When I wanted to start using contact lenses, they gave me a pair of those that last one month for free to try them out, I didn’t find them entirely comfortable so they gave another pair of another brand, and a third one. Then I started again on another place, and another, I think I went a full year without paying for contact lenses.
Worked as a lab manager for some of those one hour shops to pay for college. The drs would tell me horror stories where people would go to the strip malls and get these cheap “contact” lenses that had smiley faces or some shit on them. They wear them then swap them with friends. Basically not taking hygiene into account. They’d get some serious eye infections. Like nearly lose your sight serious eye infections.
Oh wow, another former optical lab tech in the wild.
I switched fields years ago and I’m glad I did. Visiting glasses shops today, there’s almost no on-site lab to speak of anymore. Maybe some finishing machines, but I haven’t seen a full surface lab in years.
I don’t have anything to add to the contact lens story except - wow, that’s nasty.
This might be specific to Spain then. I don’t know how the shop that sells prescription glasses is called, here they are called óptica. Their margins are big enough that they don’t charge you for the eye exam, the fitting or the test contacts.
In America, they have the big profit margin, AND they still have up charges for everything else. It’s the American way.
Years ago, before everybody had a printer with a scanner, I went into an office supply store to have a document scanned. They charged me $10, scanned my document, returned my document, and said Thank You.
I asked for a copy of my scan, but that was another $15. I had assumed that the original $10 also included a copy of the scan on some form of media, but No, the $10 was just to scan it into their computer. It was another $15 to take it home with me.
BTW, I spoke with the manager, who acted like I was being totally unreasonable to assume that paying $10 for them to scan a document they have no interest in into their computer was a weird thing to sell, and that ANYONE would assume that it includes a copy of the item you scanned. He eventually refunded my $10, and I got it done somewhere else.
When I wanted to start using contact lenses, they gave me a pair of those that last one month for free to try them out, I didn’t find them entirely comfortable so they gave another pair of another brand, and a third one. Then I started again on another place, and another, I think I went a full year without paying for contact lenses.
Worked as a lab manager for some of those one hour shops to pay for college. The drs would tell me horror stories where people would go to the strip malls and get these cheap “contact” lenses that had smiley faces or some shit on them. They wear them then swap them with friends. Basically not taking hygiene into account. They’d get some serious eye infections. Like nearly lose your sight serious eye infections.
Oh wow, another former optical lab tech in the wild.
I switched fields years ago and I’m glad I did. Visiting glasses shops today, there’s almost no on-site lab to speak of anymore. Maybe some finishing machines, but I haven’t seen a full surface lab in years.
I don’t have anything to add to the contact lens story except - wow, that’s nasty.
you wouldn’t download contact lenses… /jk
Absolutely.
Me right now
The optometrists over here change an extra fee for lens fittings on top of the fee for an eye exam. I think it’s $80 for us after insurance.
This might be specific to Spain then. I don’t know how the shop that sells prescription glasses is called, here they are called óptica. Their margins are big enough that they don’t charge you for the eye exam, the fitting or the test contacts.
In America, they have the big profit margin, AND they still have up charges for everything else. It’s the American way.
Years ago, before everybody had a printer with a scanner, I went into an office supply store to have a document scanned. They charged me $10, scanned my document, returned my document, and said Thank You.
I asked for a copy of my scan, but that was another $15. I had assumed that the original $10 also included a copy of the scan on some form of media, but No, the $10 was just to scan it into their computer. It was another $15 to take it home with me.
BTW, I spoke with the manager, who acted like I was being totally unreasonable to assume that paying $10 for them to scan a document they have no interest in into their computer was a weird thing to sell, and that ANYONE would assume that it includes a copy of the item you scanned. He eventually refunded my $10, and I got it done somewhere else.
That’s how things are done in America.