How Sugar Changed My Eyes + Firmoo Glasses Review

Momma Told Me: Don't mess with your vision!

For me it seems like the first of the year marks my 'Spring Cleaning' period; I begin to take inventory of my life and get to work on all of the goals laid ahead of me. One particular area that inevitably falls in my lap is personal health and maintenance. While it is suggested that the average prescription eye-wear user updates their prescription once a year, I've always found my eyes a wee bit more discerning than the average Joe. In fact, upon the conclusion of my most recent optometrist's visit the eye doctor proclaimed, in bewilderment, "What the ordinary person would never be able to tell apart, you are most sensitive to!" Apparently, he had been flipping between the smallest increments of lenses and I was able to pick up on the finer details. It's this which causes me to go quite crazy about 6 months into my prescription; I simply cannot tolerate any lack of clarity or 'crispness' to my vision. I spend 10+ hours a day staring at a computer screen, viewing the world in HD, and I expect the same clarity out in the 'real world'.

Some of you may recall that I recently cut nearly all sugar from my diet (save sauces and dips), after my regular physician scared my quite literally with mentions of diabetes. I'm very open about admitting that I used to eat candy daily, and was a sport's drink addict (have you ever checked the sugar content in a Powerade?) I tend to hear from a lot of people about how they've been 'pre-diabetic' their entire life; for me, whether this was the case or not, I was not taking any chances. Since cutting sugar from my diet I've lost neat 25lbs! Even more disturbing was the thought of what all those years of a high sugar diet could have possibly done to my body internally. For the most part it's common knowledge that Diabetes effects the eyes dramatically and most noticeably. About 2 weeks into my 'cold turkey' foray with sugar I began to notice blurred vision.

Here I was trying to make positive life changes, drop weight and eat better, and now my eyes were going wonky?! I was, understandably, disturbed. What if it was too little too late and my eyes were beginning to go? I did a little home research online and quickly learned this phenomenon was actually quite normal. The same principle that causes impaired eye sight, restricted blood vessels in the eyes, impacts us just as much when the sugar is removed form our diet. My body has been trained to receive it's massive amounts of daily sugar for so long my eyes had adapted to the environment as a result. When I dropped sugar suddenly my eyes began adjusting to increased blood flow, and additional sensitivity. The health of my eyes was improving, but my body couldn't translate the changes fast enough; thus leaving me with blurred vision for several weeks.

If that experience, alone, isn't enough to keep me off the 'sweet stuff,' I don't know what is! Thankfully, my most recent eye exam included the newest technology of digital retina imaging, and my optometrist was happy to give my eyes a clean bill of health. Naturally, now that I have been flagged for pre-Diabetes, this will be an essential thing to monitor as I get older. In any case, new prescription in hand, it was time to celebrate with a new pair of prescription glasses. As usual, curiosity got the best of me, and I was tempted to ask about in store costs of a frame + lenses, while at my local LensCrafters. I don't have eye insurance (hey, I just got dental, and that was an accomplishment), so the average cost of base lenses weighed in just over $200! Add that in to the average price of $179 per frame and we were looking at one hefty long term investment. Not only would I be stuck with the same frames 340+ days a year, but I better love them like a second skin for near $400!

Which brings us back to why I love buying prescription glasses online. Not only can I choose from 1000s of popular classic and trendy frame styles, but I can 'virtually' try them on with a photo of choice. As someone with extremely poor eyesight, shopping in store never proved a benefit in selecting a frame, because I'd be quite literally blind without my prescription lenses. Now I can see the frames on my face, estimated with PD (pupil distance) and get a real feel for shape and proportion. Right now Firmoo, major glasses online retailer, is offering a deal simply too sweet (pun intended) to pass up; the First Pair Free Program, which allows customers to select from hundreds of eligible frames, with prescription lenses, for the simple cost of shipping. It's the perfect excuse to pick up an extra emergency frame, or switch up your style! 

Picking out a frame I liked wasn't hard, it was one of their featured frames; the #SD2267 Tortoise frame sells for less than $20 on the Firmoo website, and can easily be fitted with clear (fashion), prescriptions, or prescription UV lenses. I'll admit, there was a bit of confusion as to whether this particular frame would be suitable for me. My PD, 59, is a bit on the lower range, and many frame sellers will often discourage larger frames such as this for a PD of 59. Firmoo offers a general guideline range for Pupillary Distance, and frame sizing; however, it is the buyer's choice as to whether the frames will be right for them or not. I have a rounder, wide, face, and was specifically looking for a slightly nerdy over-sized frame. I knew this would be a perfect fashion statement for some of my more artsy moods. After a few emails back and forth, verifying the compatibility of my PD, the remainder of the checkout process was fairly standard.

My new Firmoo glasses arrived in about 5 days, with free US Shipping on orders over $39, and free International Shipping on orders over $55. When my new frames arrived they were nestled within a yellow cleaning cloth, inside a complimentary case. They were beautiful and exactly what I had envisioned from the many customer and stock photos online. And that extra decimal in my optical prescription? I noticed the difference in clarity immediately, rejoicing in the crystal clear, improved, vision. It's been over a decade since I paid 'sticker price' for my prescription glasses, and I see absolutely no reason to stop saving 80%+ through shopping online at fine retailers such as Firmoo!

What Daughter Says: Buying prescription glasses online means I can enjoy the benefits of an updated prescription without the sticker shock.

As Required by the FTC: I received the above frames gratis, in exchange for my honest and candid opinion. Regardless, all information and opinions contained above are true and genuine.