Its not fair, I can't help my terrible eyesight!

fatpiggy

This is not a rant at my glasses/contact lenses supplier (Boots) at all, in fact I find them excellent. I'm just venting my spleen I suppose. I just had my eyes tested, the usual annual check up (I'm 50 and have had to correct my eyesight since I was 7). My left eye is -12.25 and my right eye -10.75 so that is pretty bad, and annoyingly, still getting worse, despite my age plus I'm going long-sighted as well. I never waste money on fancy glasses frames, so the lastest ones are Boots own brand at £90, about the cheapest in the shop. Ah, now I should say that as my prescription is so strong, there are only about 3 designs in the entire store that my lenses will go into. I have to have them thinned a bit as otherwise they are like bottle bottoms. So now I am £415 lighter courtesy of my specs, and this will only last me for 12 months. I wear contact lenses for work, at least these were only £150 thanks to Boots policy, otherwise they would have been over £300 ( I wear varifocal contacts to accomodate everything I do, otherwise I would need two pairs of reading glasses on top of the contacts for close and medium work). So in one month I paid out the best part of £600 to correct my eyesight :eek:. I have never abused my eyes, I was just born with this problem. No-one else in the family is short-sighted. I am at severe risk of detached retinas and cataracts and thanks to my prescription, I can't have sunglasses as the lenses won't support the tint. Oh yes, I can't see in the dark either, again due to my shortsightedness. I get the princely sum of £15 from the government for my "complex prescription". As if that makes any difference. Choose to abuse your body with alcohol and drugs and they can't spend enough on you :mad:

And no, I can't use the on-line glasses suppliers as they will only work with up to + or - 8.

Ah well, at least my cat likes dogs, so the guidedog will settle in nicely when it arrives and I got a few extra Tesco clubcard points out of my expenditure

SailorSam

And i thought my double vision gave me problems,i should count myself lucky.

Februarycat

I agree it's not fair, I am very short-sighted too (similar prescription to yours ) and am overdue an eye test, reason I have not gone is I know it's going to cost me round £450+ if I need new glasses. I have always said for people with very bad eyesight they should get them free or at least a reduction, but that will never happen.

McKneff

You need to stop bluddy moaning.


My husband has had 13 operations on his eyes in the past 15 years or so.
He has no vision because of scar tissue in one eye and no peripheral vision in his other eye.


I would give every penny we have to have his vision to a standard that it could be paid to have it corrected with glasses etc.


He has had cataracts, countless detached retinas,


Now count your blessings.....

Morglin

fatpiggy wrote: »

This is not a rant at my glasses/contact lenses supplier (Boots) at all, in fact I find them excellent. I'm just venting my spleen I suppose. I just had my eyes tested, the usual annual check up (I'm 50 and have had to correct my eyesight since I was 7). My left eye is -12.25 and my right eye -10.75 so that is pretty bad, and annoyingly, still getting worse, despite my age plus I'm going long-sighted as well. I never waste money on fancy glasses frames, so the lastest ones are Boots own brand at £90, about the cheapest in the shop. Ah, now I should say that as my prescription is so strong, there are only about 3 designs in the entire store that my lenses will go into. I have to have them thinned a bit as otherwise they are like bottle bottoms. So now I am £415 lighter courtesy of my specs, and this will only last me for 12 months. I wear contact lenses for work, at least these were only £150 thanks to Boots policy, otherwise they would have been over £300 ( I wear varifocal contacts to accomodate everything I do, otherwise I would need two pairs of reading glasses on top of the contacts for close and medium work). So in one month I paid out the best part of £600 to correct my eyesight :eek:. I have never abused my eyes, I was just born with this problem. No-one else in the family is short-sighted. I am at severe risk of detached retinas and cataracts and thanks to my prescription, I can't have sunglasses as the lenses won't support the tint. Oh yes, I can't see in the dark either, again due to my shortsightedness. I get the princely sum of £15 from the government for my "complex prescription". As if that makes any difference. Choose to abuse your body with alcohol and drugs and they can't spend enough on you :mad:

And no, I can't use the on-line glasses suppliers as they will only work with up to + or - 8.

Ah well, at least my cat likes dogs, so the guidedog will settle in nicely when it arrives and I got a few extra Tesco clubcard points out of my expenditure

It is rotten luck when disabilities we cannot help cost us money - either with lack of wages, or the costs associated with helping with whatever it is.

But, there's generally someone, somewhere, worse off, so I've learned it's best to just shrug and accept the situation.

Not always easy, I know.

Hope your glasses are helpful.

Lin

tomtontom

Shop around, even if you can't get them online other high street opticians are cheaper than Boots.

Your comment about alcohol and drug abuse is pretty ignorant - on so many levels. No one sets out to become an addict, most turn to drugs etc for life circumstances we could only imagine. I'm sure many would swap a life of abuse for your dodgy eye sight.

amibovvered

I was -15 in both eyes. But that's ok (:() because high prescriptions = early cataracts so I had my first cataract surgery at 49 and am awaiting an appointment for my second any day now - aged 58. I'll probably still need glasses all the time but at least they won't raise blisters on my ears and leave painful marks round my nose.

I knew someone whose prescription for both eyes was -25. Now that's bad (although agreed it cannot compare with someone who is blind or partially sighted).

Incidentally my mum died a few years ago aged 93, never having needed cataract surgery.

Morglin

tomtontom wrote: »

Shop around, even if you can't get them online other high street opticians are cheaper than Boots.

Your comment about alcohol and drug abuse is pretty ignorant - on so many levels. No one sets out to become an addict, most turn to drugs etc for life circumstances we could only imagine. I'm sure many would swap a life of abuse for your dodgy eye sight.

Um, not sure about that. Addictions CAN be stopped/cured, with the right willingness and the right help.

Eye disease, generally, along with a host of other things, is a lifetime problem, that self control cannot overcome.

Lin

[Deleted User]

I am registered as partially sighted due to being born with cataracts with no corrective lenses, and having subsequent problems including ocular hypertension and bullous keratopathy. I can't see at all without my glasses and the lenses are very thick, although Specsavers did manage to make sunglasses with my prescription.

I get that it can be frustrating having eye problems and costs associated with them, believe me, but I think you are forgetting that there are people out there who will have worse problems with their eyes than yours. Venting that you have to spend money and you have a limited choice of frames is an insult to those who have no choice at all and would pay anything to have vision at least like yours.

missbiggles1

I don't quite follow why you need to have glasses as well as lenses, except for emergency and in that case, why you need to fork out to have thinner lenses.

tomtontom

Morglin wrote: »

Um, not sure about that. Addictions CAN be stopped/cured, with the right willingness and the right help.

Eye disease, generally, along with a host of other things, is a lifetime problem, that self control cannot overcome.

Lin

Are you suggesting addiction is simply a matter of self control? Addiction is a mental illness, just like schizophrenia or depression. I guess people with those conditions should just pull themselves together?

Addictions can be managed, with a whole heap of intensive treatment and ongoing support. The chances of getting either on the NHS are minimal, and even if you do get help the chances of relapse are high. Goodness knows why the OP thinks these people get money thrown at them, addiction services are woefully underfunded.