Random 3 for February 4, 2024 – Eyeglasses, pharmaceuticals, sunshine

Gallery

Posted on by

We haven’t seen much of this! I think the sun is drinking margaritas with my muse in the tropics.

Not much going on here so it’s a short one.

That won’t work – I picked up new glasses last Sunday. I went with a new design. Big mistake. I always get thin, light-weight frames. My nose doesn’t like a lot of weight and neither do my ears. By Tuesday I had two big hot spots behind my ears where the ends were rubbing and my nose was fatigued. I purchased them at a chain with a “happiness” guarantee, so I was able to exchange them for a pair that is mostly wire rimmed. (No, I don’t look like John Lennon!) That’s the second time that has happened to me so it pays to be sure there is an exchange policy. No pictures because I haven’t picked them up yet.

Big pharma strikes again – I have dry eye. Technically it’s evaporative dry eye which means my tears break down too fast. Most eye drops give moisture but don’t affect the tear. There is one drop that does. Overseas it’s an over-the-counter product. Here one of the big pharmaceutical companies had it approved as a prescription product. That means the cost is astronomical. My eye doc gave me a link to order it overseas and that worked until big pharma shut it down. It can’t be shipped into the USA. Now a drug that my European friends can buy for the equivalent of $20 will cost me $748. It’s too new to be approved by any healthcare provider. I’m almost done with the one bottle I bought, and it did help more than any other drop I’ve ever used. My eye doc said the price will eventually come down. Hope I’m still alive.

Bright sunshiney day! – We have had very dreary weather since the holidays. No sun, all clouds with a side of gloom. Today the sun is shining. It’s not warm (by my standards) but I’m enjoying the sunshine and so are the cats. Sunshine makes everything better. I’m sure there are studies that say that.

So how was your week?

63 thoughts on “Random 3 for February 4, 2024 – Eyeglasses, pharmaceuticals, sunshine”

  1. Pingback: Random 5 for February 11, 2024 – All sorts of news and no news | Views and Mews by Coffee Kat

  2. I can’t comfortably wear thick heavy frames either. Same probs as you. It’s difficult to find lightweight rimless or almost rimless glasses around here. I’m sure you’ll love your new ones.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I picked them up today and they’re ok. Not fully in love but they are more comfortable. They have the wire on the top and arms but a fishing line of some sort that goes around the bottom of the lens. They are a rose gold. I would have preferred a tarnished brass look but rose gold is the look. They’ll do for another year.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. I can’t wear my glasses I got last year … I go back to my polarized glasses. The frame curves in a weird way and I picked them as they are light and I’ve always worn a wire frame (also not like John Lennon). I have had to put Kleenex around the back where it sits on my ears as it hurts. So when I took the glasses back I was told “you need to find your sight spot and hold your head that way and you’ll see.” In June when I go back I’m returning to the same type of frames I always had – glad to hear they make them. That is a steep price for eye drops, even if they do the trick – hopefully they get approved soon to make the cost come down. My mom was on drops for low-angle glaucoma before she was on Medicare and her Blue Cross didn’t cover it so the opthalmologist had a program where you could get one small bottle a month. We still had to buy drops, but not as often. We had our first day of sunshine on Sunday and I went for a long walk and took pictures. I felt like a new person – two weeks with no walk, then one walk, then we had freezing rain again, so I went another week with no walk – never had that happen before. Sunshine is good for the soul.

    Liked by 1 person

    • We are in a stretch of sunshine. Still cold, mid 40s, but sunny and the people are giddy. Runners wearing shorts (seriously?) and getting iced coffee at Starbucks! I don’t get giddy until it’s a lot closer to 60! I’m on a doc program for another eye drop. One thing I love about my eye practice is that they only do serious eye conditions. No refractions at all the patients have an eye disorder (like dry eye but many more serious ones). They are often in clinical trials and can get in programs with the drug manufacturers. I’m hoping that the manufacturer will do some promotions to give the drops traction. Here’s to more sunshine and some warmer weather.

      Liked by 1 person

      • I hate coming home to work on sunny days like this. Today was another sunny one. Well that’s good if you can get into a clinical trial or at least a manufacturer’s promotion. My mom was happy for that. I helped out until she was on Medicare because her BC/BS was not great as she was not in a group plan. Since I had my eye infection, my eye tears up and I get tears rolling down my cheek. It looks like I have to start with eye compresses again, so I’m going to try that. This is something new for me and only in that eye. I put some of it down to a lot of screen time.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Thanks God big pharma who also chaps my heinie doesn’t corner the market on sunshine. I’m certain they’ve been trying. What ever happened to healing as the reason to create medicine. That price you quoted left me speechless. Shame on them.

    As for Gus being the man of the hour…I can just see him smirking at the other cats who are thinking…just wait Romeo.

    You know how kids are. He’s a knight that Gus, who will return a changed man for the better. As for Mom. She might have to spike her coffee til his homecoming.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. We go to a private eye care place, which I initially fought because I knew it would be more expensive than a chain. But I lost that battle. I could in theory still go wherever I like, it does help if we both go to the same place. I have no idea if our place has anything similar to your “happiness guarantee” but now I’m curious. – Marty

    Liked by 1 person

    • The ability to give a frame a try for a few days is important to me but I have issues. I can’t stand a lot of weight on my face and I have scar tissue in back of one ear just where the arm lands. I have insurance which helps but it still wasn’t cheap. I could get them for $90 at the super big box store but I had a bad experience there so nope. I’m staying middle of the road — not the $$ small practice and not the cheap places.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Your tale of pharma woe really chaps my hinnie. It’s unbelievable how Big Pharma can get away with that kind of highway robbery. Grrrr.

    When my son was in the optic biz, I always had fashionable and comfortable eyewear (I have 20 pairs including sunglasses-at least one for every room, in the car, etc.). My last new pair I ordered on my own since he’s no longer doing optical work and I thought I’d chosen a nice pair. Once they came in I decided I didn’t like they way they looked. I’m due for a new pair and will go back to frames like the ones he recommended for me. I’ll donate the ugly ones to the Lions Club and they will find a good home in a Third World country but dang, they weren’t cheap. After Elsa’s surgery, my healthcare budget is deeply strained.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Spit my coffee out with your first sentence. Us east coasters spell it heinie but it still gets chapped. If it was easy, I’d cross the border to buy a case. I feel the same way about the whole eyeglass business. I saw the 60 Minutes special. Frames cost pennies to make and are mostly made by one company. I know we are also paying for design work and weird old people prescriptions but private optical stores are outrageous. No guarantee and last time I checked, the glasses were over $750. I’ve had good luck with the chains but it depends on who you get to help you. Got to save money for my cat healthcare fund. Oddly, the surgery for Gus will cost only slightly more than his last emergency episode. He needs a dental too. The specialty surgeon doesn’t do dentals so I can’t get it done at the same time. I’m shopping around a bit. His teeth aren’t near as bad as Gracie’s were and I’m not happy to have him go under anesthesia again so soon. Poor guy.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Awk…you’re absolutely right. What can I say…now I’m chapped because of that stupid typo. Oops-sorry. I don’t even want to think about the retail cost of all my eyewear which came with the ‘friends and family’ discount yet some of them were still pricey even with that discount. Back when I was working I had a HSA to fund the collection. The joke in my family was I was the Imelda Marcos of eyewear. A few times he managed to score some exceptional bargains from eyewear reps but for the most part Essilor Luxottica dictates prices with their vertical integration and extension acquisitions business model in brands (think Ray-Ban, Oakley, Oliver Peoples, and numerous designer brands) to retail outlets (LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, Pearle Vision, optical departments at Target and Sears and many others) as well as the managed vision care organization, EyeMed Vision Care and the second largest glasses insurance firm in the US, EyeMed. Talk about a monopoly! I could go on and on but you get the drift. Healthcare and Big Pharma are at the top of my short list of things gone bad here in the states.

        I feel your pet healthcare pain these days. I just hope my 401K reserve/rainy day fund lasts and will keep us all well cared for in the future.

        Liked by 1 person

  7. I get it. Most of my friends around the world pay $10 for their insulin. We are charged roughly$500 for the same thing. The government stepped in and stopped that, at least temporarily. Walmart negotiated a price with Novolin for $25 per vial and yet, big insurance couldn’t do the same thing. Now, I’m not talking about the new and better insulin. I’m talking the cheapest generic. Small wonder the number of deaths and amputations we have in un- or under-insured diabetics in this country.

    Sorry. It’s something that totally enrages me. And companies making up new things when they’re about to lose proprietary status on an expensive drug. Best of luck with the eye drops. YouTube sends me down the rabbit hole on medical videos and I happened to watch a video of a doctor expressing the oil glands along your water line because they were all plugged up and that caused the dry eye in this particular patient. He said, by the way, that you should never wear eye liner on your water line.

    There’s nothing like YouTube advice from someone at least claiming to be a doctor, right?

    Liked by 1 person

    • 🙂 I can’t wear eye makeup at all. It’s too irritating. I’ve had IPL treatments where they ended with expressing the glands so that’s not new for me. Anything that works. I’m at a good spot right now with my dry eye. That new drop is very soothing and I’ll miss it when it’s gone but it’s not a life or death thing. My heart goes out to people with serious illnesses that can’t afford the “ground breaking” medications.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. I always learn something when you talk about your dry eyes. I can’t use anything that has a preservative in it so I’ll be heading to Google next. Big Pharma ought to be embarrassed about how they screw the American public, but they aren’t because they’re too busy spending their money. My husband gets an inhaler from CanPharm for half the price. It’s outrageous the lengths individuals have to go to get needed medicines. Sunshine is good for the mind and the body, that’s a given. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • I don’t do preservatives either unless it’s in a prescription drop. This new drop is very good. It’s slightly oily and somehow keeps the eye lubricated longer than other drops. I’m hoping they offer my eye doc’s practice some deals to get patients.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. my mom had such an eye-openinh experience. she has to take meds for her dry eyes too… forgot it at home so we looked for it here… it has a different name (thanks google!) but it is half price of the one she bought in germany…

    Liked by 1 person

    • I wonder if it’s the same one. Germany is one of the places you used to be able to order it from. The shipping was as expensive as the drug but if you bought multiple bottles, it evened out and was still way cheaper than it is here.

      Like

  12. Yes, sunshine makes everything better. That beautiful blue hanging over everything.

    I started wearing glasses about the same time I reached menopause. I can’t complain. Menopause also got rid of my migraines. I figure that was more than a fair exchange.

    Liked by 1 person

    • When I had to give up my contact lenses I was bummed. The correction surgery helped a lot and for a while I only used readers. Eventually though, time moves on and eyes age. I have a slight prescription for distance and a strong prescription for reading. I shouldn’t complain. I can see and some people can’t.

      Like

  15. Glad the sun is shining. Makes a winter day so much better. I’ve worn glasses since I was 10 years old. Only once did I choose the wrong ones that hurt my ears. That’s terrible that they charge so much for your eye drops.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Reminds me of a story — a friend told me that she could take a month-long vacation to Spain and get a knee replacement and it would be cheaper. This would be in a highly rated hospital with competent docs.

      Liked by 1 person

  19. Until I needed cataract surgery in both eyes, I was severely nearsighted. I could never get “thin” frames because my lenses were very thick at the bottom. Over the years, I tried contacts, but that was back in the day that the only contacts available were daily use. After cataract surgery, I was 20/20 in one eye and 20/40 in the other. And I started wearing glasses 50 years ago this year!

    Big pharma is always going to find a way to stay “in the black” to stay in business. It’s amazing sometimes even the price difference between the name brand and the generic brand of a medication. You are right, it is outrageous to manufacture an item – of any kind – and then make it impossible for someone to purchase it. I hope you find a solution.

    Liked by 1 person

  21. Hi Kate. I have a friend who needs a very expensive cancer drug. So far, she has been approved for a “grant” that has made it affordable. If that grant goes away, she will have to choose between life and bankruptcy.

    If that drug is available in Canada, it might be worth a car trip. Or, ask any friend who is traveling to a foreign country. If we go to Mexico, I’ll get you a case. A friend gets some of her drugs online from Canada. She uses Northwest Pharmacy.

    Good luck.

    Liked by 2 people

    • I didn’t see Mexico as one of the countries where it was available but I will check. It was blocked in the UK and Germany. I expect they have a total ban on it coming into the country from anywhere. Fortunately it’s not a life or death issue. I can live without it. It just made my eye routine easier and more effective. There is a drug for my IBS but it would cost $17K a year so I don’t use it. I manage but it’s crazy to come out with a drug and then make it out of reach for 15 years or until the patent expires (or hopefully insurance covers it). Hugs to your friend.

      Like

  22. Glasses shopping is hard, since I am so nearsighted. I’ve had some pretty bad frames. It’s easier now that they can photograph me on my phone and I can see what I look like that way. And I have to pay big $$ to get the lenses as thin as possible to avoid the same issue with ears and nose. The frames are rarely the problem; it is the thick lenses.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I’m smiling because anyone with poor near vision has the same issue. I end up asking total strangers how they look. When my prescription was stronger, I also paid the big buck for the really thin, lightweight lenses. Contact lenses were a blessing until they weren’t. I’d love to be able to wear them again but it’s harder with dry eye.

      Liked by 1 person

  23. My eyes have always been so bad that my glasses looked like coke bottle bottoms (before they went plastic, damn I am old). I usually wear contacts, but it made a huge difference in weight when a lighter material was finally developed for glasses. My sister is out here enjoying the sunshine…in between two solid atmospheric rivers. I can’t even get her to wear a hat. And now I’d better go walk the dog before the rain rolls back in for the next three days!

    Liked by 1 person

    • My eyes were also bad. I had corrective surgery done in the late 90s. I have fairly good vision but at that time they couldn’t correct astigmatism and of course there is the poor near vision that comes with aging. I wore contact lenses for 35 years but there came a point when they eyes would get red so I had to switch to glasses. I can see distance ok without them but don’t ask me to read anything close. I’ve been reading about the rains you are getting out there. Stay safe.

      Liked by 1 person

  24. Loving the sunshine -it does help. Big pharma, and my insurance, decided I needed to change asthma meds…so love that these folks get to decide what I should take, and not my doctor. Hoping the new drug works.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hope your new drug works too. Happened to a friend with seizure meds. Generic didn’t work and she had a seizure. Result was she couldn’t drive for 6 months. She was a mom in her 30s so not driving wasn’t an option.

      Liked by 1 person

  25. I agree about sunshine……it makes ME feel better too. A gray and dreary sky just seems to take all the joy out of the air doesn’t it! I have always worn light framed glasses – ONCE and only ONCE years ago I did go with what was “in” at the time – a dark frame. I looked like an owl. Even now that I’ve had my cataract surgery and only wear readers I got wire-framed “half glasses”. Lesson learned. That is AWFUL about the price of the only eyedrops that help your eyes. Sometimes it’s just not FAIR is it.

    Hugs, Pam

    Liked by 1 person

    • The weird thing about the eye drop is this would have allowed me to stop another $$ eye drop I’m taking. Had I been smart I could have ordered a case of it but I wanted to try it first. My preference for glasses is rimless but they are out of fashion and the only ones available were from the designers at $$$. The ones I got were cute. Looked like purple aluminum (nicer than it sounds) but whatever it was, was heavier than a thin wire.

      Like

Comments are closed.