Vision Hack: My New Approach to Glasses

[jesse_the_k]

Since 1960 I've been wearing complicated thick glasses which attempt to correct my divergent eyes. No matter how well made, when my eyes tire I get double vision anyway. I’ve become accustomed to closing my left eye, depending on the stronger right eye. This year I decided to fuck it. I was able to optimize my vision by using other tools in addition to the glasses.

At my recent annual appointment, I told the provider I no longer cared about double vision except in specific cases. I asked for a "social pair" (hanging out, watching TV, and short-term reading in extremis) with NO PRISM AT ALL and one reader addition on the better eye. My optometrist was shocked but supportive -- "we're taught to correct to perfection, but you're the one wearing the glasses" -- and I'm hella pleased.

I’m glad I let go of my 2010s round approach. I kidded myself I could make my glasses invisible without the metal frames. Now I went for oval browline glasses with matte fuschia metal above and golden metal below:

The "work pair" still have the prism: I wear them for reading and beading. They succeed because I don’t hold my reading material in my hands — it’s always at around 20" away on my bookstand or iPad holder. When beading, I wear a head-mounted +1.5 OptiVISOR (focal length ~20") with a flipdown +2.5 loupe for threading needles.

Encouraged by my eyeglass support witch, I went wild with these very thick cat-eye browline glasses, small black & white check on face and mardi-gras check on the temples.

Comments

[sonia]

Those both look fabulous! Go you for trying a new approach.

I'm really struggling with double vision lately too. Not sure if my eyes are getting worse overall, or tired from all the computer work, or there's something new going on. Cataract? Other issue? I have an appointment in May to try to get some help with it.

😎🤓

[jesse_the_k]

Hope you get some answers.

Several of my peer group have had cataract surgery with outstanding results: the world gets clearer, and for a relatively modest sum, they got an implanted lens. They only need commodity reading glasses now.

Re: 😎🤓

[sonia]

Thank you! Smiling back at your be-spectacled emojis.

[soc_puppet]

Those are some darn snazzy spectacles! Glad you're finding something that works better for you 👍

😎🤓

[jesse_the_k]

Thanks!

[sheafrotherdon]

Those are really gorgeous glasses! And I love that you've found something that works for you

Thanks

[jesse_the_k]

The social pair are "Gwen Stefani" model -- wasn't looking for a celebrity endorsement, and I'm happy to have one.

[wendelah1]

I think they look fabulous.

[jesse_the_k]

Awww thanks.

I wish Scully had worn glasses -- Gillian makes peering over the top into an entirely new language, particularly in Netflix's "Sex Education."

[wendelah1]

Scully wore them, occasionally on screen, mostly not. I assume she wore contacts?

[jesse_the_k]

Contacts -- especially 1990s version, which required care & feeding -- just don't seem to fit with the exciting life of an FBI agent. I only remember the glasses in your icon from season 1.

[wendelah1]

Maybe she had Lasik?

[cmcmck]

They look good!

Other half went for varifocals after years of bifocals and found that such an improvement.

Thanks

[jesse_the_k]

Those varifocals work magic for some folks.

[dhampyresa]

Your glasses look great!

Awwww

[jesse_the_k]

Thanks.

[isis]

The black-and-white check is very snazzy!

I wish it were

[jesse_the_k]

houndstooth but it's almost there.

[vass]

Those look like very fun glasses. Congratulations on the new assistive tech.

Thanks!

[jesse_the_k]

It's great to have another tool in my quiver. Or on my dining room table. Or both.

[luzula]

Go you! I also have metal-rimmed glasses which have different colors on top and on the bottom. : )

[jesse_the_k]

Full time? or reading only?

[luzula]

Full time. I just recently got the first, hmm, I don't know what this is called in English, but the lower part of the glass has a different refraction index to help you read. Only slightly different, since I'm only 43, but I can't take my glasses off to read, since I have an refractory error in my vision which makes the text slightly double without glasses. And I figured it would give my eyes some rest to have this adjustment for reading.

Welcome to middle-age :,)

[jesse_the_k]

and the joys of presbyopia--we just can't focus as well when our eyes get old. I share your issue with double-vision-when-gazing down, which goes by the bold name "convergence insufficiency."

The lower part of the glass is known as a "bifocal." Some folks even get "trifocals," although the magic of modern machinery has produced digitally-designed "progressive lens," where the reading addition smoothly changes in diopter from top to bottom. I only wish that progressive politics came along with progressive lenses.

Why yes, I did have a crush on an optician when I was young and energetic -- spent many a happy hour hanging around her store, learning about glasses.

Re: Welcome to middle-age :,)

[luzula]

Thank you; the way to middle-age is well-trodden, I imagine. : )

I wonder if it's the same sort of double vision? When I'm just looking with my left eye, it's fine. When I'm looking just with the right eye, I get the slight double vision. That is, the problem doesn't come from the interaction between the eyes, but is an issue of errors in refraction within one eye.

where the reading addition smoothly changes in diopter from top to bottom
Yes, that's what I have! It's quite seamless and unnoticeable.

Re: Welcome to middle-age :,)

[jesse_the_k]

well-trodden in very comfortable shoes.

Yep, monocular diplopia is a refractive issue not convergence insufficiency.

(Browsing the eyewiki.org is a soothing activity, afloat in dense paragraphs of Neo-Latin and Neo-Greek.)

[sasha_feather]

Love them!!

[jesse_the_k]

Thanks.

I'm glad we share eyeglass fandom.

[j00j]

These look super fun, and I'm glad you're trying new things based on what *your* priorities are.

[jesse_the_k]

Thanks, twice.

[oyceter]

Omg those frames are fabulous!!!

[jesse_the_k]

Aw shucks, thanks.