So Very Dark

Today I went to pick up my new glasses and get a follow-up exam for my contacts to see how they were working out.  I had already determined, pretty much within the first day of wearing them, that my contacts might not be quite strong enough, as my vision while wearing them was, while somewhat better than with bare eyes, not quite as good as with the glasses I was replacing.

I figured that there might be a chance as well that my new glasses prescription was not quite right, and went in today prepared for that eventuality.  I was right to be prepared, as when I tried on my new, expensive glasses, I saw very little change from my old glasses, if any.

I explained my concerns to the young woman helping me and was informed that if my prescription was incorrect, my lenses would be re-ground at no charge to me.  (I had previously been informed, similarly, that my contact prescription would be altered until it was right).  I was told that they could get me in to see the doctor in half an hour.

An hour later, and after I finally went up to bug them about when I would get my exam and discovered that they didn’t even know where my CHART was, I finally got in to see the optometrist.  He looked at my eyes and ascertained that they were healthy in regards to my use of contacts.  I then explained my issues with my prescription.  He asked me to read the eye chart, as far down as I could.  I told him, very specifically that the top line was clear, the second one was slightly fuzzy, and the bottom two were more than slightly fuzzy, but that I could probably decipher the letters on the bottom line.  I did so successfully, despite their fuzziness.

He then told me that my vision was reading at 20/20. 

But, I protested, what about the fuzziness?  Oh, he responded.  That’s normal and to be expected.  Contacts are never going to be as clear as glasses.  (a direct contradiction to what I’ve heard from people with contacts)  But, I continued, my glasses prescription, I don’t think it’s right–there is very little difference between my new glasses and my old glasses!  He consulted his chart.  No, he agreed, there was very little change.  But…shouldn’t there have been, I querried, I mean, the words on a billboard I looked at  just across the road while trying on my glasses were…rather less than sharp.  Silly girl, he responded jovially, they aren’t binoculars!  You are, sure as shootin’, reading at 20/20…you need no adjustments.  Stuff far away is SUPPOSED to be fuzzy!  That’s just the way it is!  I tried to continue my struggling line of protest, but he overran my frustrated sputtering and steered me pointedly out of his office.

So, despite the fact that when I have gotten glasses in the past, I have seen a DECREASE in how fuzzy stuff looks (yes!  even far away!), and despite the fact that I have been suffering eye-strain headaches when using my eyes a lot, and was SURE my vision through my glasses was noticeably worse than it was when I got them, apparently, my vision is not really any different and my prescription is fine.  And apparently, despite the fact that I have heard differently from multiple sources, the ONLY benefit of contacts is that of vanity — they are uncomfortable, not great for reading or working on a computer, AND they don’t work as well as glasses.  But heck, if you don’t want to look like a BIG NERD, contacts might be the right choice for you!

Anyway, the long and short of it is, I have new glasses with cute frames and somewhat tougher lenses (which IS nice, don’t get me wrong) that are in all other ways, not so different from my last glasses.   And nothing really to do about it until some future point when I can afford to go somewhere else and get a new exam.  Yay.