Super good advice overall here. If I didn't have Pasar Atom and Surabaya at my beck and call, I would go with Raybans. They seem to have kept up their standards and resisted the switch to 'populist' ranges to keep the baby doll brigade happy. Most of us oldies tend to wear them, to me that is the best recommendation for them. Ha!
I will now keep my eyes open for Wayfarers. Occasionally very decent brands of sunnies end up in charity shops in Australia and now and then I've picked up a prized find. In fact there is a box of them somewhere at home, I must make an effort to find them and take them to Surabaya for new lenses.
My one concession to 'style' is the Nikon frames. China-made, I suspect, but at AUD $30 the pair, for me it's the way to go. As in almost everything, YMMD.
What follows is somewhat off-topic (apologies for this, my usual way of thinking-talking-writing), but here goes anyway.
Dogman, when I had my left eye 'de-cataracted' in May, the operating surgeon told me almost all new replacement lenses (I'm now a Hoya peeper, ha!) are calibrated for distance viewing. For reading and/or close-up work, prescription lenses are still the way. This in Australia, at least.
Overall I'm amazed at, and truly thankful for, the excellent vision I've regained after two cataract ops, this in my mid-70s. Pre-November 2022 I had cataracts in both eyes and my overall vision was reduced to 45%. Now my right eye is 'wonky' but usable and my left ieye s as good as it was at age 40. A modern day miracle.
Thanks to all for the replies. I'm due for a new pair of glasses, so it is probably prudent to get two pairs - one set of normal glasses with Transition or Zeiss Photofusion lenses, and a pair of long distance sunglasses for driving. I'm still investigating the many options, which has yielded some interesting things:
- the budget brands in Australia like Specsavers vs bigger chains like OPSM are definitely a 'you get what you pay for' situation. Lens and frame quality of OPSM, which are owned by Luxxotica, are reportedly much better than Specsavers. As an aside, my partner had an eye test at Specsavers and was referred to an eye specialist who told her she had to have cataract surgery. She went to another eye specialist who told her she didn't have cataracts, and this was not necessary at all! So I'm never going to Specsavers, regardless.
- Independent optometrists sometimes offer lenses from multiple companies like Zeiss, Nikon, Hoya and Essilor (which is Luxxotica owned)
- Transitions is a brand name for a specific type of photochromic lens, others include Photofusion by Zeiss, Corning were the photochromic pioneers and have their own lenses in Serengeti, and Ray Ban does not seem to offer photochromic lenses at all.
Investigation continues! Further suggestions are most welcome!
Good information here. Many thanks!
I too have used Specsavers in Australia , and had no issues with them. Good service, reasonable (in 2012-2017) prices. My neighbor went to them for an eye test earlier this year, and they found cataracts. Both fixed within two weeks (he pays for a private health plan).
In late 2022 my local optometrist saw a new cataract in my left eye, and more importantly a 'dropped' lens in my right eye. I was referred urgently to the excellent Eye and Ear Hospital in Melbourne, and the right eye was fixed, a fairly complex op as the eyeball was given "a gas-job" (as the surgeon joked while doing it) to try to fix some macular degeneration. All well and good, I'm relieved to say.
Post-op I was grounded (unable to fly) for a month. All is now fine, my vision jiggles a bit and I can't read with the right eye. The hospital then booked me for a less urgent op on my right eye, which was done in May. No complications.
The left is as good as it ever was. I also had a cataract in the right eye for almost a decade, but when the lens fell out, the cataract went with it. So two for one, sort of...
I now have Hoya lenses in my two peepers, as well as on my cameras...
As for sunnies, my left eye vision went from +2.50 before the operation to 'zero'. So I can now pick my sunglasses off the rack, and avoid having to pay extra for prescription lenses.
I've never used OPSM but from what Archiver has written, I would have no hesitation in doing so.
We live in a wonderful medical-technological age. Blessings for all these modern fine services available to us.
