"Eye Got You Covered": The Man, The Vision, The Gift

Meet my little brother Morgan:

He's in the prime of his life; he's lived his life as a good, upstanding young man.  Always a gentleman, the modicum of politeness and selflessness.  Volunteering first, leaving last, always with a smile on his face and a good sense of humor.  A young man who's always served as a positive role model for everyone he meets, the unrealized mentor.  I've loved him since he was born, held him up to impossible standards since he started talking, and support his most recent decision to serve a mission - devoting the next two years of his life to serving God and his fellow man.

As the older and inexplicably wiser sister, I am constantly looking for ways to look out for him.  No longer a student protected by statutes, he is no longer covered as a dependent under his parents; yet he isn't an independent either - with no sustainable job, and no sustainable benefits, about to depart for Ghana, a country far different from America.  When presented with an opportunity to gift a one-year vision insurance  plan from VSP, several people came to mind (my father who suffers from glaucoma as well as bad eye-sight, any number of my siblings who have all been cursed with poor eyesight.......) In the end, I wanted to give this to my brother, but I also didn't want it to be some lame handing over of a piece of paper, or a quick explanatory phone call.  In an effort to capture the essence of my brother, I asked him if he would mind me photographing one of his Schleuderball games.  What young man could refuse his sister, and pass up an opportunity to ham it up on camera?

I didn't let him know why I was doing it, or what I was going to do with the footage, and he didn't seem to particularly care.

Every Sunday, my brother comes over for Sunday dinner; I asked him to stay afterwards so I could give him a special gift.  I handed him two pieces of paper and we sat down (in the kitchen, because that's where everything good happens in a home, right?!)  Watch this quick, yet very entertaining short film to find out what happens (and adjust your volume accordingly, please.)



Gosh I love that kid, and there isn't anything I wouldn't do for him.

What was on those pieces of paper I gave him?

A handwritten note (yes, I asked him if he could even read it!) with words that express that I have no words.....

A screenshot summary of the Insurance Plan I gifted to him (that fist pump action?  when he read the "Contacts" portion, and exclaimed, "I can play sports wearing contacts?!"  He has only had insurance that covers eyeglasses.

Wondering what VSP can do for you? “Eye” got you covered. VSP Direct costs as low as 41 cents a day and is a great way for individuals and families to have vision insurance, even if it's not provided through work. Learn more about VSP here.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Four-Eyes

First, I need to get this off my chest: to all those who have the luxury of wearing "fashion" frames (20/20s,) I am helluh jealous!  I've got coke-bottle glasses eyesight.  I'm not even joking.  I can try on a cute pair of frames, but once you add the thick lens, the distortion is awful and I end up hating them.  So go on with yo' bad self if you don't need script lenses.

Back to the real topic at hand - buying glasses.  I hate glasses (see above paragraph) and I hate paying wads of cash for them.  Even with insurance (I have VSP) I still end up paying anywhere between two and three hundred dollars.  Of course, I buy the special coatings (you don't want to see them without those, trust me) and I buy the highest index lens possible (but I still have that coke-bottle thing going on!)  I also grew up in an era where frames were limited, and so were the places you could buy them.

I'm more than pleased about all the online options, especially their pricing.  I was recently contacted by Firmoo, an online retailer specializing in prescription glasses and sunglasses.  Would I jump at the chance to save money on a new pair of glasses?  Heck yeah!

I've decided in my wisdom old age that if I'm going to geek it in coke-bottle lenses, they might as be aslarge and geeky as they get.

Do you know what else I love about online retailers?  They always seem to offer a special to suck you in shop with them.  Firmoo actually offers your first pair FREE!  I will have to add, that the "free" only gets you the standard 1.5 index lenses, but even after paying for the upgrade out of pocket - it will still be at less than half the price of my previous glasses!  Firmoo also has the highest index lens I've seen available yet (1.74 aspheric.)

I will admit, there is a certain convenience factor to being able to try frames on in person (although once you put my thick lenses in, it wouldn't have mattered!) but Firmoo does offer two things I have found very useful: the dimensions of each individual pair of frames and the virtual "try-on" tool.

Which are you: a fashion or function wearing four-eyes?  Do you prefer buying them from a brick & mortar retailer, or online?