It was a typically hot morning, and we were enjoying life in the village. I’d become accustomed to the constant cavalcade of street vendors that would slowly drive, walk or ride past the driveway of my mother-in-law’s small plot of land. The sun was shining brightly and nobody, including the street vendor’s, were sweating like I was. The effort it took to lift my eyes and glance at each of them was enough to generate giant beads of sweat which would roll gently down my face. Having a sweaty face meant that a little perspiration would eventually make it into my eyes, causing an all too familiar salty sting. It’s difficult to focus when your eyes are stinging. I’ve needed reading glasses for a few years now and made the mistake of ordering a new pair in Australia just before we ventured overseas. I was informed I’d have to wait at least a month before I could collect them and decided to order them for collection upon our return.
Some of the vehicles that went past had loudspeakers that blasted all and sundry with announcements as they drove past slowly. The heat made me snippy at times, and loudspeakers turned up to full noise did little to settle my feelings. Two women in a four-door utility vehicle pulled up suddenly when I happened to glance in their general direction. It really is best to avoid eye contact, or you’ll end up buying more fruit and food than you know what to do with. Rule number one. Don’t look up no matter how much noise comes from the loudspeakers. They started talking to me and I found out that they wanted to know if I needed reading glasses. I was squinting at them due to the sweat in my eyes, so undoubtedly looked like a good candidate for a set of glasses.
I declined the offer, however, I had noticed that my sister-in-law was in dire need of a new set of spectacles. How much, I asked. They informed me that the price was determined by the lenses and style of frames. They presented a few options for me to consider as they smiled warmly through the window of the vehicle. Bifocals, blue light filter, some tinting, and some kind of anti-scratch coating on the lenses. Frames were extra, and there were plenty to choose from. How long do we have to wait, I asked. We’ll do it now, they said, and they did. In a space of less than 5 minutes, they had parked the car and unloaded all their equipment. My sister-in-law was given a seat in the shade, and they set about the eye exam and checking her visual acuity. One of them extracted a phoropter from out of one of the boxes as they checked what magnification was needed for the lenses.
Several small cases containing an array of different frames were laid out before us, and after a frame was chosen it was time to select the correct lenses. The lady featured in the video selected two lenses from carefully labeled boxes. The lenses looked like small square pieces of glass or plastic. She placed the square lenses on the empty frames where the lenses would eventually fit and drew a crude black outline onto the surface using the frames as a template. Then she took a pair of precision wire cutters and roughly cut two oval-shaped lenses out of the square pieces. She continued talking amiably and began grinding the lenses until they fitted perfectly into the frames. She completed the job by painstakingly polishing the finished glasses and the frame with a cloth, and once she was satisfied, handed them to their new owner.
The entire process took about 30 minutes from start to finish and ended up costing the equivalent of forty Australian dollars. The price was for bifocals with some of the extras that I mentioned earlier. My only regret was that I didn’t record the whole process from start to finish, as I found the whole process fascinating to watch. Once the money had changed hands, they thanked me politely, packed up their equipment and were gone as quickly as they had arrived. Several days later, I received an email telling me that my new reading glasses were ready for collection. It had been a little over three weeks since I’d ordered them from the optical store in Australia. I’ve decided if time and circumstances permit, I’d love to get my next pair of specs directly from them. I know they’d be happy to do another house call, and maybe I’ll get to record the entire process just for you. Speaking of you, thank you for watching. And remember, if you’ve enjoyed my musings, please feel free to comment, or even subscribe. It is free, and I’d love to hear from you.
Ciao for now.
New glasses?