As an almost-44 year old I find this to be very interesting. I don't know if I am really willing to commit to the full regimen, but I can feel my vision slipping a little every year. I'm pretty sure at my next appointment I won't be able to do 20/20 or better, it was a near thing at my last appointment a few years back. I really don't want glasses -- I wore them growing up and I loathe them. Kids are jerks and I suffered enough abuse for having glasses that I'm irrationally opposed to ever wearing them again. Anything that can delay the inevitable is a huge win IMO.
Too late for you, but schools are full of kids with glasses now and all the pairs I’ve seen are seriously cool. I’ve heard kids asking parents if they could have a pair. It might be just the early levels of schooling, but at that level at least, there is no stigma.
Glasses may be chic, but corrective eyewear is a pain. Glasses need cleaning, can constantly slide off your nose if they don't fit right, and if you require them for driving you're screwed if they're broken or lost. Contacts aren't much better. Every Christmas various family members ask about a contacts case or solution (we now have a large stash). Both also suck for outdoor activities like surfing, camping, etc. It is much better than not being able to see. (As an aside, I'm curious if people who don't wear corrective eyewear are more likely to wear sunglasses?)
I feel like I've seen more people wearing glasses with fake lenses.
In HN fashion, I'm afraid I have to proffer an alternative, contrary perspective. :)
I've worn glasses almost all my life. I do not find it remotely inconvenient, and if anything adds points to my perceived intelligence, an advantage that I find extremely useful in many social circumstances.
1) Glasses don't have to be cleaned that much (just a bit of soap and water during a shower suffices). Almost no one I know uses solution for glasses.
2) They never slide off your nose (if they do, they were incorrectly fitted).
3) They hardly ever break and/or get lost if you wear them all the time. Most frames are designed to be tough yet flexible. I only replace my glasses once every 2-3 years to get an updated prescription, and never because the frame broke or anything like that.
4) They are no impediments to surfing/camping or even swimming if you use straps. I've never had trouble being active with glasses on. Billie Jean King played tennis with glasses.
I suppose it depends on the degree of impairment. My wife had severe nearsightedness so much that the misplacement of glasses led to near inability to navigate even the house but also near panic when it went on while I couldn't find the glasses. Lasik was a risk but has been a life changer for her. YMMV.
To add to this mix, I do t wear glasses but get them for a small child. First pair was at about age 1.
They are extremely handy for preventing eye injuries. Small children are pretty good at getting things in their eyes and having a pair of +9s in the way makes the eyes basically bullet proof. The cost is alarming though, US$725 approximately. While reasonably child proof, they do break and it sucks having to tell them to be more careful when they are trying to put glasses on.
It sounds like you're just saying, "it's not too much of a pain."
The straps weren't the problem for me with swimming or camping, it was keeping the lenses clean and having a spot to keep them from getting crushed or scratched (the hard cases are bulky and tend to break after a year).
Glasses got way more annoying after having a young kid. They're his favorite toy and he has easy access when you hold him.
> It sounds like you're just saying, "it's not too much of a pain."
Yep.
But from the sound of it, I'm guessing you only wear glasses part-time, so perhaps much of what I said may not track your experiences.
Us full-time wearers of glasses don't tend to carry hard cases -- those get stashed away as soon as we get home from the optometrists. Our glasses are always on, except when showering and sleeping.
Babies love to pull glasses off your face. I've had to train myself to monitor and avoid grabs. Some babies are fast though.
My glasses would fog up on cold morning mountain bike rides. Aside from that, I put up with the scratches. What I wanted was the ability to wear sunglasses (and prescription sunglasses were too expensive). Eventually I got contacts after I had more financial resources. They were freeing and limiting at the same time. Almost not worth the hassle. But I could pick up any pair of sunglasses I fancied. Eventually I got Lasik. It is amazing. In years, there is not a day that goes by where I'm not impressed with the quality of my vision. No daily hassle and I see better than with any glasses or contacts.
I agree, it is a different world today. My daughter wears glasses and it actually made her happy. Nobody calls her four-eyes or anything like that, they're a bit envious if anything because they don't have a fancy pair of colorful glasses of their own. It makes me happy for her, one less thing she will have to deal with (though I've been around her school enough to know that there are still plenty of obnoxious kids doing obnoxious things, that's never going to change)
