difficult to ascribe any difference in how my eyes feel after a day's work to the lens coating alone.
posted by ardgedee at 11:26 AM on May 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
Optometrists rarely measure pupillary distance because PD is the optician's task, as part of fitting the eyeglasses. You can measure your PD at home with a whiteboard marker and your current pair of eyeglasses or a pair of cheap sunglasses: Stand in front of a mirror more than 1 meter away. Stare at your own eyes, and put a dot on your eyeglass lens right in the middle of each pupil. Take the glasses off, measure the distance between dots. PD is always reported in millimeters, even in the U.S.
My eyesight reached a point a few years ago where I was unable to order glasses online. My prescription was so extreme and both eyes were so unlike that the web forms would state the prescription was impossible to fulfill or the figures were in error.
Other things to keep in mind with regards to ordering eyeglasses online: If you have a narrow PD, large frames or frames with large nose bridges (where "large" is typically over 22mm) might not fit. Some online shops will not allow you to order glasses with a 24mm bridge if your PD is under 56mm, for example. Online sites will attempt to recommend lens index based on your prescription needs. If you have extreme myopia, a higher-index lens will allow you to wear larger frames with less of a coke bottle bottom appearance. However, higher-index lenses will (generally) also have lower light transmission than lower-index lenses -- in other words, the world will be slightly darkened.
IMO lens coatings are a good idea. The price markup is offensive but the result can be hard to argue with, as the anti-scratch and oleophobic coatings mean lenses that are considerably less fragile and are much easier to keep clean. Blue-blocking coatings, for glasses used with computer displays, are more controversial; my optician will usually provide them when asked but says that research is still ambivalent regarding their effectiveness. I have reading glasses with and without and can't tell much of a difference in daily use; it's difficult to ascribe any difference in how my eyes feel after a day's work to the lens coating alone.
posted by ardgedee at 11:26 AM on May 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
> The combined company [of Luxottica and Essilor] can choose to interpret its mission more or less however it wants. It could share new technologies, screen populations for eye problems and flood the world with good-quality, affordable eyewear; or it could use its commercial dominance to choke supply, jack up prices and make billions. It could go either way.
The rain could fall up or it could fall down. It could go either way.
posted by ardgedee at 11:31 AM on May 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
The rain could fall up or it could fall down. It could go either way.
posted by ardgedee at 11:31 AM on May 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
My prescription was so extreme and both eyes were so unlike that the web forms would state the prescription was impossible to fulfill or the figures were in error.
yes same, and then they're like "call us on the phone so we can mumble at you" and when they asked me to email a copy of the prescription they were like "this is a contact lens prescription" even though it clearly said progressive lens eyeglasses and showed the PD and that's when i decided to lay face down on the floor and wait for death
posted by poffin boffin at 11:44 AM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
yes same, and then they're like "call us on the phone so we can mumble at you" and when they asked me to email a copy of the prescription they were like "this is a contact lens prescription" even though it clearly said progressive lens eyeglasses and showed the PD and that's when i decided to lay face down on the floor and wait for death
posted by poffin boffin at 11:44 AM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
update zenni lets you upload a photo for fitting purposes and now all my friends' cats are wearing cute glasses
posted by poffin boffin at 12:00 PM on May 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 12:00 PM on May 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
> Go to an optometrist. Tell them up front that you would like to exchange money for a full prescription for having glasses made -- including your IPD (inter-pupillary distance) measurement.
That measurement alone is not enough unless you have single vision lenses and a fairly standard shape symmetrical face. One eye a little higher or farther from your nose bridge than the other? Astigmatism? Progressives? An optician who knows what they are doing will mark the lens centers separately for each eye with the frame on your face. Even if you provided an online lens maker detailed measurements of your entire face, they would still have a hard time knowing exactly where the glasses are going to sit relative to those measurements without seeing you wearing them. It's the same reason why you don't get an expensive suit tailored online - you are paying someone to fit it to you which is nearly impossible to do right without your body there to measure against.
posted by slow graffiti at 4:57 PM on May 11, 2018
That measurement alone is not enough unless you have single vision lenses and a fairly standard shape symmetrical face. One eye a little higher or farther from your nose bridge than the other? Astigmatism? Progressives? An optician who knows what they are doing will mark the lens centers separately for each eye with the frame on your face. Even if you provided an online lens maker detailed measurements of your entire face, they would still have a hard time knowing exactly where the glasses are going to sit relative to those measurements without seeing you wearing them. It's the same reason why you don't get an expensive suit tailored online - you are paying someone to fit it to you which is nearly impossible to do right without your body there to measure against.
posted by slow graffiti at 4:57 PM on May 11, 2018
every time there's an eyeglasses thread everyone with simple prescriptions is like "lol you FOOLS why don't you use THIS OTHER place like i do" and i just hurl myself right into the sea. DON'T YOU THINK WE'VE TRIED.
Nobody here even remotely said that.
Point is, the article says eyeglasses are controlled by a worldwide monopoly, more and more people are nearsighted (a truly interesting story that's kind of glossed over), and the poor especially are gonna get reamed because of said monopoly.
The sea is right over there, and there's even a convenient cliff.
Look, Zenni still offers a dozen or so frames for $6.95 with single vision lenses. If you're a special case, you need personalized care, can't wait a couple weeks, or those peon frames simply won't do, then yeah, life is tough. But if you are one of the people finding yourself nearsighted, you don't have to pay the local optician $300 for a pair of Luxottica glasses.
posted by 2N2222 at 5:04 PM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
Nobody here even remotely said that.
Point is, the article says eyeglasses are controlled by a worldwide monopoly, more and more people are nearsighted (a truly interesting story that's kind of glossed over), and the poor especially are gonna get reamed because of said monopoly.
The sea is right over there, and there's even a convenient cliff.
Look, Zenni still offers a dozen or so frames for $6.95 with single vision lenses. If you're a special case, you need personalized care, can't wait a couple weeks, or those peon frames simply won't do, then yeah, life is tough. But if you are one of the people finding yourself nearsighted, you don't have to pay the local optician $300 for a pair of Luxottica glasses.
posted by 2N2222 at 5:04 PM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
today, upon trying yet again to order glasses, they told me, yet again, that my prescription, the one i used to get the pair of glasses i am currently wearing, was wrong.
anyway here's a cat, he's great
posted by poffin boffin at 5:25 PM on May 11, 2018
anyway here's a cat, he's great
posted by poffin boffin at 5:25 PM on May 11, 2018
I also thought the most interesting part of the article was a totally buried lede: that being inside (away from sunlite) rises dopamine levels, which lengthens eyeballs. You'd THINK this would be huge, huge news, like "HEY PARENTS if you don't want your kids to have to wear eyeglasses for the next 80 years, SHOVE THEM OUTSIDE for x hours a day"
Since I've never even heard a hint of dopamine and eyeballs and sunshine being related before I'm wondering if I've lived under a rock or the author is just making shit up or....
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:54 PM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
Since I've never even heard a hint of dopamine and eyeballs and sunshine being related before I'm wondering if I've lived under a rock or the author is just making shit up or....
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:54 PM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'm pretty myopic and I still have a great memory of the time when my parents found out. I was in after school day care and, I thought I could see just fine, but they had everyone stand X feet away from some big alphabet letters on the wall and call out the letters in turn, and it seemed to me like SUDDENLY as I was being asked, I had no idea what the letters were. Like maybe I knew before, but my eyes just suddenly turned to garbage. That's the memory: that suddenly I was nearly blind.
Then I got a bunch of really, really ugly kid glasses, and my life went to hell, because that's what happened to kids in the 70s, you got glasses, you got rooked. Doot.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:57 PM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
Then I got a bunch of really, really ugly kid glasses, and my life went to hell, because that's what happened to kids in the 70s, you got glasses, you got rooked. Doot.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:57 PM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
What about these things? They were a hot topic about ten years ago. It looks like the project is still active.
posted by lagomorphius at 6:30 PM on May 11, 2018
posted by lagomorphius at 6:30 PM on May 11, 2018
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