from the Atlantic

Other countries come down on the side of making it easy to get glasses without entering "the Byzantine" American health system. We require costly prescriptions - costly if you're not fortunate enough to have golden insurance or have a reasonable disposable income. Our system does catch some deeper problems, but it also makes a lot of work for expensive professionals. Work that was not necessary for the patient.

Down with Big Optics!

I had no idea, but I'm not the least bit surprised.

Healthcare should neither be for-profit nor managed by religious organizations.

In the meantime, we’re trapped by the system. And it’s expensive. Especially if your prescription changes annually (probably more, but I don’t want to pay for a new lens every six months).

We bought prescription sunglasses when we were in Vietnam. I don’t think we even had our prescriptions with us; they just figured it out from our glasses. Easy-peasy. And cheap.

The good news is that OTC hearing aids are becoming available.
The bad news is that hearing aids providers are expecting to make up the difference by raising prices from
around $5000 a pair to $7000 a pair for those of us with more severe hearing loss.

I work with a 17 year old intern and just yesterday while driving her home, we talked about glasses.

Turns out the Mass Health plan her family is one only allows glasses once a year...She lost hers so has been going without...She told me if she had broken them, they would have been replaced..but since they are lost, she has to wait.

She is a kid in need, in her senior year of high school...

NOW I get why she always is over her paper when she is writing something...

She should be able to get glasses...NOW!

If you have a prescription, you can get cheap glasses online at a few places ... the one I use is Zenni Optical. I think I pay $20 or so per pair, assuming no unusual lenses and standard frames.

If I'm remembering correctly, you don't have to send in a prescription, you just enter it in the fields. The only thing you can get wrong is measuring the pupillary distance, which isn't on the prescription unless you ask the eye doctor to do so.

quote:

Originally posted by QuirtEvans:
If you have a prescription, you can get cheap glasses online at a few places ... the one I use is Zenni Optical. I think I pay $20 or so per pair, assuming no unusual lenses and standard frames.

If I'm remembering correctly, you don't have to send in a prescription, you just enter it in the fields. The only thing you can get wrong is measuring the pupillary distance, which isn't on the prescription unless you ask the eye doctor to do so.

I have a hard to fit face, not much bridge to my nose. When I was 6, the optician fitting me for my first pair of glasses laughed. (A-hole) I ordered from Zenni once, but they didn’t fit.

I take the middle road on glasses. I will spend the $$ to get a good pair of progressives if my prescription has changed significantly. I'll also ask to get the pupillary distance on my prescription. Then I will go to someplace like Zenni to get really cheap distance glasses for driving, distance sunglasses for driving, and a cheap pair of my reading distance glasses. I've found that my old reading glasses work well for computers and piano. At some point that might change and my old glasses may not work well for piano and computer, but so far it's worked out well.

quote:

Originally posted by pianojuggler:
I had no idea, but I'm not the least bit surprised.

Healthcare should neither be for-profit nor managed by religious organizations.

There are some unsettling numbers in this article about how much of healthcare is controlled by religious organizations. 45 percent in Washington, and in some areas, 100 percent.

https://www.seattletimes.com/s...urance-commissioner/

There was a fuss when the local hospital was about to become St.
Anthony's. There was not enough of a fuss, it is now St. Anthony's.
I suppose they need the money for pay damages in child abuse cases.

Meanwhile, there's progress on the great American hearing aid scam.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/f...earables-revolution/

My friend's son works for Bose and he got a pair of the FDA cleared Bose hearing aids for his dad. Doesn't hurt that he gets the 50% employee discount.

Dad is thrilled with them and says they work really well. They do have some limitations (you can't take calls) but they may be a cost effective option for people that just need some basic help with their hearing.

https://www.bose.com/en_us/pro...ol_hearing_aids_gray

quote:

Originally posted by wtg:
Meanwhile, there's progress on the great American hearing aid scam.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/f...earables-revolution/

My friend's son works for Bose and he got a pair of the FDA cleared Bose hearing aids for his dad. Doesn't hurt that he gets the 50% employee discount.

Dad is thrilled with them and says they work really well. They do have some limitations (you can't take calls) but they may be a cost effective option for people that just need some basic help with their hearing.

https://www.bose.com/en_us/pro...ol_hearing_aids_gray

Does his dad wear glasses? it looks like there’s a big chunk o’equipment right over the ear.

I remember my grandfather's 1980s vintage hearing aids; they were quite large.

I do think that the larger size of current models is typical of lower priced hearing aids. At least it seems that the smaller the device, the higher the price....

His dad wears glasses. I don't know if he is bothered by the over-the-ear design and the size of the Bose; I'll have to ask him.

quote:

Originally posted by wtg:
I remember my grandfather's 1980s vintage hearing aids; they were quite large.

I do think that the larger size of current models is typical of lower priced hearing aids. At least it seems that the smaller the device, the higher the price....

His dad wears glasses. I don't know if he is bothered by the over-the-ear design and the size of the Bose; I'll have to ask him.

I need to have my mom’s hearing tested; I’m pretty sure she can’t hear well. She keeps blaming masks, but I don’t think that’s all of it. I think she just doesn’t want to spend the money on hearing aids.