For without his spectacles he appeared completely helpless

A while ago I complained about how my glasses were broken and I needed new ones, and that frames were expensive. Well, I solved that by buying an $80 pair of frames on eBay. Now I've put them in to have lens fitted, and let me tell you, severe astigmatism is a bitch. I can't complain much really - after all, my eye problems are entirely correctable with glasses - but I still have to get specially ground lenses, and they're going to cost me around $400. The optician also warned me that they can't guarantee any work done with the frames, since they were bought online. I guess we'll see if I just blew $400 on lenses that will destroy my new cheap frames. (They seem sturdy enough, and though they're a little small, they're very comfortable.)

As for contacts, well I've decided to give them a go, for performance if nothing else, but again, standard disposable ones don't come in my prescription, so I have to order specific ones. Given I want disposables (they're cheaper and easier to deal with in terms of hygiene, and I'm only likely to wear them a few times a month anyway), the base cost is at least tripled - they're more expensive to start with, and the minimum order is double for ones that aren't off the shelf.

Still, once I get the new glasses, I can send my old ones off to be repaired, because the good news is my prescription hasn't changed.