Prize on the Eyes

My friend Mortimer has been doing a lot better lately-- he's gotten past his apartment crises, hasn't had any major health crises, and has been steadily employed. He's managed to pay off his credit card bill, and is now feeling more comfortable spending money on a few things he's wanted for a while.
One of these things, which I think actually qualifies as a need, not just a want, is a new pair of eyeglasses. Mortimer hadn't been to an eye doctor in several years, but he finally went, and then asked me to come and help him pick out new glasses.

I was expecting the search to be painful, but we actually found Mortimer a very nice pair without too much trouble. Of course they turned out to be Paul Smith frames that cost $365. But if you think that's bad, wait til you hear what the total cost was: since Mortimer needs bifocals, now known as progressive lenses, and also wanted the lenses that turn dark in bright sun, the final bill came to $1,200!
I was a little shocked when I heard the number, but when you figure that he saved himself having to buy a second pair of prescription sunglasses, it doesn't seem that bad. And since he'll probably wear these glasses for several years, the cost could work out to less than a dollar a day-- not much to pay for looking good and seeing well.

Headache.

I hate getting headaches. I get bad ones sometimes and they drive me crazy! Nothing seems to work other than going to bed with an icepack, and even that doesn't always help. For some reason, several people, including my doctor, have suggested I try using Excedrin. This morning I was a bit desperate so I went to the local pharmacy to find some.
For $4.27, I could buy a 24-pill jar of Excedrin Migraine. For $4.29, I could buy a 24-pill jar of Extra Strength Excedrin. They actually have the exact same ingredients: 250 mg of Acetaminophen, 250 mg of aspirin, and 65 mg of caffeine. So I decided to buy the migraine version and save 2 cents. And I did this while knowing full well that I already have generic acetaminophen at home, as well as coffee, and I could easily buy some cheap generic aspirin to construct for myself the exact same combination of active ingredients for less money.
But like I said, headaches drive me crazy. The Excedrin hasn't helped. Groan.

A Reader Needs Advice

Every once in a while I get an email from a reader who has a question. I'm not a finance professional in any way, so it's difficult for me to offer advice to others, but perhaps I can help by sharing someone's question so the people who read this blog can chime in:

Hi Madame X my name is K__ I have a few questions about finances. I am 30 years old, married to man that is now dying of lung cancer, I also have a 7 year old with complex Epilepsy and can not get out of debt, I am sinking farther now with my husband and his chemo treatments. I only make 11.00 an hour and can't get where I can make enough to help my family. Can you give me some advice on how with limited credit that I could somehow get ahead?

Thank you,

K__

K__ sounds like she is in a really tough spot and I wish her the best, whatever happens. Without knowing more about the situation, all I can really suggest is to try to cut expenses wherever possible and perhaps turn to friends, neighbors, and your community or church. Maybe there are ways they offer help to families dealing with cancer, perhaps through assistance with childcare or meals, to help you get through this rough time until you're back on your feet. Does anyone else have any suggestions for K__?

Is LASIK worth it?

Every once in a while I wonder if I should spend the money to get LASIK surgery on one of my eyes. One eye might be enough, as I'm much more nearsighted in one eye than the other. My eye doctor doesn't do the surgery, and still doesn't feel comfortable recommending it. She's actually so laid back she never really tried to get me to wear contacts either-- it's kind of nice to have a doctor who doesn't seem to make any effort to make more money off you!
But I find contact lenses to be kind of annoying... and lenses and glasses cost money too. And I'm vain enough to wish I could wear glasses less often, like many other women who I'm sure are tired of telling themselves they're "working that sexy librarian thing." So surgery is in some ways an attractive option.

Another item from Women's Health magazine:

Average price of LASIK surgery (per eye): $1,956
Average price of Visian ICL/Verisyse surgery (per eye): $3,981

According to the article, there is a new procedure in doing LASIK called "wavefront analysis" that can make the surgery more successful-- better night vision and fewer problems with glare/ halo effects. Also, people who were previously considered bad candidates for corrective surgery, because they were very nearsighted or had large pupils or thin corneas, might now be able to take advantage of new techniques called Verisyse and Visian ICL, which involve implantable lenses. These leave the cornea intact, and allow for a much quicker recovery time. The other technological advance is something called an eye tracker, which makes sure any slight eye movement won't cause problems with the surgery. That aspect of it always freaked me out-- the idea of being told "ok, don't move your eye or else something really bad will happen" and worrying that I wouldn't be able to do it!

It's starting to sound like vision correction surgery might be worth looking into...especially if I can save money by only doing one eye. But it's a tough call as to whether $2-4,000 is "worth it." I have bought new eyeglass frames 3 times in the past 10 years. I've also bought 2 pairs of prescription sunglasses. I might have also just gotten new lenses in existing frames one time. I also got two pairs of soft contact lenses that I rarely wear-- they may need to be replaced soon, but I'm not sure how long they're supposed to last. This all adds up to maybe $1500-$2000. So if I figure I spend an average of under $200 per year for glasses/contacts, it would take at least 10 years for the surgery to "pay for itself." Maybe that's not so bad, when you factor in the intangible benefits of not having to wear glasses. Either way, it's not something I'm going to do anytime soon, given all the money I've been spending in other areas. But I will be keeping it in mind for next year.