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| Author |
Message |
| 23 new of 47 responses total. |
drew
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response 25 of 47:
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Jun 6 20:05 UTC 2002 |
Those who require multifocals (ie, more than two different lens settings):
Does your Rx contain nonspherical components? (Otherwise there ought to exist
a distance at which vision is clear without correction, at least for each eye
separately.)
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rcurl
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response 26 of 47:
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Jun 6 20:58 UTC 2002 |
I wouldn't want all-the-way-across bifocals because it would put artifacts
in my distance peripheral vision. I do see things, especiallyh when
driving, through those surrounds, and would not want a line running
through them.
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cmcgee
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response 27 of 47:
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Jun 7 03:22 UTC 2002 |
Another technique that worked for me was contact lenses for distance
correction, and glasses put on specifically for reading. If I were doing
more reading and computer work, they offered to do it the other way around:
contacts for most work, and glasses for driving.
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gelinas
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response 28 of 47:
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Jun 7 04:46 UTC 2002 |
I tried the distance-contacts and reading-glasses combination last summer,
when I lost my glasses. I think I prefer bifocals. (I still use the contacts
for sailing, when close vision isn't as important.)
FWIW, Larry, I use M-Care's vision component (basically, free exams) rather
than the U's "vision" plan.
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rcurl
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response 29 of 47:
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Jun 7 05:26 UTC 2002 |
I have large astigmatism, so contacts (and store-bought glasses) are
out.
I use glass retainers for sailing and other 'extreme' sports.
(I have wondered how well contacts stay put when you are under water -
do they? Or don't you ever dump???)
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mary
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response 30 of 47:
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Jun 7 11:48 UTC 2002 |
Larry, if you have Davis Vision through the U of M there are options other
than KEC. I go to an optomotrist on Stadium, have a reasonable selection
of frames to choose from, and end up getting a new pair of glasses, every
year, no extra charges.
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keesan
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response 31 of 47:
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Jun 7 14:18 UTC 2002 |
Why does someone want to pay for vision insurance that gets you a new pair
of glasses every year? I only change my glasses if my prescription changes
(it has gone 15 years with no change) or if the old ones break. This sounds
like really expensive insurance.
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jep
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response 32 of 47:
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Jun 7 14:22 UTC 2002 |
The U-M offers fabulous benefits. They match two-for-one for your
contributions to your retirement fund, for example, with no maximum
limit on contributions as I recall. It doesn't surprise me if they buy
you new glasses every year.
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krj
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response 33 of 47:
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Jun 7 17:17 UTC 2002 |
Lenscrafters informed me that they offer a 30% discount
with a AAA membership. This more than paid for the membership, which
I already had. If you are thinking about getting a AAA membership
for the discount, please reconfirm this with Lenscrafters first.
And, repeating what I said to polygon in a party chat, I ended up with
Lenscrafters some years back because they had a better selection of
frames for my large head.
Four days with the progressive bifocals, and I seem to be adapting to
them fairly well. I think I am using the intermediate distance for
computer screens more than I thought I was (resp:6), and I clearly
need these lenses or something like them for work, since I'm
constantly going from computer screen to reading/writing paper.
The biggest issue is that the best distance focus point is
significantly to the left of center. I'm driving and walking
around with my head pointing off to the right. Need to find
out what's going on here. I'm hoping its a manufacturing screwup
and not an artifact from the different distance curves I have for
left and right eyes.
I may still want to get an all-distance pair of glasses for
driving. Haven't decided about that yet.
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anderyn
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response 34 of 47:
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Jun 7 17:34 UTC 2002 |
I need new glasses every year. I only *wish* my 'scrip hadn't changed in 15
years. That would be *so* nice. Sindi, beginning in adolescence, there's a
period when one's glasses needs change rapidly. For most people, it ends in
or by their early twenties. So a parent would need that insurance. Pregnant
women have rapid (but possibly non-lasting) vision changes.
And then there's me. Grin. I have to have new glasses every year (sometimes
I can stretch it to two years) because of my work (which is intensively
eye-using and is notoriously hard on eyes -- nearly EVERYONE who's ever worked
here at this job has had to get glasses or get more powerful 'scrips because
of the toll it takes on the eyes) and because of my eyes -- I have about four
different things wrong with them, and most of them just keep getting worse.
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keesan
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response 35 of 47:
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Jun 7 19:01 UTC 2002 |
But even if you get new glasses every two years, isn't it cheaper just to pay
for them instead of paying for insurance? Or is someone else paying for your
insurance? What does a year of vision insurance cost?
I went age 25 to 48 with about the same prescription then I got
slightly less near-sighted, which they say is normal, but started needing to
take off glasses to read. Same prescription still for distance.
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scg
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response 36 of 47:
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Jun 7 19:33 UTC 2002 |
I suppose that depends on the cost of the vision insurance. Mine is included
wiht the health insurance, which I get through my employer, so I have no idea
how much the vision insurance costs. However, since I don't have much of a
choice about whether to have it, I might as well use it.
Before my most recent pair of glasses, I'd gone several years without
replacing the old one, finally doing so last summer after the old ones (six
years old, maybe?) had become too scratched up to see through very well. I
realized after getting the new ones, and seeing how much easier it was to see
through them, that I really should have replaced the old ones long before.
This year's allotment of vision insurance money is going to some prescription
cycling sunglasses, since I've been finding that around 35 or 40 mph my
regular glasses start channeling air into my eyes in a way that makes it
really hard to see. I suspect that by the time insurance is ready to pay for
part of another pair, I will have gotten my current regular glasses scratched
to the point where I'll want to replace them again.
That said, my vision insurance isn't really all that useful. I think it
covers about $80 of the cost of glasses, which tend to cost a lot more than
that. It really seems like more of a discount card than anything else.
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anderyn
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response 37 of 47:
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Jun 7 21:26 UTC 2002 |
I don't have vision insurance . So I do buy them every year (or two). I've
never had the luxury of having prescription sunglasses -- I can't get two
pairs, and the old pair is usually too fuzzy to make walking around in them
an option (since I know a lot of people who just get their old glasses
coated), and I can't have color-changing lenses (doctor says the varying
thicknesses just would make it dark all the time in some spots and light in
others. ). So I just don't have sunglasses.
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scott
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response 38 of 47:
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Jun 7 22:22 UTC 2002 |
My own prescription has been pretty stable the last 5 years, but I still get
an annual checkup (and pay for it) because of my contact lenses. I just got
new, and more currently-stylish glasses. Took a couple days to get used to
new glasses, though. The first time I put them on I got somewhat nauseous,
just based on the slight change in prescription and the greater change in lens
size. Well, actually the astigmatizm change was probably a bigger issue (my
optometrist once explained astigmatizm changes from the basis of constant flow
within the eyball!).
Ever since I got contacts I've been going to Paul Uslan, on North Maple near
Miller. Recommended by a co-worker, and I'd recommend him as well.
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jor
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response 39 of 47:
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Jun 7 22:37 UTC 2002 |
I used to go to Dr. Paul. He helped me with
hard contacts but he ws very perfunctory
with glasses.
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keesan
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response 40 of 47:
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Jun 7 23:12 UTC 2002 |
I think I got a pair of glasses from him and the next optometrist told me the
lenses had not been centered properly. About 27 years ago, on campus.
I wear a visor, it keeps the sun out of my eyes. Reflected glare is not a
problem.
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gelinas
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response 41 of 47:
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Jun 8 02:55 UTC 2002 |
The lake is small, and I've sailed back after losing a lense (fortunately,
it fell into the boat, not the lake, so I could put it back in the frame
easily enough) and after losing my glasses entirely. I can deal with a
lost contact. :)
I was wearing a Croakie(TM) when my glasses washed over the top of my
head and disappeared. So I wear disposable contacts, with a spare pair
in the first aid kit (and another in the car), while sailing. I change
from glasses to contacts after arriving at the sailing venue. So far,
the contacts have stayed put.
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bru
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response 42 of 47:
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Jun 8 04:47 UTC 2002 |
Insurance varies a lot. When I started working a Mervyn's they paid for eye
glasses for the entire family every 2 years. We didn't have to contribute
anything for health insurance.
When I left 10 years later, they only covered 40% of the coverage and you had
to pay $200 a year, so it didn't pay to use the insurance.
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amethyst
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response 43 of 47:
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Jun 8 10:40 UTC 2002 |
U of M's vision insurance pays for pre-selected frames from a doctor in
their network. From what I can tell, it's equivalent to about what
Medicaid would cover (less than $50 for frames). The employee does
have to pay for it. I buy glasses about every 3 years, at nearly $600
a pop, and I would not consider this insurance worth the deductions.
Actually, I've never seen a vision insurance that was really worth it :).
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mary
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response 44 of 47:
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Jun 8 11:17 UTC 2002 |
I pay $10 a month for $50,000 worth of add-on life insurance and
the vision plan. Don't know how that breaks down but I feel
the charge is reasonable, no matter.
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keesan
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response 45 of 47:
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Jun 8 12:41 UTC 2002 |
Only if you already want life insurance and/or change glasses frequently.
An exam and a new pair of glasses is only about $200-300, I think. (Less if
you don't live in Ann Arbor).
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fitz
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response 46 of 47:
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Jun 8 18:13 UTC 2002 |
re #25> Yes, Drew. For me, I do most of my reading without glasses at all,
but the material has to be 8" from my nose. If I'm entering an order at work,
reading glasses work better.
The far-sighted people are perplexed that I take my glasses off to examine
small details.
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danr
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response 47 of 47:
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Jun 18 03:11 UTC 2002 |
I'm so happy I don't have to bother with glasses yet.
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