MetaChat is an informal place for MeFites to touch base and post, discuss and
chatter about topics that may not belong on MetaFilter. Questions? Check the FAQ. Please note: This is important.
When my sister had lasik surgery (actually, it wasn't lasik, it was the stuff they did with knives before lasik, but I can't remember the name), they did one eye at a time, so there was a period of about a week where she wore her glasses with one lens popped out, and I called her Three Eyes.
I'm waiting on a new box of contact lenses - I'm all out. So this week I've been sporting my specs. Which makes me wonder: who else among you wears 'em? How long have you had them? What's your prescription? What style do you like -- Tina Fey, Malcolm X, Elton John, Jackie O, scary State Trooper wire-rims? Do you love 'em, hate 'em, or feel neutral about them?
And pics are welcome. I'll add a couple of mine in a minute.
I've been wearing glasses since I was 4 years old. For some reason, my eyesight at that time went, almost overnight, from 20/20 to legally blind without corrective lenses. Seriously, for me to read this here text on this screen on my 26 inch monitor without my glasses? I have to put my nose to the screen.
I wore contact lenses in high school, til one slipped severely underneath and to the back my eyeball and came thisclose to tearing my optic nerve. Nevar again, and damn all of you who notice my fabulous blue eyes only when I take my glasses off.
I've had glasses since I was 7. I still remember the moment I put them on for the first time, and realizing that the world looked completely different to everyone else than it had to me until then.
I got contact lenses when I was 15 (let's not discuss the green color contacts phase I went through at 16, ugh), and I wear them far more than my glasses. I like my glasses, though.
Got my first pair of bottle bottom glasses at age six, when the first grade teacher finally noticed that I hadn't learned how to read - because I had never seen the blackboard. Wore glasses of increasing thickness (I'm basically legally blind) until the summer between 9th & 10th grades when I finally got contact lenses - and through their amazing magic when I went back to school this kind of Lynda Carter thing happened: suddenly, whoa, sex and drugs and rock and roll; good bye honor student, hello funky universe; there are boys following me around campus and nobody is sneering about too tall too skinny geek girls with glasses anymore. Contact lenses are the BEST thing EVAR. I love them, I love my contacts, I will never, ever, ever give them up!
Granted if I had kept the glasses I might have gone on to be successful and wealthy but would I have had all that FUN? I think not!
In third grade, a teacher noticed I was squinting at the board. The rest is history. No great surprise; everyone in my family is nearsighted. It was just a matter of time.
Like WolfDaddy, I'm 'legally blind' without correction. The world is an abstract, lovely shape-and-color tapestry without any help. There's no reading! There's no driving! Happily, the century I happen to live in provides me with nice ultralight lenses.
Started wearing contacts at 13. I wear them most often. I like not having a barrier between me and the world, and like not worrying about them falling off my face while riding my bike over a bridge or something. I have a horror of losing my glasses which stems from my childhood -- we had no money and then, as now, glasses were a huge investment. One day while on a camping trip, at age ten or so, I leaned over the rail of a footbridge and watched my glasses tumble into the stream below and get carried away forever. Oh, what misery. My folks were nice about it, but the guilt was intense. That scene in a "Christmas Story" where Ralphie steps on his glasses and breaks them? Like a BB gun pellet to the heart; I know his pain.
But glasses can be fun. I also think they add a little something to people's appearances -- guys too, Mike! Yeah, it'd be fun to have some change-out frames, some funkier ones and some simpler ones. So it's nice to trot around in them every once in a while.
let's not discuss the green color contacts phase I went through ..
I used to know a guy, who used to wear a tinted contact in one eye and a clear one in the other, just to fuck with people. Of course he was also barred entrance to our 5 year high school reunion because his date was underage, so he may not be the levelest head in the world.
I've had glasses since I was around 12 or so. I hate them. Mainly because I break them a lot. Also because they're a huge inconvenience. And contact lenses itch my eyes too much to deal with. I can't wait to pay off all my bills so I can get eye surgery. I also hate thick rimmed "hip" glasses. Give me regular wire frames, thank you.
I'd love to have a pair like small_ruminant's. I keep trying to remember to browse flea makets for eyeglass frames that I can have the eye doc re-use with my prescription. Gotta remember that.
I know what you mean about the tapestry, miko, I love the way the world looks without glasses/contacts. Halos and glowing light, patches of color, no lines, no idea wtf anything is: it's like an instant entry onto another planet - a softer, more pleasing planet. When I was a kid I would take off my glasses and ride my bike as fast as I could, because everything was already completely blurry and abstract, and the speed made it even better. Was this remarkably stupid? Of course - but fun! Until my mother caught me, that is.
I've worn glasses since the age of 10, for short-sightedness. My first few pairs were truly horrible National Health Service glasses (guaranteed to result in yet more schoolyard bullying for the wearer).
I switched to hard contact lenses in the early 80s, and wore hard (then gas permeable) lenses for a number of years, over-wearing them until I ulcerated my cornea a few years ago. I had to give up the GP lenses, and switched to glasses.
I'm wearing a cool pair of Jai Kudo unisex frames (model 1703). I sometimes wear soft lenses when I go out, but I can't get the sharpness of vision with soft lenses to allow me to read or use the computer.
I also have a pair of prescription sunglasses with a Gucci frame.
Because I'm so short-sighted, the lenses always cost a fortune for the high-indexation that keeps them as thin as possible (my last pair of lenses were around £300).
If I could go back to hard or GP lenses, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But I'd never have laser surgery. My ophthalmologist has more or less the same prescription as I do, and he said I'd be a good candidate for laser surgery. Has he had it? Noooo ... That says it all for me.
I love, love, love my glasses. I've been wearing glasses since fourth grade, when I had to wear some really unfortunate Bargain Box frames. I've gone through phases where I've hated them, and hated wearing them (mostly because the frames were clunky and hideous), but I just can't handle contacts. Too squeamish about eye stuff.
My current frames are awesome and sure, the lenses get smudged up, and they get in the way, and they snag on sweaters, but I love them and I really think I look better in glasses than without.
Me five minutes ago. I have a mild prescription for computer work/knitting. What you can't see in the pic is that the frames are really cool Italian plastic: navy on the outside, emarald on the inside, with swirls on the ear pieces.
I have had them since 17 or so, needed them before that and life would have probably been far better in many ways if I had known. I couldn't believe how much things changed after getting them. I have horrible depth perception. On the depth peception test there were 9 pictures and part of the picture stood out or something like that. I was able to get 2/9 and the second one I could barely get. It took a while to get used to everything being a lot closer to me than I thought it was. Glasses are a pain though and one of these days I want to have surgery and get rid of them. If I ever have the cash.
Years ago, after having broken my glasses twice in as many weeks, my wife and I both went and got soft contacts. They didn't compensate for my astigmatism, but it was good enough. Good enough, that is, until I hit 40 or so. One day I found myself wearing those non-prescription reading glasses AND contacts at the same time.
So I tried the custom hard lenses for a while. The vision was great since they were not only bifocals but also handled the astigmatism. But I never felt comfortable with them. I always felt them when they were in and I'd be lucky to make it through a work day with them in. Sports were out, too.
Now I have soft lenses again, with a close up lens in my right eye and a distance lens in my left (my opthamologist calls it "monovision"). They're weighted to compensate for the astigmatism. It's the best combination of vision and comfort I've ever had.
I have some regular bifocal glasses, which I only wear if I have to get up at night or when my eyes are really tired. Using the computer with them is awkward, so I seldom wear them any other time.
I HATE wearing glasses. I'm -7.00 in my right eye and -6.00 in my left, and when I wear glasses, everything strangely seems both incredibly clear and very far away. Straight lines bend and bow, my depth perception is off, and my eyes look ridiculously small. Reading is headache-inducing at best, driving would be suicide. Contact lenses for me until I'm brave enough for Lasik, thank you.
I've had glasses since 7th grade or so, can't see a thing without them. Lasik doesn't really interest me that much because I like not being able to see how unclean the shower is.
Incidentally, I feel almost deaf without my glasses too. Taking them off invokes the "tapestry" thing Miko was talking about, but to me it's more of an envelopment of colors and muffled sounds. When I'm out in public, particularly in a social setting -- say a bar or restarant -- and I get overwhelmed, I take my glasses off and it's like I'm not there anymore. Which is really nice sometimes.
Me in my glasses, 5 minutes ago. ≡ Click to see image ≡
I'm pretty sure I have men's frames, though it wasn't intentional.
I'm overdue for a new pair, these are about 3 or 4 years old.
Me too. I think we (read: everyone) must do a bit of unconscious lipreading.
Sometimes I like the tapestry thing, too, but taking off my glasses also makes me feel a bit vulnerable. My dad, who has horrible vision, was carjacked many years ago and they took his glasses before dumping him out of the car in an unfamiliar neighborhood in L.A. at 2:00 am (we lived in NJ; he was there on business). I can't imagine.
I have horrible vision and have been in glasses and contacts since I was about 7 years old. I prefer contacts because glasses usually feel pretty uncomfortable. I'm pretty sure a lot of asians or just folks with slight nose bridges have the same problem, but most glasses tend to sit REALLY close to my eyes...
But glasses are healthier for your eyes and I was told I need to start wearing mine more often. I have a bad habit of leaving my contacts in for months....
WolfDaddy: I may not be legally blind, but I'm pretty fucking blind without my glasses and I also have astigmatism. They can do wonderful things with thick lenses these days. You might be able to tell how thick my lenses are from this photo.
It was a TV show that put the idea into my head that I needed glasses. One of those news specials, I think. And I looked at the TV and then told my parents that I think I might need glasses. I think I may have been half-kidding, but then again when the opthamologist tested me and said, "Yep, you need glasses" I was a little apprehensive.
I've broken my original ones by accidentally jumping on them playing jump rope, lost another pair at YMCA day camp, and went through the transition from Coke bottle frames to slightly less nerdy frames with ease. And then I got contacts, and re-connected with my hottie side in middle school and finally kissed a boy in the eighth grade.
Then, I went through a "Fuck you if you don't like me for who I am" phase in high school and only wore my contacts on game days and when I had to perform at Tall Flags and parade competitions. And I think after my last pair broke two years ago and I got my current square-framed ones, I've been wearing my contacts less and less because I finally found a pair of glasses that look HAWT on me.
Oh, and then there was the eye thing. Which has made me more reluctant to put my contacts back in. I mean, honestly... thanks to contacts wearing, I have blood vessels growing into my fucking cornea?! Not frosty at all.
Finally, I firmly believe that due to the technologies that exist today, anyone can get hawt looking frames to work with any kind of eye problem. There is no reason for anyone with out-moded glasses not to get new ones.
TL: I can't tell actually. I just put a tape measure to mine and they're almost 1/2 an inch at the thickest part, and this prescription's only about 5 years old. Eeep. Still, no contacts for me, I think they're evil. Though the one thing I miss about them? PERIPHERAL VISION!
Has anyone else known anyone with two differently colored eyes (without the aid of colored lenses that is)? I had a friend growing up who had one blue eye and one hazel, but the pupil in the hazel one was misformed, and didn't look like a circle, more like a blob. He said he saw just fine, though. I was always jealous of him because the girls went NUTS for it (this was in 4th grade, I didn't know I liked boys "that way" yet). I had a calico cat with two different colored eyes, too, but that's it. Must be a rare phenomenon?
Also, do "violet" eyes truly exist? People used to swoon over Liz Taylor's "violet" eyes, but I never saw anything but blue, though her eyes *are* dazzlingly beautiful. To me "violet" implies some red tinting so the shade will hint towards purple. Aqualad (now Tempest) in the comic books has purple eyes, but not "violet".
Wow! I've always wanted yellow eyes! Goat eyes, specifically. But cat eyes would be okay, too.
I miss peripheral vision, underwater vision, playing in the ocean vision, reliable depth perception as my glasses bounce around while I run or bike down uneven surfaces, and the ability to wear whatever ski goggles, scuba masks or sunglasses I think are cool looking.
I've worn glasses since I was about 15 and they have been a source of constant frustration to me ever since.
When I got my current glasses, I had my heart set on getting contacts, by my Optometrist said "no way, you have a serious problem with dry eye and you need to fix that before I would consider prescribing contacts". I guess I could have gone elsewhere, but eyes are too valuable to play silly games with, so I have stuck with the glasses for now. I must admit, I love these glasses, with the almost-invisible frameless and non-reflective lenses and the ulta-thin titanium temples. For $400, I damn well better like them, too. The only thing I don't like is, becuase the lenses are small, the bottom edge of the lens is almost exactly where the edge of steps are and I have to be careful walking down steps - I have to tilt my head down to avoid confusing the edge of the step with the edge of the lens.
I am still very keen to get contacts, though, as glasses don't really fit in with my lifestyle. I keep forgetting to take them off before taking my helmet off (ouch), not to mention looking like a complete tool standing in an optomestrist's shop with a helment trying glasses on when I get new ones and I hate that I can't wear sunglasses (yes, I could get prescription ones, but the thought of constantly changing glasses and having to carry two pairs around - ugh.)
I am a total four-eyes, and I'm having to learn to let my glasses go. It's sort of really breaking my heart.
I've had glasses since the 4th grade, and at some point in junior high up until my sophomore year I wore contacts before going back to glasses. Now, I am learning to wear contacts again. When in a clinical setting, glasses don't cooperate very well. They slide down, fog up, get smudged, generally hinder me more than I'd like to be. So, though I hate the way I look without glasses, I'm [mostly] going the contact route again. Le sigh.
≡ Click to see image ≡
I've been wearing glasses since I was 11. (one of the first to wear a bra, too, so it made for such a horrible grade school experience). Since 16, I've gone back and forth with contacts. I seem to feel safe behind my glasses, like my eyes can't be read as easily. I like how I look both ways, but it takes some getting used to each time I get contacts. Next time my health insurance rolls around, I think I'll get contacts again. (my insurance only pays for glasses/contacts every two years)
And like Dg, I also am near-sighted and have astigmatism, in one eye.
My frames are from Bevel and they just broke down the middle (I've taped them back together), and they're great. Like Specklet's they're two-toned, dark brown on the outside and amber on the inside.
I bought them from a funky little glasses store on Main Street of Santa Monica from a guy and his friend who kept a giant dog with them in the store. It was called Blue Moon Optical. I loved that place.
Also my eyes appear yellow if light hits them the right way. If you come to a meetup you're welcome to look. Nobody ever notices them >:(
Funny contacts story...One of the optical chains was having a sale on colored contacts years ago. I chose green ones, as I've always wanted green eyes (I have hazel, and when I cry, they do show more green, but that's besides the point). When I went to pick up the contacts, the lady salesperson told me "Oh, those won't do anything for your eyes, they're meant for people with blue or light colored eyes." I figured they'd be easier to find if they fell in the sink, at any rate.
Well, I was wearing them once when I stopped for gas. In the sunlight they were totally deep green, not natural at all, but striking. The poor attendant couldn't take his eyes off my eyes. He finally asked me if they were real. I could only bat my lashes at him and laugh coyly.
*before telling him the truth, I can't lie that well*
I love my ic! brand glasses. Their crappy flash web site won't let me link directly to an image of the ones I have, and it disables the back button, but it still might be worth checking out if you like especially cool frames. They don't have any screws or anything, they are made out of very light spring metal and can be completely disassembled with no tools, like an intricate puzzle. They weigh almost nothing.
...can be completely disassembled with no tools...
Well, I guess that's true of mnay things. But they can also be put back together with no tools. But don't try to show off how they work at a dimly lit party after a few drinks, or you'll be carrying the pieces home in your pocket to assemble in the morning.
I've been wearing specs since the age of two, and bifocals since 11 or 12. I'm wearing my brown back-up pair that you all have seen plenty, but I really like the weird-ass ones that are super chunky or made of weird metal, or bright bright colors.
Glasses since 7; myopia, astigmatism, and now hyperopia (long sighted), too. Woo! What do I win?
I had exactly the same experience as mygothlaundry. As soon as I got contacts, everyone thought I was beautiful. Like magic! Glasses on, ugly! Glasses off, hot! One learns a lot about how attractiveness is measured.
I'm having a pretty yucky time with my sight at the moment... I desperately need a new prescription, but it's going to be so expensive and I haven't found an ophthamologist that I trust to prescribe. The first was so indecisive, I kept having to go back again and again for these looooooong examinations, and he would never just get down to actually handing over a prescription. That was weird. The next one was exactly the opposite. Fastest examination in the history of the world, wouldn't listen to anything I had to say, and seemed to resent having to issue a prescription at all. All he would talk about is that I should have laser surgery. (Obviously, he does laser surgery.)
I'm not confident enough in his prescription to actually invest in the glasses, so I need to try to find another doctor, and start all over again. Bah!
I first wore glasses in seventh grade, but just stopped because I couldn't get used to them. My vision remained healthy enough that I didn't need them till years later. But when I went back to college (St. John's College) in 1991 at the age of 26, I realized immediately that I couldn't read any of the blackboards in math tutorial and thus I had no more choice. I've worn glasses, in this style (I'm on the left, pic taken a week age), since then.
I've occasionally considered contacts, but they seem like too much trouble. I'm far more likely to have laser surgery one of these days.
My prescription is several years out-of-date and I'll be getting a new one any day now (when I get around to it). I plan on sticking with this style of frames—if not these actual frames. Is this style now hopelessly unfashionable? Does anyone have suggestions for a change?
photo by splunge
photo by TheophileEscargot
photo by Kronos_to_Earth
photo by ethylene
