It has been a few years since I last updated my eyeglasses prescription.  I haven't noticed any big change, except that my lenses are looking like I use number 6 grit instead of a microfiber cloth to clean them.

But the real reason that I haven't bought new glasses is that, well, to be perfectly honest, glasses are way too expensive, especially new frames.  And I need new frames.

Somehow, I always think of Magoo's Christmas Carol when I'm being a pennypincher, and when eyeglasses are involved, well, there was just no choice.

Regardless, I got my new prescription in writing from my eye doctor, and listened to his horror tales about going to any optical shop except for his.  Still, they were nice enough to measure my inter-pupilary distances for me in addition to the written prescription they had to give me.

Don't think that I'm insensitive to the possible horrors of buying glasses online.  But I can counter most of the horror stories with equivalent problems dealing with local shops.

I did read a bunch of reviews while I was planning this escapade and after discounting the ends of the review spectrum ("+5 marvelous!!!!" and "My glasses were destroyed in the mail--never buy from these guys...") I was left with a couple of online shops that appeared to be what I would describe as regular businesses.

So yesterday, I placed an order.  Now we wait.  It could be 2 to 3 weeks before this test of online eyeglasses reaches the next hurdle.  ("It took over two weeks to get my glasses!  Never buy from these guys!") [My counter is that it has never taken less than 1 week even from local shops.]

When glasses are a huge investment, I end up playing silly games like getting my old lenses tinted for sunglasses so that I can have only slightly outdated prescription sunglasses.  But these days, my local shop is telling me, "Oh, your old lenses can't be tinted.  They aren't made out of this special plastic that we would have charged extra for." That's funny.  I distinctly recall telling them that tinting these when I got my next prescription was exactly what I intended to do.  So why didn't you tell me about the plastic back then? I'm sure that it's only my conspiracy theory generator telling me that they made up this rule later to have another way to ding me.

If these online glasses turn out to be acceptable at 1/6th the price, I will be perfectly willing to buy a second pair that is tinted for sunglasses.  And probably a third pair as a backup.  And I'd still have saved half of the cost.

Tune in again near the end of March.