Welcome to my Q and A for Manufacturers

[Jim Lapenta]

@Dizzi Lizzi You need to call your insurance company. I have a health savings account that provides what is essentially a debit card that can only be used for things like co-pays, prescriptions, eyeglasses, etc. I was able to use it for this. Give the insurance company a call since this is prescription eyewear. Worst they can do is say no.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Thanks, Jim. Is this single vision, or bifocals, too?

I have my bifocal script in mine.

 

[Gregory Maggiore]

Same here on Chrome for iPhone. (7+ with latest updates)

Thanks for the info. This is not my area of expertise. I will put my tech person on it.

 

[Gregory Maggiore]

@Dizzi Lizzi You need to call your insurance company. I have a health savings account that provides what is essentially a debit card that can only be used for things like co-pays, prescriptions, eyeglasses, etc. I was able to use it for this. Give the insurance company a call since this is prescription eyewear. Worst they can do is say no.

My take is that I am making prescription lenses for your frame. I will provide you with a receipt to that effect if needed.

 

[Dizzi Lizzi]

I agree! Off I go for a exam!

 

[jmark18]

Another satisfied customer

 

[Gregory Maggiore]

@Insta-Gator
Greg has done two of my masks. Highly recommended! The process is this:
1. Get your eyes checked and have your script ready to scan and send.
2. Buy the mask you intend to use.
3. Put the mask on and with a sharpie, dry erase marker, felt tip pen, etc., mark your pupil location on the lens as you look straight ahead. Having a helper is nice for this.
4. Box the mask up, enclose the script with the mask.
5. Call or email Greg and let him know it's coming.
6. Take the mask to the post office and send it.
7. Wait for 7-10 days or so and, after calling to arrange payment, get your mask back.

Greg even answers the phone on weekends. Is incredibly helpful and knows his stuff.
Highly satisfied customer.
One thing I always tell people with prescription masks is about cost. In addition to the cost of the mask the lenses (no matter who does them), will run you about the same price as a good pair of prescription glasses lenses. My last one was 260 + as I recall. Worth every cent.

Jim you pretty much nailed it. The only caveat is some prescriptions will not work well in some dive mask. For example a +5.50 will not fit in to a frameless dive mask. Please feel free to contact me with your eyeglass prescription and I can verify your mask selection will produce the best job.

 

[Dizzi Lizzi]

I have a question, when I wear my contacts I use monovison correcting one eye for distance. But finally my near vision is acting up. I tried progressives in sunglasses but the "near" portion was so low on the lens that I had to crane my head up, so I basically still remove my glasses to see up close. Would it be effective to have one side of mask for gauge reading and just leaving the other side for distance...or blank?

 

[Gregory Maggiore]

If you are intending to dive wearing your contact lenses, please check with your eye care professional to verify there are no issues.
If you feel your visual needs are satisfied with just a gauge reader on one side then that will work. I have provided many custom or occupational lenses specific to the divers request.
If it is possible to raise the frame off of your nose with out disturbing your distance vision then a minor adjustment can solve the issue with your progressive lenses. Progressive lenses come in many designs from many manufacturers. Selecting the right design progressive lens for the frame, prescription, and location of the optics are key to success.

 

[Rred]

Greg, I think your father made up my first "rx bonded in" mask, the business might have been in Ridgewood at that time? I never could break that bond to update the rx! But it was a truly excellent job in every way. Kansas, huh? No wonder I couldn't find the business anymore.

Cameron-
I don't know if Greg does it, but the prescription mask outfit in California can custom-temper optical glass to match whatever your mask has now. AFAIK they are the only place in the country that can cut glass AND then temper it, for a true OEM-quality replacement.

Lizzi-
When I had my first progressives made (by the same optical group I'd been using for decades) I found out that I had to tilt my head down to get good distance vision driving. They wound up remaking the lenses, I think raising or lowering the center some 3-4mm from "normal". This type of accommodation, putting the right part of a multi-focal lens at the right place for the customer, is normal for the real pros but harder to get in the optical chains. I have used the "hydro optix" and similar stick-on lenses in a dive mask. Yes, they are just a piece of plastic and not real glasses...but they are a good way to find out which close-up rx you want, and where you want it located on sunglasses, or a dive mask, etc. Look for them online, move them around while they are damp, allow them to dry solidly in place. They resist moisture after that. And when you've got the sweet spot and the strength that you really are happy with, THEN let someone like Greg make up a lens for you that matches it. They're way better than you'd think for "just some plastic".