An eyeglass catastrophe--a caglastrophe!

Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS)
#1

I picked up my new glasses on Wednesday and have been trying desperately to convince myself since then that they weren’t a HUGE mistake.

But it’s not working.

The story: I went to a new doctor. She was nice, but the woman who was “helping” pick out frames obviously could not have cared less about what frames I chose. I guess I’m spoiled from previous places, because I’m used to getting a lot of input. She wasn’t even looking in my general direction most of the time.

I was also in a bit of a hurry, so I picked out a frame that I thought was really pretty. It felt a bit unstable, but I have lopsided ears so I thought that was the only problem.

I ordered the glasses, picked them up on Wednesday, had this same woman “fit” them, and went home. They don’t fit. They don’t really even come close to fitting. The temples are too short and don’t fit down over my ears.

They’re cute as hell, but for someone else’s face. (I got the green.)

Longer temples aren’t available for this frame, so I don’t know if there’s even a potential solution. I’m going back down after work today but am not feeling remotely confident about it, especially since it’ll be that same pointless woman again.

It wouldn’t be so bad, but they were $200 WITH my insurance coverage. Bah and humbug.

#2

Eyeglasses online, my dear. I got three pairs for a hundred bucks so I could keep a pair in the car and have a spare. The trouble is that it’s hard to see exactly what they’d look like on you, but you measure based on your old glasses that fit and they’re so cheap you can hardly go wrong.

ETA - I think I used goggles4u.com.

#3

I can relate - I tried the new-fangled Featherwates® lenses with my last pair of new glasses, and it turns out my eyes won’t tolerate anything but regular old plastic lenses. It took weeks of going back and saying, “I’m sorry, I just can’t see through these lenses” and having them re-make them three times, I think it was, before I could see again. I’m REALLY not looking forward to my next pair with the bi-focals.

#4

Most eyeglasses have some kind of warranty for fit. I’d take them back and turn them in for another pair. Hopefully that lady isn’t there, but if she is, and you get the same non-existent service, you have every right to complain to the optometrist.

#5

If the helper isn’t helping I would ask to speak with the doctor. It’s counterproductive to blame the helper so I suggest you stay focused on the key message that the glasses don’t fit and you need glasses that do fit. The doctor should be able to come up with a solution – find longer temples or put the existing lenses into different frames.

The doctor is trying to build a business, and that takes word of mouth. She has an opportunity to either make this right and get a permanent customer who will talk her up, or blow you off and get the opposite.

FYI, I try to take a friend whenever I get new glasses – I can’t tell what I look like because – duh! – I’m not wearing my glasses at the time.

#6

This is great advice; I always do this because by the time I can focus on what I really look like, my face is way up at the mirror and I can’t get a good ‘overall’ image of how they look on my head.

And definitely, just go in and say that they simply don’t fit and you need a solution.

#7

Thanks.

I’ve been looking at Zenni Optical, but I hate that I have to go with bigger lenses with them because I wear bifocals. My glasses are much smaller than the 30 mm that Zenni requires for bifocals. grumble

#8

My experience has been that each of these places has at least one employee who is the wizard of fit when it comes to glasses. Call, tell them your concerns and ask who the best person to see is and then go back when that person is available.

I was new to eyeglasses and faced a similar circumstance. But, once the wizard was on the case everything worked out wonderfully. I liked the fit and they looked the way I’d hoped they would.

Try it and see!

#9

Yeah, usually took my husband before, but this time I was on my own.

I guess I trusted the fitting woman too much. I knew better, but there ya have it.

#10

Hot diggity. I went in. They had me pick out new frames. My new glasses will be in next week.

I had a different woman entirely and I love her and want to squeeze her and give her gifts.

#11

Just FYI, the mastoidal bend (the kink in the temple where they bend over your ear) can be completely straightened out and moved further down or up, as long as the salesperson knows what they’re doing.

#12

Good for you. Just curious: did you tell them how useless the first woman was?

#13

The first woman was standing about three feet from me most of the time, and never once looked over with any sort of curiosity.

Anyway, I just said that I had tried living with the glasses for a few days to see if they would work but they wouldn’t. If she had questioned me further I would have said more, but since she checked to see if longer temples were available and then immediately offered new glasses, I didn’t say more.

RNATB, I wondered if that might be the solution. I straightened them quite a bit just using hot water and mind rays. Oh, and my fingers.

#14

It’s a solution, but I would let them do it for you next time. It’s easy to break or permanently deform a frame if you don’t know what you’re doing. Not that it’s particularly difficult- it just takes a lot of practice to do it well.