I am not amused
AAARGH! I need to vent. Seriously.
Welcome to a little story I like to call, “How Many Times Can Your Optometrist Screw Up the Same Prescription?!”
Our story begins on May 12th, 2007. I entered Lenscrafters for an eye exam. One of my major complaints is that my eyes don’t seem to be able to adjust well anymore when moving from small, close up work and, say, looking at a clock or the TV at a mid-distance - almost as an afterthought he says, let’s try a progressive (bifocal). (Now originally he said I didn’t need them yet, until I told him about my adjustment problems.) Still, I walked out feeling a little unsure of whether the left eye had ever found it’s focus during the main part of the exam. However, since I had also had my eyes dilated, it was a little late to say anything. The following Wednesday, May 16th, I was in a rush, but stopped in to Sears Optical to check out frames. (I already knew the Lenscrafters prices would be high, so I thought I would try someone new. But I trusted the doctor at Lenscrafters, so I stuck with him.) Never quite finding exactly what I wanted, I picked out a pair anyway and went ahead and ordered the lenses.
A week went by and I picked up my new glasses and - WHOA! I feel instantly cross-eyed. Can’t see worth a crap, serious eye strain going on. I assumed that the new progressive/bifocal was part of the problem and we agreed I should give it some time. By the end of that weekend I knew two things: I still couldn’t see worth a crap (well, I could if I closed my left eye), and I absolutely did not like the frames I had chosen, they were more brown than rosy colored. Also, the bifocal really hadn’t helped so much as it hindered, as every time I looked down at the keyboard my vision was distorted by the bifocal, which I now think might have been too powerful. Monday, May 21st, I took them back to Sears, and inquired about removing the bifocal, which luckily they did without me checking with the doctor. The glasses are returned a week later - and guess what? I still can’t see out of the left eye.
June 15th, a full month after my first glasses were ordered, and off we go back to Lenscrafters, and another (free this time, thank God) eye exam. I tell him, the right eye’s fine, but the left eye won’t focus. What’s he do? Change BOTH eye prescriptions. Back to Sears, to have the lenses re-done. Another week goes by, I get them back - now I can see out of the left, but the damn RIGHT eye won’t focus (couldn’t he just leave it alone?)! Yeesh! I tell the optician immediately, but he says, “No, I can’t put the old right lens back in without the drs. ok.” But, he did agree to hold them for me in case the doctor let me put it back.
OK. Once more, I call Lenscrafters; once again I have to set another appointment. June 24th - after the exam, the doctor says, “I made a mistake, I don’t know why I wrote the axis as 095, it should have been 085 (like it was on the original Rx!!).” (The guy has spent so much time in small talk about his real estate woes, it’s a wonder he gets anything right!) No problem, I say. He says it’s ok to put the old right lens back, BUT he’s written a new Rx. for a slightly weaker right lens, and if there’s any difficulty (since basically the right eye corrected is clearer than the left) to use this Rx. Ok. I trudge again down to Sears (where I’m sure they’re tired of seeing me and replacing my lenses for free - Thank God for the 90 day warranty!). The manager who helped me before is off, and they can’t find the freaking lenses. ::facepalm:: I’m starting to get a bit pissed, but I tell myself it’s not their fault, don’t unleash the fury on them.
I come back to Sears on June 25th, and Gary promptly goes right to the saved lenses and puts them all together for me. Eureka! Still not perfect, but better. I get a warning, they don’t have a written prescription for what’s actually in my frames, and I DON’T CARE! LOL
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve come to realize that yes, the weaker right lens might be a good idea, because although both eyes focus, they don’t work well together, there’s a “dissonance” of sorts. Plus, I’m realizing I still have the close-up - to - distance transition problem. Here’s where the story gets even better. Today I call Lenscrafters, ask if the dr. can put a slightly weaker progressive on my most recent prescription. The girl on the phone apparently didn’t pass this on correctly to the doctor, so once again I have to go back. UGH. (I get there, and find that apparently they had miscommunicated that I already have a progressive, which I don’t.) ANYWAY - he re-writes the prescription as requested, but it’s not until I get to Sears that I realize that - HE ADDED THE PROGRESSIVE TO THE WRONG RX - the one he had gotten the axis wrong on. I’m grateful that I am paying attention to this, and of course the optician won’t make the correction. ::headdesk:: Now I’m really starting to lose my cool, no, I am not walking back to Lenscrafters again, I have to go back to work, I don’t have time for this - I call Lenscrafters back and explain the problem. They too want me to come back, the doctor is about to go to lunch - NO, put him on the phone, lets get this straight. After talking with him I find that the last corrected Rx. wasn’t even in my file (Oh, that’s the one that’s missing!) - Had I not offered to get it out of my purse when I was there, and have him tell me he had it, this wouldn’t aggravate me quite as much as it does. (Never mind the fact that the incompetent help had lost my last Rx!) So, he agrees to re-write it “right now” and fax it to Sears. I get them to copy it for me, because had I not been keeping copies, I would be really screwed right now. Again, I’m grateful - that I waited and watched the optician transfer the numbers to the order, because instead of writing “085" he writes “081!” NO, I say, it’s supposed to be 085, and I show him the older, correct Rx. He holds up the very unclear fax, and the number can indeed be mistaken for a “1.” Can my day get any better? This time Gary calls Lenscrafters himself, and gets the right numbers. We’ll see what we get this time around.
Welcome to a little story I like to call, “How Many Times Can Your Optometrist Screw Up the Same Prescription?!”
Our story begins on May 12th, 2007. I entered Lenscrafters for an eye exam. One of my major complaints is that my eyes don’t seem to be able to adjust well anymore when moving from small, close up work and, say, looking at a clock or the TV at a mid-distance - almost as an afterthought he says, let’s try a progressive (bifocal). (Now originally he said I didn’t need them yet, until I told him about my adjustment problems.) Still, I walked out feeling a little unsure of whether the left eye had ever found it’s focus during the main part of the exam. However, since I had also had my eyes dilated, it was a little late to say anything. The following Wednesday, May 16th, I was in a rush, but stopped in to Sears Optical to check out frames. (I already knew the Lenscrafters prices would be high, so I thought I would try someone new. But I trusted the doctor at Lenscrafters, so I stuck with him.) Never quite finding exactly what I wanted, I picked out a pair anyway and went ahead and ordered the lenses.
A week went by and I picked up my new glasses and - WHOA! I feel instantly cross-eyed. Can’t see worth a crap, serious eye strain going on. I assumed that the new progressive/bifocal was part of the problem and we agreed I should give it some time. By the end of that weekend I knew two things: I still couldn’t see worth a crap (well, I could if I closed my left eye), and I absolutely did not like the frames I had chosen, they were more brown than rosy colored. Also, the bifocal really hadn’t helped so much as it hindered, as every time I looked down at the keyboard my vision was distorted by the bifocal, which I now think might have been too powerful. Monday, May 21st, I took them back to Sears, and inquired about removing the bifocal, which luckily they did without me checking with the doctor. The glasses are returned a week later - and guess what? I still can’t see out of the left eye.
June 15th, a full month after my first glasses were ordered, and off we go back to Lenscrafters, and another (free this time, thank God) eye exam. I tell him, the right eye’s fine, but the left eye won’t focus. What’s he do? Change BOTH eye prescriptions. Back to Sears, to have the lenses re-done. Another week goes by, I get them back - now I can see out of the left, but the damn RIGHT eye won’t focus (couldn’t he just leave it alone?)! Yeesh! I tell the optician immediately, but he says, “No, I can’t put the old right lens back in without the drs. ok.” But, he did agree to hold them for me in case the doctor let me put it back.
OK. Once more, I call Lenscrafters; once again I have to set another appointment. June 24th - after the exam, the doctor says, “I made a mistake, I don’t know why I wrote the axis as 095, it should have been 085 (like it was on the original Rx!!).” (The guy has spent so much time in small talk about his real estate woes, it’s a wonder he gets anything right!) No problem, I say. He says it’s ok to put the old right lens back, BUT he’s written a new Rx. for a slightly weaker right lens, and if there’s any difficulty (since basically the right eye corrected is clearer than the left) to use this Rx. Ok. I trudge again down to Sears (where I’m sure they’re tired of seeing me and replacing my lenses for free - Thank God for the 90 day warranty!). The manager who helped me before is off, and they can’t find the freaking lenses. ::facepalm:: I’m starting to get a bit pissed, but I tell myself it’s not their fault, don’t unleash the fury on them.
I come back to Sears on June 25th, and Gary promptly goes right to the saved lenses and puts them all together for me. Eureka! Still not perfect, but better. I get a warning, they don’t have a written prescription for what’s actually in my frames, and I DON’T CARE! LOL
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve come to realize that yes, the weaker right lens might be a good idea, because although both eyes focus, they don’t work well together, there’s a “dissonance” of sorts. Plus, I’m realizing I still have the close-up - to - distance transition problem. Here’s where the story gets even better. Today I call Lenscrafters, ask if the dr. can put a slightly weaker progressive on my most recent prescription. The girl on the phone apparently didn’t pass this on correctly to the doctor, so once again I have to go back. UGH. (I get there, and find that apparently they had miscommunicated that I already have a progressive, which I don’t.) ANYWAY - he re-writes the prescription as requested, but it’s not until I get to Sears that I realize that - HE ADDED THE PROGRESSIVE TO THE WRONG RX - the one he had gotten the axis wrong on. I’m grateful that I am paying attention to this, and of course the optician won’t make the correction. ::headdesk:: Now I’m really starting to lose my cool, no, I am not walking back to Lenscrafters again, I have to go back to work, I don’t have time for this - I call Lenscrafters back and explain the problem. They too want me to come back, the doctor is about to go to lunch - NO, put him on the phone, lets get this straight. After talking with him I find that the last corrected Rx. wasn’t even in my file (Oh, that’s the one that’s missing!) - Had I not offered to get it out of my purse when I was there, and have him tell me he had it, this wouldn’t aggravate me quite as much as it does. (Never mind the fact that the incompetent help had lost my last Rx!) So, he agrees to re-write it “right now” and fax it to Sears. I get them to copy it for me, because had I not been keeping copies, I would be really screwed right now. Again, I’m grateful - that I waited and watched the optician transfer the numbers to the order, because instead of writing “085" he writes “081!” NO, I say, it’s supposed to be 085, and I show him the older, correct Rx. He holds up the very unclear fax, and the number can indeed be mistaken for a “1.” Can my day get any better? This time Gary calls Lenscrafters himself, and gets the right numbers. We’ll see what we get this time around.