Category: Not Workers Compensation

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Glasses, online
Glasses, online!

Is pupillary distance is important?

Does pupillary distance matter?

Yes! Pupillary distance is the distance, in millimeters, between the center of your eyes.  When your eyeglass professional is building your glasses, they will need to make sure the “sweet spot” for each lens is directly in front of each eye.  They do this using your pupillary distance.

Its possible to have a different pupillary distance for each eye if your eyes are not the same exact distance from the center of your face.  Don’t feel bad – your mom still loves you!

When you go into a brick and mortar eyeglass store, they measure your pupillary distance for you.  If you’re buying glasses online, you can either measure your pupillary distance yourself or you can ask your eye doctor to measure it for you.  If you’re buying glasses online, don’t cheap out – get your eye doctor to measure your pupillary distance for you.  You can do it yourself – but why leave something this important up to chance?  If you insist on doing it yourself, you just need a mirror and a metric ruler and measure the distance between the center of your two pupils.

Now that I’ve answered the burning question about pupillary distance:

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Glasses, online
Glasses, online!

Last week I posted a Goggles4U.com review.  ((Photo courtesy of Morningstar Lee)) My review was favorable despite having received glasses that didn’t really work for me.  It just so happens, according to my eye doctor, that some people are more sensitive to the “Base Curvature.”  I happen to be one of those people and there’s no way either I or Goggles4U could have known that.  The bottom line is that I received glasses with the exact prescription I specified- you can’t ask more than that.

After trying out this pair of glasses for a week I notified Goggles4U customer service that I was too sensitive to the “Base Curvature.”  They responded immediately and gave me a code to order a new pair.  I placed the order on 2/27/2009, sent them an e-mail specifying a comfortable range for the Base Curvature.  The new glasses arrived on 3/7/2009.

These new glasses, with transition/polychromatic lenses, are great. I haven’t had any problems with them at all.  I will still take them back to my eye doctor to confirm, because I think any review would be incomplete without an independent confirmation from a medical professional.

In end sum, I would recommend Goggles4U without reservation.  Check out my prior review (now updated!) for the complete review and a Goggles4U coupon.

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Imaginary Security
Imaginary Security

I recently posted about a fun experience with the metal detectors and security staff at the Oakland WCAB. ((Original photo courtesy of Daquella manera.))

At the end of January I was fortunate enough to witness more security shenanigans.

A man in line behind me took off all metal from his person and placed it in the provided gray plastic bin.  Here’s a summary of the exchange between this gentleman and the security guard:

  • Security:  Sir, you’re going to have to take off your belt.
  • Man:  My belt buckle is metal.  I took it off, see?  There’s no metal in my belt.
  • Security:  That doesn’t matter, sir.  Please take off your belt.
  • Man:  But, there’s no metal in it.
  • Security:  Sir, you’re going to need to put your belt through the metal detector.
  • The man finally took off his belt…

I have several problems with this ((imaginary))  “security procedure.”

  1. It is irrational and absurd.
  2. This system encourages security guards to be lazy and unobservant, encouraging the hiring of unsophisticated or untrained security guards.
  3. This system places too much importance on the value of x-ray machines.

Let’s take this point by point, shall we?

First, when challenged to provide any rationale for their demands, the security staff resorts to argumentum ad verecundiam.  ((Latin argument for “appeal to authority” aka “I have a badge so I must be right” aka “‘Cause I said so, that’s why.”))  There’s no reason why a non-metal belt buckle or, heaven forbid a piece of paper, needs to be fed into the x-ray machine.  They’re not security risks.

Second, the current system allows the security guards to insist all detachable belongings be fed into the x-ray machine.  ((Don’t forget to put your right to privacy in that bin.  After all, you don’t have anything to hide from Big Brother, do you?)) ((For a while they actually required the removal of shoes too.  Taking your shoes off at the airport is bad enough.  But at the Oakland state building???))  The current system essentially removes the incentive for hiring trained, competent, or intelligent staff.  And, really, why should they?  A mannequin with a sign around its neck could instruct everyone to remove all belongings.

Finally, the current system allows all the security guards at the Oakland state building to place too much importance on the x-ray machines.  Once you’ve placed your belongings ((And dignity!  Don’t forget your dignity!  Don’t worry, after a couple of times through this system it will be small enough to fit comfortably between your cell phone and belt buckle.)) in the plastic bin, you aren’t given a second glance.  What happens if someone decides to conceal a dangerous non-metalic object on their person?  These security guards believe that paper should be x-rayed!  I’m supposed to trust in their powers of keen observation?

Can you tell I’m frustrated with the security situation at the Oakland WCAB?

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Glasses, online
Glasses, online!

I recently ordered three pairs of glasses from GlobalEyeglasses.com and one pair from Goggles4U.com. ((Photo courtesy of Morningstar Lee))  Last Wednesday I had my doctor check all four pairs.  Read on for the details!

I chose to try Goggles4U.com because an NPR commenter had a good review for them, they seemed to have good online reviews, had a very good website, and their prices for polychromatic glasses were fantastic.  UPDATE 3/10/09: Updated Goggles4U.com review here!

Review of Goggles4U.com

  1. Website. Goggles4U.com lets you upload a photo of yourself and try on a virtual pair of glasses.  I didn’t try this feature, but I suppose it might be useful to some.  They also have the option of spinning a virtual version of each pair of glasses.  It was fairly easy to navigate their website and place the order.  One useful feature is that their website allows you to save your prescription so you don’t have to re-enter it.
  2. Selection. There were easily several hundred frames from which to choose.  They have every imaginable style and variation.  They also have a wide range of lens options: clear, tinted, polychromatic / transition lenses, and super thin materials.
  3. Price. Goggles4U.com has free shipping.  Most of the frames are about $12.99.
  4. Frame Quality. The pair I bought fit with minimal adjusting of the nose pads and behind the ears.
  5. Lens Quality. For some reason the glasses from Goggles4U.com just didn’t seem right.  They took me several minutes to adjust to and still continued to bother me in a subtle way I couldn’t quite understand.  I took this pair to my eye doctor who told me that this pair had a lower “Base Curvature” than the pairs from GlobalEyeglasses.com.   Apparently, some people are just more sensitive to variations in “Base Curvature.”
  6. Shipping. Two weeks, just about on the button.  Shipping was free.
  7. Customer Service. After trying out these frames for a week I e-mailed Goggles4U.com to let them know I was having problems with the glasses and that I was going to take them to my doctor to be examined.  The responded immediately asking me to let them know what my doctor had to say.  I e-mailed them right when I came back to let them know the “base curvature” was off.  The e-mailed me back almost immediately giving me a coupon code for $35.99 off another pair.  The bottom line is that they responded to me nearly instantly and have gone out of their way to make me happy.  I’m not interested in a refund, just a pair of glasses for a reasonable price.  I feel like Goggles4U.com has certainly earned by business.
  8. Extras. Each pair comes with its own free case, eyeglass cloth, and replacement nose pads and screws.  Shipping was free.

Verdict: I would use Goggles4U.com again and recommend them to a friend.  When placing your order, use the coupon code, “glassyeyes” for 5% off.

UPDATE 3/10/09: Updated Goggles4U.com review here!

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Glasses, online
Glasses, online!

I recently ordered three pairs of glasses from GlobalEyeglasses.com and one pair from Goggles4U.com. ((Photo courtesy of Morningstar Lee))  Last Wednesday I had my doctor check all four pairs.  Read on for the details!

I chose to try GlobalEyeglasses.com because I heard a glowing review on on NPR, they seemed to have good online reviews, had a decent website, and their prices were really incredible.

Review of GlobalEyeglasses.com

  1. Website. The GlobalEyeglasses.com webiste merely lets you see a larger photo of each pair of glasses. I am was the kind of person who needed to try on lots of different frames before I could make a choice  ((It’s an important decision!))  Incredibly, not being able to try on the glasses just didn’t bother me at all.  Once I had gotten my prescription and narrowed down the frame choices, it was surprisingly easy to find the glasses for me.
  2. Selection. There were easily several hundred frames from which to choose.  They have every imaginable style and variation.  They also have a wide range of lens options: clear, tinted, polychromatic / transition lenses, and super thin materials.
  3. Price. Using the coupon code at the bottom of this review, I got 10% off my order.  You can find frames as cheaply as $1.00 ((Not that you’d want them.)) and lenses starting from $6.99.  They appear to have several designer frames.  The only shipping option is by UPS and costs $5.99.  When I was buying a month ago they were running a promotion where I bought two pairs and got one pair free.  $45.00 for three pairs, shipped, is basically unbeatable.
  4. Frame Quality. Each pair fit with minimal adjusting of the nose pads and behind the ears.  On my pair of sunglassses ((Just a tinted pair of prescription glasses)) one of the screws in the nose pads fell out the first day I wore it.  When I replaced the nose pad I discovered that the screw fell out because the threads on that side had been stripped.  I used an extra screw and tightened it.  I haven’ t had any problems since.
  5. Lens Quality. I have had no problems with the prescriptions on any of the three pairs I got from GlobalEyeglasses.com.  I didn’t require any “adjustment” period or any time to get used to these glasses.  More importantly, the lenses themselves were confirmed by my doctor to be the correct prescription.
  6. Shipping. Two weeks, just about on the button.  Shipping was $5.99.
  7. Customer Service. A day after I placed my order I received an e-mail from GlobalEyeglasses.com saying that one of the pairs I had ordered was now out of stock and would I please select a new pair.  While a little bummed that one of my first choices was no longer available, I was very happy that they let me know immediately.  I chose a new frame and made a small change to another frame I had originally ordered.  They adjusted the price accordingly and immediately refunded me the difference.
  8. Extras. Each pair comes with its own free case, eyeglass cloth, and replacement nose pads and screws.

Verdict: I would absolutely recommend GlobalEyeglasses.com and use them again.  When placing your order, use the coupon code, “glassyeyes” for 10% off.