Powerball

No, I didn't win the Powerball (maybe because I haven't bought a ticket), but I felt nearly as good as if I had this morning.

Today was my long-awaited day with the optometrist.  I knew I would not be getting new glasses today, but this was the first step toward actually getting relatively normal vision again, after so long!

Dr. Maebori is a neat guy.  I've seen him several times before and like him a lot.  Again, it was amazing to me that I could actually read a couple of lines of the vision chart with my newly restored eye.  He wrote up a new prescription and I headed downstairs to "Vision Essentials," where you buy glasses through Kaiser.

The clerk suggested I go and pick out frames I like, but I knew from past experience that wouldn't work.  I can't see well enough without my glasses to see what I look like in new frames.  One time I thought I'd be very clever and I brought my friend Lynn with me to help choose frames.  We brought my camera and after we found some frames that looked good, she would take my picture wearing them and I could see them on my face with my glasses and choose which one(s) I liked.

I think i picked 3 possibles but when it was time for me to meet with the lady who orders the glasses for you, she told me that with my prescription none of them would work  Maybe because I wear trifocals and they weren't big enough.  I don't remember why exactly, but she chose a couple of frames that would work and that's how I got the frames I've been wearing ever since. And I'm happy with them.

So I sat in the waiting room until finally "Cynthia" came to help me.  I told her I was happy with my current frames and she went off to see  what they had that was similar and discovered they still had that brand, and brought me four pairs from which to choose.

Color is in now and I chose a nice blue color.  In truth, red is my favorite color, but the shades of red they had I didn't like and actually I wear more blue than anything else, so blue will be fine.  It's not "hit you in the face" blue, but very subtle.

Then came the moment when she had to figure out the cost

I cringed when she put down $175 for the frames and another $179 for the lenses.  But I justified the cost by reminding myself that I hadn't had a new pair in about 10 years or more.  I turned down the chance to have the lenses that darken automatically, mostly because I was told once that with my lenses that was not possible (I think because of the trifocals).  I also turned down extra insurance and a safety coating on the lenses.  I figured I would try to keep the cost down as much as possible.

Then she started subtracting certain discounts.  There is, for example, a one time cataract discount and a couple of other discounts.  

When she finished doing all that, it turned out that my new glasses were going to cost me...are you ready for this?...$5.00.

We were both amazed and she even checked it all a second time, but that was right.  Five dollars.  But then she checked something else, leaned back in her chair and said, "No.  You don't owe anything for them."

So in ten days or so, I will have my new glasses and I will (maybe) find out what this "depth perception" thing is all about.  People have been telling me about it for years.  And it won't cost me a cent.  She says that there is a possibility they might still send me a bill for $5, but I don't think I'll complain if they do!

I told her she was now officially my very favorite clerk...ever!