Sorry about the awkward title; I had a lot of trouble trying to word it.
Anyway, I got my first pair of glasses yesterday. I went in for my first eye exam in nearly a decade, and apparently I have mild astigmatism. So for the past day I’ve been getting used to the sensation of having glasses on (I never cared for sunglasses, personally; I’ve always found them hard to see in) and getting a touch of euphoria about how they conceal the brow somewhat. But then it kinda hit me that I don’t really know anything about glasses, having not used them until age 36. I probably should have asked some questions about it when I picked them up, but I was kinda sick and didn’t want to stick around there too long.
I know I could just google it, but google sucks now, plus, I may as well use the AskBeehaw platform, it’s pretty quiet.
Buy a few cheap pairs online right away. Expensive glasses are not worth the cost.
Keeping a few of those little lens cleaning cloths in convenient places is about all I can think of. They launder fine too, if you notice any become less effective at removing smears.
If you ever need a new prescription, they should be able to put the new lenses in your current frame. Similarly, if your frame ever gets broken but your lenses are undamaged, they can pop them in a new frame. That said, keeping old glasses as spares is useful, and it can be fun to have new frames.
Be careful when cleaning them, otherwise you’ll get scratches. Even expensive ones. Don’t use those wipes with alcohol, it’ll damage them. Either use soap and water with a clean cloth or sponge and dry by dabbing with kitchen paper. You could also get an ultrasound cleaner, which is like a little bath you just put them in. Don’t wipe them when they are not wet.
Yeah, this was part of the reason I made this post. Like, I was really afraid that I’d stupidly scratch up my glasses because I didn’t know how to clean them properly. Thanks!
Make sure to get a pair actually fit your head. They shouldn’t squeeze your temples, the ear bends should actually be on your ears, they shouldn’t slide around on your nose.
I wore glasses for like twenty years before I finally realized the source of every single problem I had with them was actually me picking the wrong frames and not inherent issues to glasses. Now that I’m aware of it I notice other people wearing ill-fitting glasses all the time.
You can adjust them, but it is better if you get them adjusted wherever you bought them because they know how to do it properly. In particular, the spot where they touch your nose might get sore, and maybe moreso on one side than the other. That’d be a sign to get them adjusted. Some people even have one ear slightly lower than the other, needing an adjustment to the arms.
Glasses have an optimum focal point so your glasses were meant to be a particular distance from your eyes and over adjusting might change that. On the other hand, the change is going to be so small that it probably only matters to the people selling glasses rather than the wearers.
Yeah, they seem to be sitting well on my face now… at least I haven’t felt any discomfort. Not sure if I got lucky, though. Thanks!
If you can afford it, get another pair with ‘transition’ lenses that get darker in direct sunlight. Regular glasses are going to make sunlight more powerful; I used to get headaches every summer unless I wore a hat all the time. It’s easier to just have the one set that get darker than to fool around with prescription sunglasses and noraml ones.
There are swimming goggles with prescription lenses available. They cost about the same as normal goggles, and make sports much more enjoyable.
If your prescription is mild, you may be able to get away with using reading glasses from the drug store. Most of the bigger places have a rack where you can try them on.
Pets often enjoy chewing on the glasses, so be sure you put them in a safe place every night.
My biggest gripe with transition lenses is that they won’t change while operating a vehicle, since most windshields are also uv treated. I’d rather have lenses that clip or a pair of sunglasses to swap to
I never noticed that, but I don’t drive often.
I used to drive a lot for work, and it kind of ruined the transition lenses for me but other folks’ mileage may vary
That’s actually really good to know. My glasses came with a magnetic sunglass attachment, so I’ll make sure to make use of that. Thanks!
Where did you get your glasses with the magnetic sunglasses? I have a pair and I love the sunglasses attachment but most places only carry like one style that have the sunglases so I’m always on the lookout for other styles.
Oh, I got this pair from my local optometrist’s office.
Any chance you’d be willing to DM me the name?
Also do you know the brand of glasses you purchased? My last pair was from Vivid Eyewear but I’ve had a hard time finding optometrists who carry them.
It’s not a chain, so unless you live right by me, it wouldn’t help. The brand is “Reid Bransen”, which I’ve absolutely never heard of, but the only actual result when googling points to the facebook page of my optometrist’s office. So, yeah, can’t help you much.
That’s pretty helpful, thank you!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen that.
I much prefer clip ons to transitions. Transitions left me with white circles over my eyes in summer, when every other part of my face tanned except where the glasses sat. I also couldn’t turn them off when needed.
I don’t wear mine often, but I find that somehow the corners always get smudges on them no matter how careful I am to not touch the lenses. Keep a microfiber cloth around to clean them.
I use EyeBuyDirect for my glasses and don’t have any complaints. They come in a box with a microfiber bundle to carry them glasses in and wipe them off with. Obviously since it’s online you’ll have to be careful about getting a pair that fits correctly, but if you get a temporary or cheap pair in real life that you know the measurements of you can find a pair with similar stats.
Keep a copy of your prescription so you can buy glasses online for cheap
Glasses fog up when you go from cold to warm. Clean the lens with soap water and wipe them off to keep them from fogging up. Or use good ol fashioned spit
Check the screws and whatnot on the hinges periodically. Sometimes they go loose. Depends on the glasses.
They help keep rain and midges away from your eyes.
The nosepads get dirty so wipe em down every now and then
Take them off on the rollercoasters. Put them in your pocket or something
Buy a spare pair in case of emergencies
Getting the prescription is important.
Also, they sell ‘glasses kits’ at most drug stores. Extra screws and a tiny screwdriver, nose pads, etc.
If you play sports and you don’t care for contacts, or if you swim, think about getting prescription googles. 100% worth it.
I realise it’s a niche thing, but prescription inserts for VR headsets exist too.
Even if normal glasses fit under the headset, keeping the lenses of the glasses lined up with your eyes and the VR headset’s lenses is a pain when you start moving about. You just clip those into the headset and problem solved.
Check the screws and whatnot on the hinges periodically. Sometimes they go loose. Depends on the glasses.
I did buy rather cheap glasses, so I suspect I’ll run into this issue eventually. Thanks!
If they get bent somehow and don’t sit properly on your face anymore, try to avoid bending them back yourself. It’s better to have a professional do it. They know where the stress points are and how to do it right without breaking them!
+1, the optometrist you got your glasses from should be fine with doing free adjustments for you. It takes a minute and they want to keep your future insurance payments.
If you have to wear them constantly, like I do, remember to wipe them down with a gentle soap periodically. The spaces between the frames and the lenses will collect gunk that makes you think something is in your eyes and drive you crazy.
@paris mentioned one online retailer already but to give you another option: I’ve been using Zenni for my prescriptions for a few years now and have been happy with them.
Sometimes a vendor or optometrist isn’t contracted with your vision plan, but you can often submit for reimbursement; some health insurances (since eye health isn’t health, somehow) will also allow you to submit for reimbursement so check your policies, if applicable.
I tend to order two non-tinted pairs and a pair of prescription sunglasses when my Rx changes noticeably - one pair is made of safety polycarbonate (shatter/puncture resistant) and the other is more standard, but it’s nice to have options to choose from. As you go through them, please make sure to donate your old prescriptions! I’ve sent most of mine to the Peninsula Special Interest Lions Club in CA but there are a number of charities that will send your old lenses and frames to people who need them
All good stuff! thanks!
Clip-on sunglasses suck, and bad ones can damage your frame or glasses. Get some cheap prescription sunglasses. Get a hard clamshell case for it that will also fit your regular glasses for easy swapping.
Also, replace nosepads every year or so and clean the gunk that collects behind it in the nosepad holder leg thingy. That thing is a gunk magnet.
Yeah, I imagine it gets pretty nasty. Thanks!
A small ultrasonic cleaner does wonders for getting glasses clean. Just use a couple drops of dish soap in the water and they’ll come out like new.
I’ll look into that, thanks!
They have magnetic sunglasses now that clip on, 1000% better
Edit, these are frames that have the same lense cover and shape as the original glasses, not generic sunglasses.
I will never go back to wearing glasses that don’t have magnet sunglasses to go along with them. I always keep the sunglasses in my back pocket so they’re always handy. Because they’re flat you can sit on them without crushing them.
I too have mild astigmatism. I used glasses for about 4 years before trying contact lenses. Have been using contacts for 10 years now and i much prefer them.
If you use a computer a lot, get your optometrist to give you a distance prescription, and a “computer” prescription (which would probably be a few inches past arms’ reach). Then buy distance glasses and computer glasses. This is much better - and cheaper - than trying to do the same thing with bifocals.
For frames, I much prefer plastic. The extended nose pieces on metal frames tend to become uncomfortable, where plastic frames will just set of the bridge of the nose. Same goes for the earpieces; thin ones on metal frames can cause discomfort with extended use. Plastic frames aren’t going to have screws that hold the lenses in, nothing to get loose or lost or stripped out and unworkable.
Between work and home, I spend almost all my time on the computer! I never even considered that a separate longer distance pair could be helpful. Good to know.
My current glasses are plastic. This was me mostly cheaping out, but I did worry me a bit that metal would be uncomfy. I might get a metal spare just to see if I prefer that instead.
Thanks~
I can say that with metal frames, you’re going to have better luck finding a comfortable lightweight frame at a brick and mortar store, and they’re going to be expensive. I personally would not buy metal frames from an online store again. The cheap ones I’ve had are awful.
People have mostly covered the important stuff, so something less important is: if you are liable to take them off with any regularity, you’re gonna lose them on top of your head! I keep mine on pretty much any time I’m awake and not doing something specifically anti glasses (think swimming), but I know especially people who are farsighted while watching TV or nearsighed while reading will do this.
Haha, noted! I am absolutely the sort of person who would do that. I’m probably just going leave them on most of the time.
Thanks!
I have on a few occasions lost my glasses while wearing correctly.
