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10-12-2008, 06:17 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Sydney
Posts: 1,883
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TrevorW
the rip off is the frames $150 up to $500 for designer frames that have about $2 worth of material in them that is the rip off.
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From my experience of wearing specs for 35 years I'd disagree. I often wear contact lenses when I'm flying or swimming and I don't know how many $20 pair of sunnies I've broken or ruined by sitting on or dropping. When you try to bend them back they break or are greatly weakened and never feel the same.
Contrast that with my normal optometrist metal specs, even with quite a thin frame, I fall asleep and roll on them , drop and step on etc and 99% of the time I just bend them back into shape. IMHO there is _absolutely_ no comparison to the quality and robustness of cheap frames against quality frames from the optometrist
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10-12-2008, 07:26 PM
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Colour is over-rated
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Newcastle, Australia
Posts: 2,414
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Satchmo
I did not say `cheapies will kill you'  My point was just that people who buy cheapies at the newsagent tend not to have there eyes tested as often, and an eye test includes an internal eye examination which can indeed show up sighns of things that will kill you or seriously effect your health and glaucoma is one of them..a result of the ever increasing and so often undiagnosed adult onset diabetes.
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Diabetes does cause eye disease, but not glaucoma - it causes disease of the retina.
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10-12-2008, 09:52 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Gateshead
Posts: 2,205
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Satchmo
From my experience of wearing specs for 35 years I'd disagree. I often wear contact lenses when I'm flying or swimming and I don't know how many $20 pair of sunnies I've broken or ruined by sitting on or dropping. When you try to bend them back they break or are greatly weakened and never feel the same.
Contrast that with my normal optometrist metal specs, even with quite a thin frame, I fall asleep and roll on them , drop and step on etc and 99% of the time I just bend them back into shape. IMHO there is _absolutely_ no comparison to the quality and robustness of cheap frames against quality frames from the optometrist 
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Do you they are using alloys which have metallurgical sharp memory ?
Too bad cars aren't made that way. Bend a panel in a minor prang and give it a little push and hey presto back the right shape , no creases , or ripples , smooth as .....
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10-12-2008, 10:04 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Beaumont Hills NSW
Posts: 2,900
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I have worn glasses for 52 years initially for a mild myopic condition. Glasses improved my long distance focus. That gradually improved over 40 years and I haven't needed them for long distance for some time. However the natural aging of the focusing means I now need glasses for reading (and my arms aren't long enough any more). The first pair of glasses I actually had to pay for was about 8 years ago when that big multinational optical company advertised $100 discount for MBF customers. What a laugh it cost me $200 above what I got back from medicare and MBF and I took the cheapest frames they had. I've never been back.
I get an eye test every year and new specs now from a local optition. MBF pays for the lot with a bit over so I usually get two pair for an additional $100. Yes I opt for cheaper frames that I regularly sit on but I can repair them from the accumulation of old specs I keep in the drawer and some 14, 12 and 10Ba screws that I keep on hand with taps and dies to suit.
Barry
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10-12-2008, 11:48 PM
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IIS Member #671
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Canberra
Posts: 11,159
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ian Robinson
Too bad cars aren't made that way. Bend a panel in a minor prang and give it a little push and hey presto back the right shape , no creases , or ripples , smooth as .....
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http://www.flylyf.com/bmw-gina-light-visionary/
More information on the BMW Web TV web site.
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11-12-2008, 09:28 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Sydney
Posts: 1,883
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lee
Diabetes does cause eye disease, but not glaucoma - it causes disease of the retina.
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Nearly 50% of diabetes patients develop Glaucoma at some stage. In my fathers case, it started that he lost his reading vision in one eye through Glaucoma, which is how they discovered he had undisgnosed diabetes.
If he had had more regular eye check ups the Glaucoma would have been diagnosed much earlier.
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11-12-2008, 10:14 AM
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Occultation Observer
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Blue Mountains, Australia
Posts: 232
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ghsmith45
Opticians perpetuate the myth than glasses are especially made to an accurate prescription "just for you", when in fact that just pull a pair of plastic lenses of the shelf and fit them in some frames.
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It's not true that all opticians do this. There is/was an optician in West Ryde that has the standard shop on one side of the arcade where you go to have the examination and have the glasses fitted ect ect and on the other side of the arcade was the factory that ground and polished the lenses and fitted them to the frame. If you timed it right you could peer in and watch your glasses being made.
The off the shelf idea "might" be true if you only want one focus specs but if you need multi-focus specs with unique prescriptions then they have to be custom made.
No, I'm not an optician or affiliated with one.
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11-12-2008, 03:46 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Western Australia
Posts: 8,281
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Satchmo
From my experience of wearing specs for 35 years I'd disagree. I often wear contact lenses when I'm flying or swimming and I don't know how many $20 pair of sunnies I've broken or ruined by sitting on or dropping. When you try to bend them back they break or are greatly weakened and never feel the same.
Contrast that with my normal optometrist metal specs, even with quite a thin frame, I fall asleep and roll on them , drop and step on etc and 99% of the time I just bend them back into shape. IMHO there is _absolutely_ no comparison to the quality and robustness of cheap frames against quality frames from the optometrist 
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Are you an optometrist and don't get the two mixed up ie: spectacle retailers and optometrists as often optometrists are attached to retail stores whom make the bulk of the money.
I've been wearing glasses for over 40 years, I've had laser eye surgery (which didn't work) and I've worn and wear contacts so don't try and justify to me the rip off prices these stores charge for glasses especially those pieces of plastic I'm referring too and not neccessarily those titanium alloy unbreakable metal frames designed and engineering after the billions spent on space research.
refer this story-
http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...,2050256.story
Last edited by TrevorW; 11-12-2008 at 04:01 PM.
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11-12-2008, 05:04 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Sydney
Posts: 1,883
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No i'm not an optomotrist. I think I 've made my practical experiences and observations perfectly clear.
Last edited by Satchmo; 11-12-2008 at 06:42 PM.
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11-12-2008, 05:22 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Gateshead
Posts: 2,205
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Gotta get around to checking for glorcoma too , dad had it, mums got it and she's recently developed diabetise too (in her 80s) , and there is diabetis in my wifes family too, so she's also at risk.
The tests are free or fully bulk billed ?? yes ?
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11-12-2008, 09:30 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Geraldton, WA
Posts: 1,440
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Ian, how much is your health worth ? If you have to pay a bit out of pocket its worth it for the peace of mind or catching the problem before it gets to the untreatable stage. I did when I got wobbly legs at work one day. If I hadn't got one of the guys to drive me straight to the doc, I'd probably be dead or a vegetable by now. Cost me a lot even though I had top private cover. But I'm still here and enjoying life.
Bill
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12-12-2008, 07:10 AM
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Colour is over-rated
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Newcastle, Australia
Posts: 2,414
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Satchmo
Nearly 50% of diabetes patients develop Glaucoma at some stage. In my fathers case, it started that he lost his reading vision in one eye through Glaucoma, which is how they discovered he had undisgnosed diabetes.
If he had had more regular eye check ups the Glaucoma would have been diagnosed much earlier.
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Actually studies show that diabetes is a possible, weak risk factor for glaucoma. They are both common conditions, and will overlap a lot due to this fact.
In any case - a lot of people seem to be suggesting going to an optometrist to pick up diabetes - a much better idea is to see your GP, who will hopefully pick it up with blood tests, before your eyes show signs of damage. Glaucoma - see your optometrist, diabetes - doctor.
Last edited by Lee; 12-12-2008 at 07:15 AM.
Reason: spelling
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12-12-2008, 07:53 AM
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amateur
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Mt Waverley, VIC
Posts: 7,112
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Glenhuon
Ian, how much is your health worth ? If you have to pay a bit out of pocket ....
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This is exactly the psychological mechanism that creates the opportunity for ripoff's...
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12-12-2008, 08:28 AM
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Colour is over-rated
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Newcastle, Australia
Posts: 2,414
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bojan
This is exactly the psychological mechanism that creates the opportunity for ripoff's...
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Funny isn't it how most people wouldn't take their car to the cheapest mechanic in town, but happily strive to find the cheapest medical care around....
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12-12-2008, 09:09 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Geraldton, WA
Posts: 1,440
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bojan
This is exactly the psychological mechanism that creates the opportunity for ripoff's...
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No mate, normally I have to be practically forced to see a doc. But ignoring warning signs to save a quid is not a good idea. There ain't no rich corpses.
Bill
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12-12-2008, 02:55 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Gateshead
Posts: 2,205
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Glenhuon
Ian, how much is your health worth ? If you have to pay a bit out of pocket its worth it for the peace of mind or catching the problem before it gets to the untreatable stage. I did when I got wobbly legs at work one day. If I hadn't got one of the guys to drive me straight to the doc, I'd probably be dead or a vegetable by now. Cost me a lot even though I had top private cover. But I'm still here and enjoying life.
Bill
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Well - I refuse to pay for the biggest rip off of the lot - Private Health Insurance - so I have to save to pay for dental stuff (I'm fine with that , we chose who we want to do our dental work based on word of mouth who are good , gentle and effective dentists) - we go to the dentist if we need to and I simply pay what needs to be paid for by Debit Card, I'll grumble about the cost (a lot !!!) but if you debelop bad teeth it can cause lots of serious health issues and we'd rather not deal with those even if we ate dentists with a vengence , the same will apply to any optical (if eyesight or eye problem issues detected) when we get around to it , if its not covered by Bulk Billing to Medicare.
Still miles in from where we'd been if I'd have kept my private health insurance current since 1984 (I cancelled it after getting big doctors and hospital bills after paying for years that were incurred when my wife gave birth to the lad. That was the last straw for me .... I did my sums and did a bit of risk analysis and decided we were lots better off without private health insurance , therefore ditched it and I stuck to my guns on that , as , I see no REAL benefit now either).
Keep on telling myself and my wife we should go to an optican and have our eyes checked , been doing so for a couple of years now , we're both 51 now , keep on forgetting , heck I walked into a local optican near the Belmont Court House after my day in court to extend the AVO against the loonie next door (who's just gotten back from hospital again BTW) for another 12 months a few weeks ago but didn't have the Medicare Card on me so couldn't get the eye's tested and be bulk billed for it. Doh !! Haven't been back or near an optician since - I rarely go into the malls or near the shopping precincts other than to wait in the car while the wife's doing the weekly food shopping. I know - pretty slack !!!
Last edited by Ian Robinson; 12-12-2008 at 03:44 PM.
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12-12-2008, 03:25 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Gateshead
Posts: 2,205
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Glenhuon
No mate, normally I have to be practically forced to see a doc. But ignoring warning signs to save a quid is not a good idea. There ain't no rich corpses.
Bill
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My dad was like that - getting to the doctor was like pulling teeth mum says. A lot of men in his age group (who were born just after WW1) are like that - if you feel off - you tough it out type of attitude , and a bit stingyness too , after living through the Great Depression , something us current lot may experience ourselves soon as the global economic outlook is BAD and show's no sign of improving in the forseeable future - 2009/2010 Global Depression ?
I've had heaps of physicals in that last few years - jumping through initial hoops in job hunting - very fat but no diabetis or kidney or heart issues, but hypertension - being treated for that and the BP is excellent now . The arse has dropped out of the boom now so the chance of getting my perfect job has deminished , oh well , I'll stick with the masters for now and keep looking even though no one is telling me I have too. Being a man of leisure and all that ....
I regularly see the GP , he bulk bills BTW , every few months , when the script for the BP pills needs renewal and get full bloods done annually (bulk billed).
With study the last several years - I've been way too sedantory , and gotten even less exercise since my local square dance club caller retired from calling , so I've not had my square dancing for 3 or 4 hours once or twice a week the last couple of years either.
Need to get back into that next year I think and now it's warm , get out and do more fishing (involves a fair bit of walking to get up the breakwaters).That'll help get the weight off , and improve my physical fitness somewhat.
Last edited by Ian Robinson; 12-12-2008 at 03:47 PM.
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12-12-2008, 06:44 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Carmel - Perth Hills
Posts: 303
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I had glasses once.. could see better without them.. fortunately HBF picked up the tab.
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12-12-2008, 07:35 PM
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Tasmania
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Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Australia - Hobart
Posts: 727
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Just getting a little bit back to topic...
I've worn glasses most of my life, I'm also very fussy with optical quality. I used to get the common high index plastic lenses offered by most places.
Just last month I ordered a new pair, this time I opted for high quality glass lenses made in japan by hoya. I thought they would be heaps more expensive than before, however they worked out to be only $50 more. $300 total with designer frames.
I am VERY happy with the quality! They are very thin and give fabulous veiws! If you drop them they will break but they should prove much harder to stratch.
It sounds funny, but they even feel harder and smoother when cleaning them.
I only share this info in case there are others who might approciate a top bit of glass.
Cheers!
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12-12-2008, 07:37 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Gateshead
Posts: 2,205
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Benny L
I had glasses once.. could see better without them.. fortunately HBF picked up the tab.
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Actually you did , bet ya never ever got more back from HBF in rebates than you paid them to have coverage. .... all they did was give you back a little bit of your money  , why don't as many people see this ....?
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