So I’ve got new eyeglasses on the way. With any luck, they should be here in a little less than two weeks, and I’ll have them in time for my vacation. They look similar to this pair — rimless, fairly small and rectangular, with very thin silver bows, and they come with a set of clip-on shades that match the shape of the lenses exactly. Prairie assures me that they look incredibly good and nearly disappear from my face, not nearly as dominating as my current pair.
Most interesting about the eye exam is that my new pair will actually be a slightly weaker prescription than my current pair — one diopter less (whatever that is) — as my eyesight is actually slightly improving as I age. I had no idea this could happen, so it was a very pleasant surprise. Apparently, my eyes are learning to relax, gradually increasing my near-vision depth of field. According to the optometrist, while I’ll always need glasses for distance vision, I’ll never need reading glasses, and may eventually be more comfortable reading or working on a computer either without glasses, or with bifocals that have little to no adjustment in the lower, near-vision area of the lens. Pretty cool, I’d say.
So now it’s just the waiting game as the glasses are made. Since I’ve got my vacation in two weeks, the clinic is seeing if they can put a rush on the order to ensure that they arrive before I have to leave. It may not happen, but if it does, I’ll be in good shape.
Oh, and should any Seattle-area people be in the need for new glasses, I’d certainly recommend the clinic I went to (Jackson Vision Clinic, 225 12th Ave. South Suite 103, Seattle, WA, 98144, 206.322.6915). I picked them simply because they were just over in the International District within fairly easy walking distance of my apartment, they were open on Saturdays, and they took the insurance I get through work. They were quite nice to work with, though — Dr. Hoang and his staff were quite friendly. While the clinic was pretty slow on Saturday, when I went in a couple weeks ago to make my appointment, they were quite busy, and I had the rather amusing experience of being the only Caucasian and (I believe) only native English speaker in a room full of Vietnamese people. Not an entirely normal thing in my general day-to-day activities, but rather fun, actually — there were a couple families in getting glasses for their kids that day, and kids are kids and fun to watch, no matter what language they speak.
Anyway, a good clinic, good people, and I’ve got some good glasses coming my way. Pics, of course, will be posted as soon as I get the glasses in.
iTunes: “Get A Good Thing” by Jesus Jones from the album Perverse (1993, 3:23).