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So even though I normally wear contacts for photos/videos I take for the blog, the truth of the matter is that I'm in glasses a lot of the time. This is, in part, due to some complications I had with my eyes a few years ago (which we really should talk about on the blog some day; I would never want anyone else to go through what I did!) — I basically went from wearing contacts about 80% of the time to now wearing glasses about 80% of the time. I have so many pairs of glasses I view them as accessories!
In any event, I was thrilled when LensCrafters approached me about being an ambassador. I've gotten a lot of LensCrafters glasses over the years, and both the quality of the glasses and my experiences there have always been great. One of their best sales of the year is upon us — you get 50% off lenses with a frame purchase. (Seriously, when my husband or I need new glasses, this is the sale that I wait for.) I have fairly bad eyesight (-4.5 and -4.0) so the lenses are always the most expensive part of the purchase. The sale starts today and runs through 9/12.
Stay tuned next week — as part of my “ambassadorship” I get a new pair of glasses using their AccuFit system, and I'm looking forward to selecting a new frame. (New accessories, yay!) I'm going for my appointment on Tuesday at 5:30, and I'll be Tweeting as much of it as I can, so if you can follow me @corporette.
Oh, and you can check out the full details on the sale on the LensCrafters website or at your local store.
Disclosure: In addition to receiving a new pair of glasses, I am also receiving monetary compensation for this ambassadorship.
Kat
Being an optician myself in private practice, I am glad that you have had a good experience with LC. I have had many many “horror” stories from patients who leave LC to come to us or go to any other private practice. Glad you have a good doc and good opticians to guide you in the right direction!
Duckie
Yeah – I have had the best luck having an exam with an optician in private practice, and then buying my glasses from LC or a similar chain. You don’t have to get your eye exam at LC to take advantage of the sale!
SF Bay Associate
Me too – bad experiences at LC and Site for Sore Eyes. I only go to private practice opticians and ophthalmologists now. Like Kat, I was an 80% contacts/20% glasses until I started working and my eyes got so very dry and tired from staring at a screen all day. I wear glasses most days now, and I’m really looking forward to seeing Kat’s suggestions for stylish frames!
Erin
I LOVE LensCrafters! I have a gorgeous pair of Chanel glasses, and another pair from Tiffany I bought there. And they were not expensive at all! Love it!
JMC
I love LensCrafters too. The salespeople don’t stalk you and are honest with what they think about frames, plus they will run through any insurance you have and show you side by side whether it will cost less going through the LC sale or through your insurance.
Plus a 90 day return policy is awesome.
Anon3
I had a great experience with an LC in my college town – my mother had died the year before and I was still on her insurance and I broke down in their office/ store at the mall when I realized I couldn’t afford some feature of the lenses (not covered by insurance). The sales woman was so nice – she waived the fee and gave me some other features I hadn’t even asked for. It’s probably not their policy, but I will always remember how wonderful this woman (and her co-workers) were to me.
Ellen
I do NOT look good in framed lenses. Therefore I have purchased frameless lenses. With the frameless lenses, I look more like Sarah Palin, but with them I look more like Tina Fay.
Some people think that Tina Fay is prettier, but with the lenses, I say I perfer Sarah Palin.
Not that I agree with her politicos, however.
Alex
We must look alike. I get the same comparisons (and I also choose to wear frameless!). :)
KMM
I love LC but I am cracking up that you think you have “bad” vision. My glasses are -9.75 in one eye and -9.25 in the other. I would kill to have your vision! I bet you can see your clock without putting on glasses at night!
Bridget
Bet she can’t, actually. My eyes are both -4.5, and I can’t read my big-digit alarm clock without corrective vision. So that skill is lost somewhere further down the spectrum. :) Then again, I also have significant difficulty “seeing colors” without corrective vision. I don’t know if that is a normal problem with near-sightedness, but it definitely contributes to my inability to read a clock.
A. L.
Bet she can’t, actually. My eyes are both -4.5, and I can’t read my big-digit alarm clock without corrective vision. So that skill is lost somewhere further down the spectrum. :) Then again, I also have significant difficulty “seeing colors” without corrective vision. I don’t know if that is a normal problem with near-sightedness, but it definitely contributes to my inability to read a clock.
Cginnyc
This. It took a few months after Lasik to realize I didn’t need to automatically reach for my contacts after my morning shower or put on my glasses at night to watch TV.
BEST.MONEY.I.EVER.SPENT
visually challenged
Right there with you, KMM. I’m -10.25 and -9.50, and I long for the very distant days of -4.50! I passed that somewhere around middle school. Here’s hoping our eyes don’t get any worse!
KMM
Way behind on comments – so glad someone suffers with me!
Lyssa
Finally someone with worse eyes than me! (I’m -7.5) Do you wear contacts all of the time, or switch back and forth? Although I wore glasses in high school, I’ve found that I absolutely can’t wear them now- the lack of side to side vision and distortion makes me so dizzy that I’d rather feel my way around. My eye doc keeps telling me to only wear the contacts part time, but I really can’t do anything but stare straight ahead with them on.
I don’t know what I’ll do if I ever have to stop wearing them.
visually challenged
I wear my contacts a lot. Much more than my doctor would prefer. I actually went through about 6 months where I was forbidden contacts because of some issues. It was horrible. I usually take my contacts out when I get home from work if I don’t have any other plans, but that’s still about 14 hours of wear per day. I wish I could wear my glasses more, because I see more clearly with them (my contacts get really dry – my eyes are basically a hot mess), but it’s hard to go somewhere other than my apartment in them, for the reasons you and Beth mention.
PollyD
I’m in the 4-ish range (can’t see digital bedside clock, check) and have been wearing contacts for about, damn, near on 30 years now. I have always worn, and continue to wear, gas permeable. I can wear them all day (14+ hours) with no problem. Do you wear gas permeable or soft? I found that soft didn’t correct my vision enough and made my eyes sting.
I totally hear you on the dislike of glasses. Mine never seem to have the focal point of the glasses, or whatever you call it, centered properly (my eyes are bit crooked) so my vision is not as good. And yeah, no peripheral vision kind of sucks, too.
PollyD
Oh, forgot to add – I have never had a doctor tell me I should wear my contact less. Well, I think there was one time I was told I might want to consider trying to stay around 12 hours of wear rather than 18 hours, but it wasn’t a big deal.
visually challenged
I think the “wear less” directive is because contacts to correct my vision are thicker than people who need less correction, so they don’t breathe as well. I have sensitive eyes anyway, so the longer I wear them, the more buildup of eye protein, the more irritation, more eye protein in reaction to the irritation and so on. A fun and exciting cycle, for sure! I’m also allergic (or at least react badly) to the ingredient (silicone? silica?) in the aqua/hydro lenses that are supposed to keep more water in them and be more comfortable.
I have soft contacts, I’m rather scared of RGP. I know it’s weird to say as someone who has daily shoved a disc of flexible plastic in her eye for 16 years, but a rigid piece? In my eye? Does not compute!
Lyssa
I wear regular soft disposables (Acuvue 2), and wear them completely all day- from the first thing I do when I get up to the last thing that I do before bed. I was on an older brand a few months ago and they were starting to get irritating, but when I switched to the current ones, it got a lot better. If I start to have problems again, though, maybe I’ll see about switching to the gas permeable ones.
KMM
I wear my contacts about 80% of the time. I had a really bad eye infection this year (not contact-related at all, just a crappy medical condition) and had to wear my glasses for a month. Since them I’ve become more laid back about wearing my glasses, but I hate the rude comments people make. I feel like getting a shirt that says “Yes, I know my glasses are the thickest you have ever seen and no, I’m not legally blind.”
Anon
I’m closer to your range too!
meara
Yeah, me and my -13.25s with an astigmatism are very jealous of that “bad” prescription!
Beth
I too long for the day of -4.50. I am a -10 and -10.5 and wish I could wear glasses! But the lack of side view vision without contacts totally messes me up, as does lack of depth perception…does anyone else have that problem? I keep trying to wear my glasses more to deal with the dry eye and eye strain, but I just don’t feel safe on stairs or driving in them. My doctor has said if my prescription stays steady for 5 years I can consider implants (not Lasik). Has anyone had them done? Do you like them?
Also, I second the idea of going to a private opthamologist and then getting glasses at LC. They have always done a great job for me even with the very high powered lenses! Though I did go with a friend with a much lower prescription the other day and had NO IDEA that they could make glasses in an hour! That totally fascinated me.
TKA
This is silly, but I’m amazed to have found people with worse eyesight than mine. I am -6.75 in both eyes and have never met anyone worse than -5.5. Not that I am celebrating your nearsightedness….!
Anonymous
My eyes were always perfect, then recently (approaching the big three-oh) they slipped. I now have -0.50 correction and it was a big blow to me because I never realized how much I relied on my perfect eyesight. I feel horrible knowing that some people can’t see the clock, and for example my mom can’t even see her contacts when she’s putting them in. Needing correction was still a huge thing for me. I feel dumb/ungrateful/petty/awful for it, given all y’all with real eyesight problems. Just venting I guess. Off to count my lucky stars…
Irish
Kat – I’d love to see your post about issues. I had a “contact reaction” that I didn’t take seriously at first. I chalked it up to “something on the lense” or “time for a new rx.” Then one day I woke up and my eyes wouldn’t adjust to the light. I was near blind. It was so scary. I had white blood cells all over my corneas according to my doc. I had to go 3 months without lenses to heal. I also had to wear sunglasses 24/7 for 3 or 4 days due to the pain. That was fun in a law office. I had to work in very low light for a couple weeks after that. The treatment also caused my eyes to be painfully dry.
Now I have special, very expensive, daily contact lenses but I can’t wear them each day. Like others, I hate not having peripherial (sp?) vision with glasses but my eyes just can’t take lenses daily. Even the “special” kind. Prior to my issue, I had been wearing my lenses from 7 am to midnight daily. I was also wearing the 2 week kinds for 2 months before switching. Don’t do what I did!
Also, if you notice any change, don’t wait to wake up blind! Get it looked at!
Irish
Also, Lens Crafters was a huge help to me during this time. I was being treated by a private doc but I was about to leave on vacation and didn’t have rx sunglasses or a lot of money. They helped me find a cheap pair that looked good on my face and got them for me stat! (During their big sale too!)
Now that I wear glasses often I should mix it up and get some fun pairs. Thanks for the sale tip!
Anon
LensCrafters near my home has an employee that knows American Sign Language. I know several deaf people who go to that store (travel considerable distances) because the employee is *so* helpful and speaks with all the deaf people. Little things like that make me more inclined to spend my money there.