For those who refuse to believe what they are going to read now, I have documentary proof. Wire INR 60 into my account so that I can scan the cards in and send you a soft copy. As of this moment, I am broke.
Where were we?
Glasses. Thank you.
I have been wearing glasses for eight years now. When the telltale headaches and blurred vision first began in tenth grade, the prescription read: Left -1.25, Right -1.5 --- 6/6. Over these last eight years, those figures on the prescriptions have varied, rising and falling and staying constant till, two years ago, when I went for my annual eye check-up, the optician gave me a pair of glasses with a power of -0.5 in the left lens and -0.75 in the right. And because my employers were footing my medical bills [;)], I went ahead and requested anti-reflective coating as well. Hey, don't judge me...I was also spending 10 hours a day in front of a computer screen working for them!
Ask any constant user of vision correction glasses and he will tell you that it's always a good idea to head to the optician's when your head begins spinning if you so much as read the label on a bottle of shampoo. It has been happening to me for some time now, so I figured a visit to the neighborhood optical store was in order. I went this afternoon.
The optometrist examined me and my glasses and declared that the right lens of the specs needed changing from -0.75 to -0.5. "The power in the right lens has fallen", he added for good measure. "And this anti-reflective coating needs reinforcing. We'll have it done by the evening. It will cost you 1,650 only."
Gulp.
"Unless it is an emergency", my father's words rang in my head, "always get a second opinion on any medical issue, especially when you're away from home and the family physician."
"Right. Thanks", I said, picking up my things. "I'll be back later."
I fled the store and wondered what I should do next. It made sense to get a second opinion on the change in the power of my lenses, especially because the wrong glasses can do damage that goes beyond splitting headaches. So I headed to another optician further down the road.
This one emerged from behind his gigantic machine and gave me a grim look.
"The power in both lenses has risen by 0.25", he announced. That wasn't all. "Your left eye is beginning to show signs of defect in cylindrical vision. You already need spherical correction, obviously."
Uh, what?
Now, I do have a vague idea what cylindrical and spherical is. And it shouldn't surprise me that my eyes are beginning to show more signs of defect. As my grandmum declared when I first obtained glasses, it is surprising I didn't need them earlier. Defective vision runs in the family. Apparently, the last person known to have perfect vision all his life was my grandmum's great grand-dad.
"Two thousand four hundred", this man declared with grim satisfaction. "If you want new frames, those will be charged for separately."
Thank you. I said I would be back in the evening if I decided to place an order.
Stepping out, I spotted a third optician's signboard about fifteen stores down the road. In for a penny, in for a pound, I thought as I hiked down. Might as well have him telling me something else needed changing.
"These spectacles you currently use will do just fine", the doctor said, switching the machine off. "Your vision is exactly what it was when you got those made. However", he lingered, eyeing my glasses, "it's been a while for that anti-reflective coating. I suggest you get it replaced."
"Twelve hundred", the clerk totted it all up.
"Thanks. I'll be back in case I need to place an order", I said. Paid the fifty bucks for the testing and escaped.
And that's how I decided that I'm sticking with my current pair of glasses. If three opticians have three entirely different opinions on the state of my eyes, I guess it's safe to assume that these old things will live yet. An hour of traipsing through Kamla Nagar, 190 in testing bills and a headache that had nothing to do with my vision...kind of a costly reminder that it's time I stopped being too lazy to fetch my glasses and put them on when I sit down to use my computer or read myself to sleep.
The finale to the adventure came when I was telling my sister the story. "Hmm", she remarked, "Given that those three exhausted all the options among themselves, I wonder what a fourth optician would have said. You want to visit the big store at Hudson Lines?"
Where were we?
Glasses. Thank you.
I have been wearing glasses for eight years now. When the telltale headaches and blurred vision first began in tenth grade, the prescription read: Left -1.25, Right -1.5 --- 6/6. Over these last eight years, those figures on the prescriptions have varied, rising and falling and staying constant till, two years ago, when I went for my annual eye check-up, the optician gave me a pair of glasses with a power of -0.5 in the left lens and -0.75 in the right. And because my employers were footing my medical bills [;)], I went ahead and requested anti-reflective coating as well. Hey, don't judge me...I was also spending 10 hours a day in front of a computer screen working for them!
Ask any constant user of vision correction glasses and he will tell you that it's always a good idea to head to the optician's when your head begins spinning if you so much as read the label on a bottle of shampoo. It has been happening to me for some time now, so I figured a visit to the neighborhood optical store was in order. I went this afternoon.
The optometrist examined me and my glasses and declared that the right lens of the specs needed changing from -0.75 to -0.5. "The power in the right lens has fallen", he added for good measure. "And this anti-reflective coating needs reinforcing. We'll have it done by the evening. It will cost you 1,650 only."
Gulp.
"Unless it is an emergency", my father's words rang in my head, "always get a second opinion on any medical issue, especially when you're away from home and the family physician."
"Right. Thanks", I said, picking up my things. "I'll be back later."
I fled the store and wondered what I should do next. It made sense to get a second opinion on the change in the power of my lenses, especially because the wrong glasses can do damage that goes beyond splitting headaches. So I headed to another optician further down the road.
This one emerged from behind his gigantic machine and gave me a grim look.
"The power in both lenses has risen by 0.25", he announced. That wasn't all. "Your left eye is beginning to show signs of defect in cylindrical vision. You already need spherical correction, obviously."
Uh, what?
Now, I do have a vague idea what cylindrical and spherical is. And it shouldn't surprise me that my eyes are beginning to show more signs of defect. As my grandmum declared when I first obtained glasses, it is surprising I didn't need them earlier. Defective vision runs in the family. Apparently, the last person known to have perfect vision all his life was my grandmum's great grand-dad.
"Two thousand four hundred", this man declared with grim satisfaction. "If you want new frames, those will be charged for separately."
Thank you. I said I would be back in the evening if I decided to place an order.
Stepping out, I spotted a third optician's signboard about fifteen stores down the road. In for a penny, in for a pound, I thought as I hiked down. Might as well have him telling me something else needed changing.
"These spectacles you currently use will do just fine", the doctor said, switching the machine off. "Your vision is exactly what it was when you got those made. However", he lingered, eyeing my glasses, "it's been a while for that anti-reflective coating. I suggest you get it replaced."
"Twelve hundred", the clerk totted it all up.
"Thanks. I'll be back in case I need to place an order", I said. Paid the fifty bucks for the testing and escaped.
And that's how I decided that I'm sticking with my current pair of glasses. If three opticians have three entirely different opinions on the state of my eyes, I guess it's safe to assume that these old things will live yet. An hour of traipsing through Kamla Nagar, 190 in testing bills and a headache that had nothing to do with my vision...kind of a costly reminder that it's time I stopped being too lazy to fetch my glasses and put them on when I sit down to use my computer or read myself to sleep.
The finale to the adventure came when I was telling my sister the story. "Hmm", she remarked, "Given that those three exhausted all the options among themselves, I wonder what a fourth optician would have said. You want to visit the big store at Hudson Lines?"
