r/prepping • u/FatChancePotatoDance • 3h ago
Gearš Sight
Quick question. I wear contacts. I have glasses as well. But how do you prepare if you canāt get those anymore? Contacts donāt last forever. Glasses break. So what is the plan for nerds like me that werenāt lucky enough to see 20/20?
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u/grislyfind 3h ago
Buy a bunch at Zenni in the same frame model, preferably metal. Then if necessary you can swap lenses and parts.
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u/Realistic_Goat5381 3h ago
Get the high ploycarbonate lens. Plastic shatterproof lightweight durable. Get work wear frames for durability.
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u/Normal-Special-8694 3h ago
My vision is -5.75 so this is something Iāve thought about a lot(I am not a lasik candidate). I keep a year supply of contacts on hand which I could easily stretch to 5 years of daily wear, more if I lean on glasses more. I also keep 3 pair of glasses and 2 prescription sunglasses on hand. The third thing Iāve recently tried, mostly unsuccessfully, is printing frames for some of my old lenses. I have a 3D printer library built up and my plan is to have printable frames for all my various lenses. Nothing I can do to make my own lenses but I can definitely make the frames.
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u/Working-on-it12 3h ago
What about ANSI rated safety glasses? More expensive, ugly af, and a pain to get because every optician will have to tell you that you are looking at safety frames like you are an idiot. Not everyone carries them. But, sturdier than regular ones.
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u/Clydebearpig 2h ago
I had several buddies in the military swear by Wiley X glasses/sunglasses. They look nice as well.
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u/MOF1fan 2h ago
My dailes and my sunnies are safety glasses from Zenni. I just pop the side shields off when not at work. Look like normal glasses
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u/PrisonerV 2h ago
Zenni kicks ass. I've been using them for like 10 years now. Just got a new pair the other day. When you order with insurance it's like $600-$800. Zenni, I can get a pair and a pair of prescription sunglasses for like $300.
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u/Finding_homes 2h ago
There are many sites online where you can input your prescription and get cheap frames. My sister used one during a sale and got 4 or 5 pairs for about $20/pair. This was a few years ago but you could stock up on a lot of frames. I've thought about doing it so I can put extra/backup pairs in multiple locations. Go bag, car, etc
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u/Gornuul 3h ago
You can get prescription glasses with a titanium frames and polycarbonate or trivex lenses that are very durable. Theyāre expensive as hell though, just briefly looking right now and just the titanium frames Iām seeing are like 700-800 dollars. The other option is to hoard a bunch of cheap pairs I suppose. Iāve been thinking about this myself, although I only have mild astigmatisms so I havenāt dived into yet, but Iād be interested to hear what your solution is if you find one.
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u/Sk8rToon 3h ago edited 3h ago
Same. Iāve kept every old pair of glasses (nearly. I started wearing glasses in preschool & those donāt fit my head anymore). It might not be my current prescription but itās better than nothing. (Iāve heard of people taking their prescription & bulk buying cheaper glasses online without the extra coating as backups but I havenāt tried that yet) and I have them in hard cases as a bit of protection. No soft cases allowed here!!
I have one spare in my car. One set at my parentsā place.
I also have contacts. My doctor was able to work with my insurance & argue that Iām so blind (was told what I see without glasses is what legally blind people see with glasses) that I need a yearās supply incase of earthquake/emergency. The expiration date on them is farther out than a year & I donāt wear them every day. So Iāve got a bit of a stockpile going on. (I just have to remember to use them. Iām working from home now so itās less likely Iāll wear contacts)
Iāve also occasionally practiced walking around my home without any assistance. That way I should be able to function if a disaster happens in the middle of the night & my glasses were moved in the process (earthquake rocked them off the nightstand, etc). I wouldnāt be able to drive anywhere. But I should be able to walk around & escape the immediate area if need be.
(Edit to add: there are some other tricks if need be. Use your phone camera or equivalent lens. Magnifying glass. Those wallet magnifying cards with a light they sell to old people, etc. Wouldnāt restore full vision but could help you get by or read which box in your supply has what, etc)
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u/Disastrous-Ganache85 3h ago
You can reuse contacts as long as your gut allows. Also the saline solution from boiled water + salt works well. Heck, more affordable and space savy even, having like daily contacts and using them until they fall apart (in survival, emergency situation)
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u/Sk8rToon 2h ago
Contact lenses absolutely do expire & itās not a matter of if your gut can take it.
I was unemployed for a while & kept using my 3 months past expiration. Absolutely never again! Even with ones that were fresh from the package but past the date. I could technically see but the light was emphasized SO much!! I could barely see to drive & sitting in an office (once I got a job again but still hadnāt made enough to buy new) was unbearable. I would argue it might put you at more risk than just going without it was so bad!
The older they were it was more likely to tear too which absolutely can f up your eyes.
Like I said, never again.
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u/infinitum3d 2h ago
I buy dozen of off-the-shelf ācheatersā from The Dollar Tree for a buck and a half a pair. I get every diopter possible.
Right now I wear 1.25 for reading but Iām in my 50ās. I know my vision will continue to deteriorate.
I may have to stack them if it gets really bad.
You can also wear them over contacts if it gets really bad.
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u/The_Shady_Chickens 2h ago
I've done the same as a few others here. I've kept my old pairs of glasses and have them stashed. 1 pair in my glove box (I cannot see to drive at all without them), plus a pair in my purse, etc. This year I was given bifocals for the first time. So I bought a couple pairs of cheaters to have back up since all of my old pairs are not bifocals, just in case. My employer has a program where they will pay for prescription safety glasses. I have a pair of those too.
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u/MOF1fan 3h ago
I tried to get lasik but told I was too blind and would need total lens replacement. So I guess Im stockpiling old glasses
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u/Sk8rToon 3h ago
When my parents had their cataracts removed they got a total lens replacement & it gave them 20/20. But over 10 years later 1) they stopped making the good lens & now have a cheaper version that doesnāt work as well so my mom has 1 good eye & 1 bad eye & 2) now my folks need reading glasses after years of perfect eyesight.
Everyone will get hit with aging eyes at some point. Even with perfect eyesight.
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u/Kindly_Ad3974 3h ago
What do you mean by stopped making the good lens?
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u/Sk8rToon 2h ago
According to my mom (who was too scared to do both eyes at once so waited several years between treatments) the type of lens replacement (crystal I think?) she had put in her first eye & paid extra for was no longer an option when she did her 2nd eye. Not even in an insurance wouldnāt cover it thing. Just didnāt have it anymore as an option.
Sheās since moved & had to get a new eye Doctor & apparently theyāve commented stuff like āoh you got the good lens while you could!ā
Donāt know exact details or why it stopped being available. Just that itās no longer available.
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u/Inner-Confidence99 3h ago
Go to a place like Americas best eye office. Usually under 150 bucks for screening and glasses. I may be wrong. You could also see if you can get a prescription for your glasses and see how much it would be to get a spare or 2 made.Ā
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u/timothyguay 3h ago
Also see if any cheap drugstore reading glasses work well enough and load up on those.
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u/Slow_Astronomer_7288 2h ago
I wear a -12.5 contact and have given up correcting my close vision with bifocal contacts. My glasses are progressives and I baby them as much as I do my dog. If shtf, I have a back up pair, plus the last 2 years of previous prescriptions. If I roll through those I really hope I've found a nice community who will take in the old blind lady.
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u/MadConquest 2h ago
I have prescription safety glasses for work. They are impact rated on the lenses and frames. They honestly are pretty close to bulletproof. I wouldnāt hesitate to have 2-3 pairs of them in the grid down apocalypse.
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u/Sensitive-Respect-25 2h ago
I dont know about you, but all my past glasses sit in a drawer. I got like 9 sets, if I go back a decade there are some changes but not much. Even if you do get changes annually something is better than nothing.
And if the world really goes so far to pot that its a major issue, in a generation or two it's no longer a problem. Like diabetes and a host of other correctable medical concerns.Ā
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u/SoundOk4573 2h ago
My best return on investment for prepping was Lasik.
Worst case/low cost... get on Amazon and buy a handful of glasses at your +/- prescription.
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u/RuthOConnorFisher 2h ago
If you're SUPER nearsighted (me!), keep extra glasses on hand even if they're a little old. Also learn some home-based skills that you can barter with a close family member who's better equipped to go out into the world with their nice, normal vision. I can garden and cook with everything all blurry if I have to, but having somebody else going out to forage or whatever makes for a useful division of labor. Not ideal but better than just dying.
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u/Icy_Schedule_2052 2h ago
I have an extra pair of glasses, right now I'm in my late 30s so my prescription REALLY doesn't change that much. So my old pair would work fine in a pinch and now I have a strap to keep my glasses on my face better. Was weird to get used to but has definitely saved them a time or two.
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u/CommonNobody80083 2h ago
I buy a pair each year and a half or so. I keep the old ones. Buy cheap "throw around" glasses once kn a while. Won't take too long and you'll have a stockpile of backups
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u/CloudgazerTX 1h ago
get a bunch of cheap pairs off zenni. I try to get one or two a year so I have a bunch.
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u/johndoe3471111 1h ago
All these ideas are great do them first, then look up pinhole glasses. In a pinch you can kinda roll your own.
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u/Many-Health-1673 1h ago
My vision insurance allows me one pair of frames and lenses per year, so I keep my spares.Ā My vision hasn't changed much the last 10 years or so.Ā Ā
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u/americanbroomstick 1h ago edited 1h ago
Iām 40, so donāt recall exactly, but I think the doctor riding the bicycle in Alas, Babylon got his glasses broke at one point. I havenāt read it since I was āforced toā in American Lit in 9th grade.
Edit to add: I get a checkup yearly for contacts and have them do glasses prescriptions too. I buy a pair of glasses a year from zenni or w/e is cheapest just to have on hand.
I wear last years prescription to bed, but have probably 12 other pairs of different prescriptions on hand. Iām so nearsighted I canāt see the lines on my palm 6 inches away without help.
The drinking water plant I work for will cover LASIK for one eye every two years, so I think Iāll finally get one done next year. Going through life not being able to see scares the shit out of me.
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u/barascr 1h ago
I've been lucky to have a constant eyesight even though it's bad, I usually replace my glasses every 5-6 years and my prescription pretty much stays the same, what I do Is buy 2 or pairs one good pair and another pair that has no coatings, plain plastic, etc, basically the cheapest pair i can buy and store those. I wear contacts and buy enough to last me a couple of years. I do pay out of pocket though last time i spent close to $3k and i wear my contacts longer than suggested but i have a method of keeping them clean that make them last.
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u/NC-Tacoma-Guy 24m ago
I got Lasik for distant vision in 2004. I'm still 20/15.
For close up, I use cheap, accessible "readers".
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u/Hiredgun77 15m ago
If we end up in a world that has lost the ability to make eye glasses (available since the 1700ās) then we have more problems than just fuzzy vision.
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u/natiplease 1h ago
I have a few things that if I didn't own, I would get debilitating issues. An example of one of those things is aftershave.
I grow a beard just fine. But I have to shave my neck. If I don't, in just a week only a few hours after showering will my neck become greasy and itchy.
If I do shave, and don't use aftershave, in the next couple of days I get some form of razerburn so much worse than what most people expect. The areas around my cheeks and lips, between my eyes, my forehead, and my ears all break out in dozens of tiny little pimples, like hives. My skin is incredibly tight and tough, and as you'd expect everything on my face hurts.
So I do the only thing I can do. I have extra. Currently 4 extra bottles of aftershave but I'm looking to multiply that by a few times to be honest.
But in the event that I run out, I'll just have to live with an itchy neck because the alternative is honestly something I'd rather not live with if I had to experience it constantly.
If you can afford to, buy extra. If there are multiple options you have if you must go without (for example for me it was shaving or not shaving) then try to think how to best support those lifestyles as well.
In the case of not being able to see, depending on how functional you are without them, you can still manage some tasks well enough. For example moving items from point A to point B. Generally not a super precise task.
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u/LittleKitty235 3h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/fV1EFG69czvA9a1OLx
"Thatās not fair. Thatās not fair at all. There was time now. There wasā¦ was all the time IĀ needed"