Apparently seeing the world through my own two naked eyes are over — here’s to the new eyeglassed me!
That’s right, after constantly being amazed that Becky could see things at a distance when I couldn’t (and spending many hours in front of a computer screen), I gave in and finally had a proper eye exam at the University of California Berkeley School of Optometry. (I probably haven’t had an optometrist examine me since at least high school if not before.)
The verdict? Not surprisingly, I’m slightly near-sighted.
So what does this mean? The good folks over there suggested that I wear my new specs mainly while driving and watching something at a distance (like a movie), but that wearing them around the house wouldn’t be a bad idea either. I currently have something like 20/25 vision, and with glasses, will have 20/15 vision.
Now, as a freelancer, I have to provide my own health insurance. Since January, I’ve been on the Tonik route (as featured on The Daily Show!), and have been pleasantly surprised with the quality of coverage since. Today I found out that my coverage gets me $50 off eyecare (including exams or even sunglasses per calendar year). That means my $62 eye exam (including a 20% Cal Alumni Association discount) — only will cost me $12.
After the exam, I looked at some glasses at the clinic. The ones I liked, including fancy-schmancy anti-reflective coating and all that, would cost me around $300. Yikes. I knew glasses were expensive, but sheesh.
So, still dialated, I went home and asked some of my bespectacled brethren what I need to know about getting glasses. A few IM sessions later, I learned a couple things: 1) It’s all aesthetics and 2) Costco has freakin’ cheap glasses.
Then I called Tonik, which informed me of the following:
For in-network (read: LensCrafters) I had a $25 co-pay on basic lenses (they’d cover the rest), and they would cover the first $100 on frames, and I would get a 20 percent discount on the remainder. For anything out-of-network (read: Costco), they’d cover $35 on lenses and $45 on frames.
Armed with this new knowledge, I set out on the I-80 to my neighborhood-friendly Costco, and after being complimented on my beautiful blue eyes by the female sales clerk (seriously), I chose some snazzy rimless frames (see above) that came in at $80, which is expensive by Costco standards. Add $44 for the polycarbonate lenses, and $30 for some anti-glare awesomeness, and $10 for the bottom part of the lenses to be polished. Less $80 of insurance coverage, and that comes to a grand out-of-pocket total of $84. Booya!
I was stoked about those, but I still went to LensCrafters, and found a pair that was similar, but cost twice as much. Eff that noise.
Once home, I surveyed a few friends by email with photographs of the Costco and the LensCrafters frames, and the results were sealed once Boyk emailed me with this: “Yeah, go for the Costco ones. Then buy $80 of tortilla chips.”
I’ll put my order in tomorrow and can officially join the tribe within a couple weeks.
