My glasses from Sam’s Club were expensive because they were graduated bi-focals and indexed (dense / thin) lenses. The frames were “Crazy Horse” but this appears to be a Sam’s Club only brand, so it was really all in the lenses. There is a lot more measurement with graduated bi-focals because the optician has to help you determine what part of the lens will help you see far, what part near, and what part with a computer screen. I think they did a great job and the glasses really helped solve my growing reading problem, especially in the dimmer light of a restaurant or church.

I decided I needed to get a backup pair, so like Ted, I decided to try Zenni Optical. I chose a frameless pair of glasses that came in what I thought was a dark red for the corner hinges.

When they arrived I saw the metal corner hinges and the metal nose bridge (which was not displayed in the close-up sample on-line) were a shiny lipstick red. Kathy exclaimed why was I wearing pink glasses. She thought they were hideous and told me I could not wear them outside of the house, and I should even consider not wearing them in the house either. The rest of the family also had a good laugh over Dad’s shiny pink glasses.

The optics were not as good. Zenni is limited on how you can give them your measurements. And the lenses were a bit thicker, not as “indexed” for thinness. But they worked and would make a good back-up, and they were a fifth of the cost of my Sam’s glasses.

They sat in my drawer for about a year with little use, when I finally went to a craft shop and picked out some metallic paint with Gabriele’s help. I decided to go for a brown / copper look, thinking it might work best over the red. I also had to get a brown Sharpie marker to color the mottled red (pink?) and white ear pieces.

In the second photo, you can see the lipstick red color on the right and left nose-pad posts. I have already painted the nose bridge and corner hinge copper. I think it came out pretty good. I was even able to wear them in front of Kathy without her laughing. In fact, she didn’t even notice I was wearing different glasses, so I guess that is a good test.

I’m wearing them as I type this, so they help with reading, too!

Lesson learned: You can’t trust the colors on a computer screen.