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Making My Own Glasses

eidel.io

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Re: Making My Own Glasses

#91

Post by kube-system »

kshacker wrote: post #88
djhworld wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure about legality but here in the UK you will find opticians will give you your prescription, but often exclude the pupil distance measurement (I think) which a lot of the online stores require. I think you can ask for it, but they will only give it begrudgingly.

I recently (in US) asked for it, and was given a hand written sticky, begrudgingly after asking why you need it. But once asked again, no further objection.

Your PD isn’t part of the prescription. But the prescription itself must be provided to you by law in the US.

Re: Making My Own Glasses

#92

Post by wheelie_boy »

donjoe wrote: post #17

Everytime I read about glasses I have to think about the Luxottica-Monopoly which kind of controls most of the market and prices of glasses/lenses. https://www.latimes.com/business/lazarus/la-fi-lazarus-glass...

Yeah, I was surprised that he bought his final pair of glasses online for such a high price. Maybe the frames were expensive? I've used zenni optical for many pairs of glasses, and they're much cheaper.

Re: Making My Own Glasses

#93

Post by icebraining »

diroussel wrote: post #79
tonyarkles wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I encountered this in Canada, with an explanation given to me that there was a lawsuit at some point where an optometrist was sued after a client ordered glasses elsewhere based on the provided IPD and got glasses that caused headaches or something like that. From Wikipedia[1]: > In both the UK and most of Canada (excluding British Columbia[5]), the PD measurement is classed as a dispensing tool rather than a part of…

As part of GDPR you can request a copy of any personal data. In the UK this is governed by the ICO, and it’s called Right of Access. https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protectio...

Are you assuming they keep records on the PD measurements of clients who didn't actually purchase glasses there? At least at the opticians I've used, I don't think they do.

Re: Making My Own Glasses

#94

Post by mikepurvis »

LoSboccacc wrote: post #28
wonderwonder wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This did strike me as strange. Imagine going to a doctor getting a blood test and being told your numbers are good or bad but the doctor refusing to give you the actual result. They are your results, you paid for them and are part of an overall need to understand your health.

> you paid for them most places that sell glasses do those for free tho. I agree they should be given out and they do in europe, or at least in the two states I lived, but being paid for is not the angle to come at it from

I don't think I've ever had a free exam in Ontario— my insurance covers one (up to like $200 or something) every two years, so that's about the cadence I get them on.

So it's a paid-for thing; I don't feel bad about taking the prescription and buying glasses online. That said, the glasses from the shop last way, way longer than the online ones, so I really just use online for sunglasses or like to get novelty frames for a costume or something.

Re: Making My Own Glasses

#95

Post by mantoto »

cptskippy wrote: post #58
LoSboccacc wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> you paid for them most places that sell glasses do those for free tho. I agree they should be given out and they do in europe, or at least in the two states I lived, but being paid for is not the angle to come at it from

"Free" exams aren't free, the cost is included in the frames purchase. You can pay for an eye exam and walk out with a prescription, you just have to explain your intent.

Not always. My place doesn't do it.

Re: Making My Own Glasses

#96

Post by mantoto »

wonderwonder wrote: post #22
emptybits wrote: post #5

Fascinating hacker story in an unexpected domain. Thank you! A side note about "getting your numbers"... The author remarks, "she’s not happy to share the measurements with me as she fears I’ll run off and get my glasses made online". This will obviously vary by jurisdiction but what the author describes may be illegal in some places. e.g. where I live, there is a law since 2010 requiring opticians and optometrists "…

This did strike me as strange. Imagine going to a doctor getting a blood test and being told your numbers are good or bad but the doctor refusing to give you the actual result. They are your results, you paid for them and are part of an overall need to understand your health.

If you go to an eye doctor they will give it to you. At least in German

Re: Making My Own Glasses

#97

Post by SamBam »

jaclaz wrote: post #87
olieidel wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I am a doctor. As far as I remember, I studied medicine and graduated. As other comments point out, medicine is a very specialized field nowadays and I didn't specialize in any field (I got into coding healthcare software instead) - in Germany you study all disciplines at University (min. 6 years) and then specialize during something comparable to US residency in a hospital. I understand the process of accommoda…

If I may, particularly as a doctor yourself, you should call the eye doctor "ophthalmologist", as you surely know if you use "part of the body + doctor" there might be issues should you report a visit by a "proctologist" ...

It sounds like the author studied medicine in German.

In German, "ophthalmologist" is "Augenarzt", which is literally "eye doctor" (Auge: "eye" + Ärztin: "doctor").

Re: Making My Own Glasses

#98

Post by jfengel »

FPGAhacker wrote: post #44
djhworld wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure about legality but here in the UK you will find opticians will give you your prescription, but often exclude the pupil distance measurement (I think) which a lot of the online stores require. I think you can ask for it, but they will only give it begrudgingly.

Inter-pupillary distance is among the few things glasses related that can be measured yourself.

That may take some practice. I did it myself once, and was off by about 4 mm. The resulting glasses were incredibly painful. My eyes would try to look in two slightly different directions, and my brain would put the wrong 3D picture together. Whenever I moved my head my eyes would readjust, which took a noticeable period of time, and I could literally feel my non-dominant eye turning itself to find the focus. I chucked the glasses after a few days.

I'm sure it could be done better, but boy, that was an interesting experience I hope to never repeat.

Re: Making My Own Glasses

#99

Post by jqadams »

cptskippy wrote: post #63
scoot wrote: post #57

Misleading title. He tested his own eyesight and ordered glasses online. He didn't make his own glasses. Still an interesting read, just not what I expected from the title and lead.

Eh... he provided custom specifications to a manufacturer. Apple makes it's own SoCs for the iPhone, only Apple can't make semiconductors. They provide specifications to a manufacturer. Apple makes the iPhone, except it's Foxconn that manufacturers it. The APU in the Xbox One is made by Microsoft, but it's composed primarily of off the shelf designed CPU and GPU cores from AMD and manufactured by TSMC/GF/ .

By this logic, I am “making” my own pizza every time I tell Dominos to make me a 20cm pizza with cheese and sauce. I am “making” an IKA sofa when I order it online, telling the manufacturer the model, the size (2 seat, 3, etc).

No, what the OP did was check/confirm his numbers and then bought a pair of glasses from a website. Many people buy them from websites, typing in the numbers they received from their doctor. None of these people are “making” anything.

Re: Making My Own Glasses

#100

Post by chooseaname »

olieidel wrote: post #59
chooseaname wrote: post #10

> As a doctor I know some things about the human eye so I understand how to use those lenses. However, I have no clue about the magic ritual of the optician (“Do you see better with this lens?” - selects random lens and holds it in front of my eye). >Luckily, I didn’t have to. There's a specific reason why they do this and ask you to make a decision in an instant. It's called accommodation. Your eyes will quickly try…

Yes, I am a doctor. As far as I remember, I studied medicine and graduated. As other comments point out, medicine is a very specialized field nowadays and I didn't specialize in any field (I got into coding healthcare software instead) - in Germany you study all disciplines at University (min. 6 years) and then specialize during something comparable to US residency in a hospital. I understand the process of accommoda…

> Yes, I am a doctor. As far as I remember, I studied medicine and graduated.

Well, that's settled, then. ;)

> I understand the process of accommodation. This poses the risk of e.g. over-correcting short-sightedness if you're not aware of it because, with each lens of increasing strength, you accommodate and think "geez, everything just got sharper.. again!". I was aware of this and, as you can find in my article, actually ended up using very similar values for dioptries (the spheres) as the opticians. So either all of us totally forgot about accommodation or all of us were aware of it :)

Well, minus does like more minus. (Ask your new optician friends).

> My values mainly differed regarding to astigmatism, and accommodation doesn't play a significant role there.

No, but squinting, even a small amount, does. If your axis favors it.

> I am also aware of the bone behind my ears, thanks for reminding me :)

You're welcome.

> While you do learn a lot of stuff in med school, learning how to bend those things of glasses which go behind your ears is not part of that. I suppose that's not a skill which can be taught well, anyway - it's more like craftsmanship, getting it right by having done it lots of times.

Indeed. That's why there are professionals who do it. If you are still going to do it at home and you have a plastic frame, heat the ends up slightly. You can microwave a damp rag and wrap it around the ends for a moment. Or use a hair dryer carefully. At the optician's office, they have a hot air blower that does it. Used to be they had glass beads, but those got in between lenses and caused no end to trouble. If you bend cold tips, they can more easily break.

I apologize for questioning your credentials. I guess I was a bit harsh. I just feel the article came off mostly of a slight arrogance with only a smattering of humility. You seemed to think that you could make up for years of working in the industry with only a few days of playing around. That being said, congratulations on being mostly successful. However, I am sure I don't have to tell you that an eye exam is only partially to refract you. There are other health issues that can be detected by having a routine eye exam.

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