As I mentioned at the Austin Bloggers Stammtisch last night, I’m thinking of getting a new pair of glasses. I had my eyes checked yesterday, and my prescription hasn’t changed. However, I’ve been paying for optical insurance, and the plan-year ends at the end of the month, so I reckon I might as well use my benefits to get a new pair of glasses. I like the glasses I have right now, but they’re pretty understated compared to what I usually wear, so I like to get some frames that are a little more bold. I’m not going to go to the same lengths as Prentiss, but I thought I might solicit some feedback from my readers on a new pair of frames.
As my myopic readers know, getting a new pair of glasses can be a nerve-wracking experience: you’re committing to something you’ll wear every day for the next few years. I suggested to the optician that the optometrist’s office should have digital camera on hand, so customers could post pictures on their blogs. Marita, the optician, said, “We’re not that high-tech,” but that I could come back with my camera and she’d take pictures for me. That probably would have taken less time than tracking down images of the frames online, but now that I’ve the web-work, here are the frames I’m thinking about.
- Pro-Design Denmark 1164
These are the frames I’m leaning toward the most, but they are the most expensive. Marita also thought they were a little wide compared to the distance between my pupils, but I thought I would look OK, if a little geeky and crosseyed. Back when I had a real job, I had a pair of expensive L.A. Eyeworks frames that were very similar to these, except they lenses were deeper and the frames were blue. I liked them a lot, so I’d kind of like to go back to that horn-rim shape.
- Ray-Ban RX-5078
These are the other frames I’m seriously considering, and the hardest to find online, thanks to a database problem at the Ray-Ban site. The frames they have on hand are in a reddish tortoise-shell. My current frames are gray wire, so these would have the most contrast with what I’m wearing now. One reason I’m a little hestitant to get these frames is that all of the plastic frames I’ve had in the past have broken, usually on the bridge, leading to the classic tape-on-the-nose look. I guess I’d be keeping it real if I went with these. My other reservation is that I sort of thing that the clunky plastic frame thing was over at least a decade ago, but perhaps it’s a “classic” look now.
- Kenneth Cole Reaction KCO625
Marita picked these out for me, but they’re the frames I’m the least enthusiastic about. They’re very similar in shape to my current glasses, but there’s no plastic on my current frames.
Anyway, Marita was very helpful, and all of these frames fit my face, but I’m having a hard time deciding on a pair, although I’m leaning toward the first frames I listed, which are only twenty bucks more expensive than the cheapest frames, the Ray-Bans.
The other issue I’m struggling with is the issue of coatings. My current glasses have an anti-glare coating, which is really nice. The problem I have with my current cheapo Wal-Mart glasses is that they’re darn-near impossible to clean thanks to the cheap anti-glare coating.
Marita wasn’t kidding when she said the office wasn’t high-tech. Rather than put the frame and coating options in a spreadsheet, she did the math on an old-school adding machine. After deciphering the feet of register tape, it seems he cheapest anti-glare coating adds fifty dollars to the cost of my glasses (after insurance and all that) and the most expensive adds nearly one hundred dollars to the cost. I called a college buddy who’s an optometrist and he recommended the most expensive coating by name, but, gosh, a hundred bucks seems like a lot of money to keep the grease off my specs. Does anyone have an opinion on frames or glare coatings?
Posted by McChris in about@ 11:29 am
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