I can see clearly now!

One of the things I was looking forward to when we got back from our cruise was picking up my new glasses which had arrived by post at work while I was away. My old pair had been stood on at a party this time last year, and I had been wearing a combination of my spare pair and the contact lenses I had left from when I used to have them delivered.

Eventually the contact lenses ran out. I tried the new type of extended wear lenses that you only change once a month but they didn't suit my eyes, and the optician advised that I shouldn't carry on with them. So I was back to wearing my spare pair, and decided that I really ought to get a new pair and relegate the boring black pair back to being spares.

My spares had been bought online, so I decided to look at the various online glasses shops, and spent a long time deliberating over what to buy. I was looking for a dark brown/ burgundy pair with a small narrow-shaped frames, but couldn't find anything that I really liked until I came across Select Specs. There, I found exactly what I was looking for. And they were only £5, including prescription lenses, UV and scratch-proof coating and ultra-thin lenses. A similar pair in Specsavers would be over £100. I'd have been prepared to pay more, and the typical price for glasses online is about £30





















So I sent off for them, not entirely convinced that they'd be any good for that price, and while I was away they arrived. (They had to come from Hong Kong, which is part of the reason that they cost so little). And they're actually really lovely. A deep burgundy-brown, they are comfortable, the lenses are thin despite my strong prescription and I think they look nice.

Sorry, this post is completely un boat-related, but I just wanted to help dispel some myths about buying glasses online. Firstly, several companies eg Glasses Direct let you chose up to 6 frames to try on at home, to see if they fit, and if you like them. Most others let you upload a photo and try them on 'virtually'. My method involved going into various glasses shops to try similar colours and styles, and then picking something without trying it on. Several people I've spoken to also assume that their prescription would be too complicated to produce cheaply, but most companies do bi- and vari-focal lenses for only £20 extra, still totalling at far less than what you'd pay in the shops. Most companies also produce prescription lenses to -15 and +15.