I grew up with glasses myself, and I can tell you that spectacles are a fragile, messy, and problematic affair.
S$311.5 million. No, that’s not our defence budget. It’s not the cost of a bin centre either. That’s just how much Singaporeans spend on prescription glasses every year!
Spectacles are such a big part of our lives, yet they’re easily overlooked (pardon the pun). If we’re paying that much for something that we use all waking hours of the day, it had better be good.
I grew up with glasses myself, and I can tell you that spectacles are a fragile, messy, and problematic affair. Here are just 6 problems that plague us four-eyed warriors.
1. Smudges EVERYWHERE
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You know the feeling when the video you’re watching suddenly falls in quality from 1080p to 240p? Now imagine buffering time to be the time spent trying to get that smudge out.
Good luck if you’re wearing a “wrong” material of clothing that day. That smudge will follow you for the rest of your days.
Of course, some folks bring the microfiber cloth everywhere they go. But that’s too much effort, isn’t it?
2. Sweating (and living in a humid country in general)
Especially when you’re running. I blame my slow 2.4km IPPT timing on having to make sure my glasses aren’t slipping off my nose. How do sportspeople even do it?
Sure, they are a hundred cool ways to push your glasses back in place, but miss your frame by a few millimeters and your dirty fingerprints bring you back to problem #1 again.
3. Stepping out of an air-conditioned place
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It’s a rainy day (let’s be real; this is every day in Singapore) and making your way home on a bus with the air-con set at freezing. You hold your breath and hope for the best as you alight, “Maybe this time it won’t happen?” One single step on the pavement and WOOSH your vision gets censored by a layer of mist.
This also applies when enjoying hot dishes like laksa or mee rebus. I’d like to see my food while I’m eating it, thank you. Why is life so hard?
4. Sitting out of every water activity
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“My specs fell into the sea!!!” I still remember the panic on my friend’s face as he scrambled back to the Siloso shore with just a tan line where his glasses should be.
“Do I want to see where I’m going on this rollercoaster ride/waterslide or should I keep my glasses safe?” I’m sure fellow myopics can sympathise with this perennial struggle. Paying close to a hundred bucks to enter an amusement park and seeing everything as a blur is a little annoying.
Having to get special lenses for swimming goggles and sunglasses definitely puts a dent in your pocket. Ultimately, getting into water sports without a strap to hold your glasses in place is a pricey death wish. Which brings us to our next point…
5. Having to sell a kidney to afford a new pair
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Okay, what’s with this though? There’s really no reason why a few sticks of metal should cost this much. The lenses probably require some attention to detail, I admit, but having glasses cost as much as they do is pretty ridiculous.
Thankfully, market disruptors like Owndays are helping tip the scales in the consumers’ favour.
6. And that awkward wait for them to arrive
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You walk into the shop, pick up a pair that you like best, pay for it and… wait two weeks for them to arrive. It’s a bit anticlimactic, isn’t it? Impulse purchases are best enjoyed without a cooling-off period; nobody wants to pick up their new glasses feeling regretful.
Here’s where we get to the good part. Optical shop Owndays prioritises your time and money with their jaw-dropping efficiency.
Owndays promises that each conventional purchase will be processed within 20 minutes. That two-week wait suddenly seems laughable in light of this speedy new development; some bubble tea queues take even longer than that!
For something that you wear on your face daily, choose something that’s truly unique, something that’s definitely “you”. Take your pick from Owndays’ wide selection of frames both offline and online. With over 1,500 styles available in-store and 19 outlets across Singapore, you’ll definitely find something that best represents yourself!
Owndays’ official website lists hundreds of frames available, sorted according to material, type, and even country of origin! Also listed are the SGD prices of each frame – no hidden costs here!
Speaking of prices, Owndays boasts a transparent price system – so you don’t get charge for things you didn’t ask for. From S$98 to S$198, the set prices indicated on the frames include all the logical basics you need: an optical frame with lenses, a casing, and a cloth (remember to use it).
Now this is unlikely, but what if you’re not completely satisfied with your purchase? Owndays offers a full refund within 1 month from your date of purchase. There’s also a 1 year warranty on frames, which includes complimentary repair or exchange of frames if they become faulty under normal usage. Don’t go dropping your glasses on purpose, of course.
As a global brand with a strong presence in Asia, Owndays’ warranty scheme is valid in all Owndays outlets worldwide. Need a little fine-tuning, fitting, or cleaning? Simply pop by the nearest Owndays outlet – from Japan to Australia, the Philippines to The Netherlands!
So to all of us bespectacled folks: While the odds are almost never in our favour, take heart in the fact that companies like Owndays are really trying their best to help us see clearer – out there in that blurry, blurry world.