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I am fussy about my vision. I’ve been wearing glasses ‘full time’ since I was about 12 years old. I have weird eyes and if my glasses aren’t ‘just’ right I get headaches. Well, more headaches than usual.
The local optometrists in Castlegar, Trail, and Nelson don’t have the model of lenses (Zeiss ‘Smartlife’ progressives) that I’ve found work best for me. Measuring for these requires special equipment and training.
So I drove yesterday to Kelowna to get my eye exam and prescription and order my new lenses. That’s an eight hour round trip, and I’ll have to do it again in a couple of weeks when the glasses are ready for fitting. That probably seems a bit excessive, but…
Why so fussy?
I have multiple vision problems that are different in each eye. Astigmatism and far-sightedness as well as various defects in the lenses of my eyes makes it challenging to get a prescription done right and to get glasses that correct most of my vision issues most of the time. I also spend a lot of the time viewing computer screens and reading: like a *lot* of time.
If my prescription is done well I can get essentially 20/20 vision across a wide range of scenarios. Done less well and I have daily headaches with the feeling that my eyes are unscrewing themselves from my head. It is unpleasant.
But it isn’t just getting a good prescription that matters. The right progressive lens can make a gigantic difference as well. Most progressives have a fairly narrow ‘clear vision’ band. Because of my vision, even expensive lenses with older technology result in me having to turn my head left or right, or tilt up and down, to see clearly. Even small variations in how the glasses are sitting on my nose can make things blurry.
Zeiss is one of a couple of companies that has advanced lens technologies to ‘expand’ the clear viewing area. I had them before for several prescription renewals via Panorama Optometry when I was in Langley. The advanced technologies mean less head turning and tilting, and fewer problems if the glasses are slightly off-kilter. All ‘good’ progressive lenses are pretty expensive- Zeiss isn’t really much more than usual. Around $500-$650 per lens depending on coatings and such, so $1,200 to $1,500 for a full set of new glasses.
Why Kelowna?
My last prescription and lenses were from a Castlegar optometrist. They were nice people and the doctor seemed skilled. But they didn’t have Zeiss so I took what they had: a different high quality progressive that the optometrist recommended as an alternative.
I immediately noticed the difference and vowed that I’d get Zeiss for my next prescription. I looked around and consulted Zeiss’ website to find that the nearest certified dealer was iSight optical in Kelowna. I pondered my limited options for a while then finally decided that the drive was worth it as the headaches were becoming frequent.
The experience at a Zeiss certified optometrist is a bit different from ‘normal’ optometrists, at least given my limited sample size of two. They use more advanced equipment like the fancy cameras that take panoramic images of the inside of your eye. The opticians also use specialized computer-linked 3D ‘fitting’ devices that attach to whatever frames you choose so they can get a precise layout of how the lenses will fit in the frames along with your facial structure.
Waiting…
My visit to iSight yesterday introduced me to a new optometrist (Dr. Gautier) and a new Zeiss-specialist Optician (Cyril). Both seemed very professional, caring, and were nice to chat with: I felt like they were really listening to how I use my eyes, which is in my experience a big part of getting a good outcome.
Now I have to wait a couple of weeks until my new glasses are ready and then drive back to Kelowna for a final fitting. It is a decent day trip so long as I have loud and invigorating music to keep my blood pumping while I drive. But I do wish there was a local Zeiss-certified optometrist… the downside of living in the lovely Kootenay region, I guess.