I intended to illustrate this entry with two photographs: one of me wearing my old glasses, and one of me wearing my spiffy new glasses. However, I'm pretty sure that if I wait for photos, the entry will never actually be written, so I'll solider on without them. I don't actually own a digital camera anymore, which makes the photos things harder, although R has a splendid camera so it wouldn't be impossible, because she is a fairly generous person.

So, the old glasses. I think I got them when we were living in Alameda, which would make them at least seven years old. It's possible, though, that I got them when we were living in Tempe, which would make them at least ten years old, if not older. They were big and round and pinkish-plastic, and the lenses were scratched, and the frame had broken once over the left eye and was superglued together, fairly neatly but not perfectly. I could see through them adequately, but my eyes have deteriorated a bit over the past seven or ten or more years so everything was always slightly fuzzed. I've always gone for the cheapest frames, which has meant that my glasses have always been green or pink plastic, but springing for something cute seemed like a needless expense. My old glasses were not very attractive on me, if you haven't guessed that. I think the word hideous applies. I looked sort of like a big-nosed owl, and R was petrified that I would someday wear them in public in front of someone she knew.

I usually wear contact lenses, so as far as I know that never happened. I wear glasses in the morning, before I put my contacts in, and in the evening, after I take them out. I also wear them when my allergies are bothering me, as long as I'm not leaving the house, and sometimes on long, long drives, like our move from California to Kansas, because my eyes dry out. So it wasn't like I needed new glasses, really... which is why I couldn't actually justify spending $100 or so on them. But I wanted new glasses.

Enter Zenni Optical. I found the site surfing some internet coupon forums, and it seemed to good to be true. Glasses for $8? Real, prescription glasses, frame and lenses, for $8? How could that be? But people were posting that it really was true, and I figured that all I had to lose was $8, plus $4.95 shipping... so why not? I ordered glasses with these frames, carefully filling in the numbers from the glasses prescription I got a year ago and never used, paid my $12.95, and waited a week, or maybe two.... and they came! Direct from Hong Kong, in a hard plastic case wrapped in a lens-cleaning cloth, my glasses showed up in my mailbox on Wednesday.

They're perfect! I can see, beautifully. Everything is crisp and clear. They're lightweight and comfortable, and even better, they look good! Really! I even have R's permission to go out in public wearing them, and I would only be a little bit self conscious. I am so happy...

I suppose I am not doing my part for the good ol' US of A, and it's my fault that American workers are losing jobs to those overseas, but you know what? This country was fine with not providing me health care coverage that would allow me to get glasses that I could see with, and this country thinks it's okay to jack up prices so much that the same glasses here would go for ten or twenty times what I paid... so I don't feel all that guilty. If the folks in Hong Kong can make a better mousetrap, well, then that's how capitalism works, right? They should succeed. I am a little more worried that the workers there are not getting paid a living wage, or being treated unfairly, although I hope that's not true. As long as the workers are happy, I'm completely happy.

One note - you do need to know your glasses prescription to order, but I believe your eye doctor has to give it to you, by law, so you can always go back and ask. They don't actually ask to see the prescription, so if it's not current but your eyes haven't changed it will work. You can also get cheap eye exams from eye doctors who have offices next to Costco, in my experience - under $50, and you don't have to be a member.