Ciaran is getting new glasses soon. My wife’s health benefits allow for this to happen on a regular basis, and with 5 of the 7 in the family using corrective lenses, that’s a big deal.
He first got glasses 2 years ago and had to have them replaced 6 months after that. I don’t remember what happened, something along the lines of skidding on the pavement and scratching the lenses (I think). Generally Ciaran has been really good with his glasses and taking care of them, but he is a 7 year old boy after all. There is a certain amount of wear and tear to be expected. That his current pair lasted this long is a testament to not only his wanting to take care of them but also the types of frames he has.
While it’s great the insurance covers glasses, the method of doing so is a pain in the … well, it’s not good. Our primary care physician, our family doctor, is part of a health management organization (HMO) which offers vision care. This is where we got our glasses the last few years before the insurance kicked in, back when we were paying out of pocket for individual insurance. The current plan allows us to see the optometrist, but not actually get the prescription filled where we have in the past. Now we have to find a location to get the physical glasses the insurance covers.
Finding a place to get the prescription filled is not nearly as user-friendly as it should be. The insurance website is cumbersome and not forthcoming with as much information as one could use. Still, we garner a fistful of places and set out. Because of his age (head size) he needs a certain type of frame. Kids frames are usually fairly easy to find, but the insurance we have is specific as to which places we can go. The first couple of places had frames, but not ones that we wanted – flexible.
Ciaran loves the frames he has. Mostly because they feature his favorite color – green. I wasn’t planning on getting the same frames, but those are what we found at the place we eventually wound up at. As soon as that option became apparent Ciaran wasn’t going to be deterred from choosing something different. He is a creature of habit.
He doesn’t like much in the world, but what he likes he does so with the fiery intensity of a thousand suns.
I guess that was the whole point of writing all of this down. I just wanted to mention that.