A couple of months ago, I wrote about the the titanium glasses we got for my dad and discussed the amazing flexibility of the frames. This week they were put to the test. It’s not quite clear what happened — apparently my dad’s glasses landed on the floor and were either stepped on by an aide or perhaps wheeled over by . . . well, we won’t say who.
My dad presented the frames to me — and the lens that had popped out — wrapped in a slew of tissues. “Do you have your little screwdriver with you?” he asked. His faith in the tool kit I carry with me was touching, but there was nothing at all wrong with the temple screws on his glasses. The frames had been torsioned in just about every direction; it looked as if an anvil was probably the tool of choice for this repair.
I took the glasses back to Lenscrafters the next day and watched while a very patient, very kind employee worked for a long time to reshape the frames. Just about every square inch needed an adjustment, and it was clear that nothing less resilient than titanium could have survived a repair of this magnitude.
They were returned to me, straight, clean, and in a new case so I could get them back to dad without any further incident — all at no charge. Dad was very pleased, and so was I.
When my dad needed new glasses a few months ago, I was able to take him to Lenscrafters. These few months later, it’s no longer possible for me to bring my dad to the optician when a disaster happens; it was pretty horrifying to think about how difficult trying to replace broken glasses would be now.
This experience validated the decision to go with the expensive titanium frames. We avoided a logistical nightmare, and our local Lenscrafters couldn’t have been nicer or more helpful. With the specific lenses my dad needed, these glasses cost just under $5oo (USD). Being able to mangle them, and then repair them so quickly? Priceless.