A monster's work is never done

After a hiccup in the filling of my prescription, a return and remaking I finally got my sunglasses from Lookmatic today.

Two weeks ago I got the glasses but knew something was screwed up immediately as I could not see a thing out of them. I immediately shipped them back and asked if I could send them a picture of my prescription so they could work off that. After some polite communication from their customer service department I was informed that my glasses were shipped out on Tuesday.

Today I received them and was a bit nervous because I did not want this to be screwed up again. I wanted these sunglasses!

And I could see! Could read the Lookmatic on the case, took out the trash and recycling without tripping on the steps. Drove to Dirty Franks West for dinner while wearing them, they work.

What I do not like is the case, it's too rectangular and does not slip into an inside jacket pocket easily. I have other cases to use though. So with a bit of hassle that was easily resolved it's an $85 purchase that was well worth it.

I did not wear them to the movies tonight though. We saw Godzilla, which is a fun summer blockbuster and not much more. The action and fight sequences were quite entertaining and well done. The director saved a mutant lizard trick for a very fine moment. The actors, for the most part, stood around and looked very worried about the destruction that was happening all around them. There's a lot of Jaws in this film, I mean, the lead character's last name is Brody. There are scores of other film references that are actually a nice surprise to see when they happen, it's not over the top but a slow reveal. It's a popcorn film with a heart that does not cheat or insult the audience. There should have been more monsters fighting and ripping ass though.

Vision follow up

A couple of weeks ago, I went in for an eye exam. It had been three years since my last exam and I knew a new prescription was needed. Here is the post about it.

On Thursday, I got the glasses from the OSU Optometry Clinic. I like them. I see a bit better, but there's still something not right. The best prescription I ever had was in the late eighties in Fredonia. The difference then was amazing, I could see the small price numbers on the shelves in front of the liquor store from the cash register. No optician has come close since.



They're very light and the high index lenses really make the lens much thinner. I'm a -8 to a -9. The technology continues to improve.

Today I received my sunglasses from Zenni.com.



I admit to being a bit confused when I opened the case and saw clear lenses. It took a few minutes to remember I ordered polychromatic lenses, which darken when exposed to UV light. When I took them outside during a short window of winter time sun in Ohio and the lenses darkened I was thrilled. The prescription is filled well, the frames seem sturdy and look good.

This might be a game changer. The glasses from the optometry clinic were $225. Granted the lenses are high index, and I like those, but this was also after insurance kicked in its share.

What came from zenni.com cost $60. Granted the lenses are polycarbonate and they are a bit thicker, in part because the frames are wider but get this - if I wanted transition lenses from the optometry clinic it would have run me $61 extra.

The price difference is quite profound, and with the cost of frames going higher and higher it makes financial sense to purchase through a reputable company. I have friends who buy through zenni.com with no complaints. I would have purchased from Warby Parker but they cannot fill my prescription. If you're going to buy your glasses online, have a current prescription and your pupillary distance, and good luck! I just looked at the site, shopping for another pair.

One long pair of eyes to see you

Yesterday I went in for my first eye exam in three years. This one went better than last time, when I had an ultrasound done on my right eye. Did get to see the picture again, it was in my chart. My right eye is weakening, but I guess that's what happens with age as the eyes are still healthy, and unusually long, and have some weird pigmentation to them in there.

The student/physician who did my exam was easy on the eyes too, even after dilation.

Took a good six hours after dilation for my eyes to get back to some form of normal. I hate losing control of my eyes like that, they're bad enough without my glasses. Did not drive to the exam, but got a day pass from COTA, who got me where I needed to go with no real difficulty or delay. Even with my shades, the glare from the snow was irritating.

Before my exam, I went into the optometry room where the glasses are sold, and picked out a new pair. This was easier than doing it after the exam, a recommended tip.

Ended up going under budget on the new frames and lenses and gave an online site a try for prescription sunglasses. One site was unable to fill my strong prescription so I tried another. Never did this before and hope I'm not going to be disappointed. I'll know for sure in two to three weeks when both sets of glasses arrive.

At Least We Did Not Pay to See That

Full day as I went in for an eye exam in the early afternoon. My vision has been messed up and I have not adjusted well to progressive lenses. My peepers were poked, prodded and given a thorough once over for about two hours. Vision is worsening. I have to be wary of retinal tears and other disturbances.

Had a couple of new to me procedures done, a 3-D eye scan, which produced a cool picture that looked not unlike an ultra sound of the uterus. No baby in my eye, or nothing else really, a good thing.

Also had an ultrasound done on my optic nerve. A dab of goop was put on the end of a probe and placed on my eyelid. Very interesting look at the nerve too. Again, no problems were noted.

Ended up buying a set of reading glasses, which will be ready in three weeks.

Had to get home after the exam, which was a bit tricky walking around in the sunshine with dilated pupils. Put on the shades and walked a couple of blocks to pick up the #7 bus. No way I could drive in that condition.

Later, the eyes did improve and we headed to the Ohio State Hockey game.

When we got to the ticket office, we were approached by a kid of about 13-14, and he offered us free tickets. I'm a skeptic, so I tried dismissing him, but he was persistent. I looked at the tickets, which were legit, and thanked him profusely for them.

I was so gobsmacked I forgot to pick up our complimentary Thundersticks.

The team had been playing well, and I thought it would pick up attendance. I was mistaken, there were not many people - and they were fairly quiet, except for the student section. They had thundersticks and used them very appropriately

Sitting in front of us, in sparsely attended section, a Packer legend's jersey was at the game.



The student section and band support is growing. This is good to see.



Before the game, Michigan State Head Coach, Rick Comley, who is retiring at the end of the season, was given a plaque and a nice send off by OSU coach Osiecki. Class move by the team. Comley's one of the good guys of college hockey.

The game itself was rather close. Michigan State played well and their defense did not give OSU many chances to score. MSU picked up a goal right off a faceoff in the second period and the score stayed 1-0.

Late in the third, OSU thought they managed a goal, but it was waived off after the referee said the puck had been kicked in. I was on the other side of the rink and had no idea how the puck went it. There was no replay shown to the crowd but all reporters, bloggers and message board pundits think that was the right call. I was amused that after the red light went on and the team celebrated (prematurely) that two teddy bears were thrown onto the ice in anticipation of tonight's Teddy Bear Toss.

The Buckeyes have now lost four straight, and have only scored three goals in their last four games. The offense has to step up if they want any reasonable chance to move on in the playoffs or post season.

Dilate Me

Been frustrated for too long. It is my age, physical condition or general deterioration? The better the technology has become in the 44 and a half years I've been wearing glasses, the less I am able to see clearly using it.



Progressive lenses and I do not get along. This is the second pair in a row I've had and they have both sucked. I have not had a decent prescription for over twenty years. The lenses I've received have not come close to equaling the ones I had in Fredonia in the late eighties. I was able to see two inch high numbers clearly at a distance of about 15-20 feet. Any price in the liquor store shelves from the cash register was clear.

On Friday I'm heading to the ophthalmology department at OSU for a thorough exam. All I want is a no frills pair or reading glasses. No tri-vision poly anti-scratch coating hi-index lenses with bendable titanium sustainable recycled from pig's hearts frames.

I want a set of glasses I can see properly out of, is it too much to ask?

Look at the Lines

The new lenses arrived yesterday. Immediately on fitting I noticed the bifocals, unlike the last lenses I had which were supposed to be bifocals. Not sure if the last prescription I had was incorrect or if there was a screw up at the lab, but something was not right with the last lenses.

New ones are taking a bit of getting used to, but reading is easier now.

My son was looking at one of his picture books a couple of nights ago. He turns the pages fast so it's tough to interact with him. I was asking him what some of the pictures were and he named a few that surprised me. He said words I'd never heard him say, and have no idea where he picked them up.

His vision therapy seems to be going well. His therapist noticed some continued eye contact and excellent following of directions during the last session. It's not hurting him. He also seems a lot calmer and has fewer meltdowns. Good things regardless.

Still trying to form an opinion of the new Arcade Fire album. If I have to think about it so much, what does that say?

This is not an indictment but an observation. Only three posts from Live Journal in the last eighteen hours, and one of them was a digest of tweets.