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Wouldn't it be impossible, then, to replace the lenses with new ones (in case of scratches, or with eyesight changes over time)?
by gattilorenz 8y ago
Wouldn't it be impossible, then, to replace the lenses with new ones (in case of scratches, or with eyesight changes over time)?
- excalibur 8y agoThat would make it rather difficult. In my experience people usually replace the frames and lenses together, but ymmv.
- 14 8y agoI suppose but personally I have only ever heard of people changing the entire frames with the glass. What a wasteful time we live in.
- toomuchtodo 8y agoIf it saves human time, it’s not wasteful. Time is the ultimate nonrenewable resource, while we are awash in materials.
- ceejayoz 8y agoBeing wasteful with materials may cost future humans a lot of time.
- toomuchtodo 8y agoTrade offs. Don’t optimize prematurely.
- smolder 8y agoI don't think we'd be premature in reducing our environmental impact
- toomuchtodo 8y agoThere are enormous amounts of landfill space available, and when properly lined, do not impact the environment. Throw those broken glasses out, throw on a new pair, and get back to work working on something important.
- solarkraft 8y agoInteresting opinion. There are not infinitely many resources though and our energy consumption is not yet even near CO2-neutrality. It's insignificant for eye glass frames, but not so much for other stuff, like packaging.
- toomuchtodo 8y agoI have confidence humanity will solve the disposal issue soon enough no hand wringing will be required. See: rapid renewables deployment across the globe and the hockey stick EV adoption curve. It’s not as if this is nuclear waste. Toss it in the ground, wrap it up nicely, and we’ll revisit it in 50-100 years. Disclaimer: recovering recycling evangelist
- moate 8y ago>>I have confidence humanity will solve the disposal issue soon enough Hubris my man. Pure hubris. I'm not saying it's not possible, but when there are strong financial interests tied to NOT doing exactly that, it doesn't feel like something I'd say I'm confident in. Also "soon enough" to undo all the damage that things like the Pacific Garbage Patch have done to the environment? Soon enough to remove all the mercury in food chain? There's literal things dying because of this. I think the hand wringing is justified. You can make it a value prop (we save X human lives because of products packaged in this manner, so fuck these bees) but there's still actual consequences to our planetary roommates.
- toomuchtodo 8y agoOne person's hubris is another person's faith in human ingenuity. Your pacific garbage patch example is disingenuous. It would not occur if poor countries had proper waste disposal infrastructure (ie collection and landfills).
- ip26 8y agoSays the human who won't be there to pay that time price.
- 14 8y agoYes I believe in the mantra as well however you will hardly convince me this applies to a frame and lens. Yes it may be less time consuming for the purchaser to just grab a entire new pair off the shelf but someone had to dig out the ore to get to the metal to and someone drill out gas to move the ore around and so forth you get the point. As we know global climate change is real, and I have children who I leave this earth, surely on a global scale, me replacing the glass in a frame is less wasteful for everyone's time. But I only reply because you said 'human time' vs something like 'if it saves my time'. Most of what we consider to saves our personal time is at a considerable cost to the environment, and other peoples time. We destroy the environment so my kids can spend their time cleaning it up in the future. What a screwy way to live.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- lultimouomo 8y agoProducing the new frame probably costed more human time, it just was a less paid human's.
- patentatt 8y agoI’ve tried to change lenses while keeping frames, most manufacturers make it pretty hard to do so. Some don’t sell blank lenses without frames, and others have such fragmented and changing product lines that lenses aren’t available 1-2 years after original purchase. And to be fair, frames aren’t really all that durable anyways, and for something used daily it’s not all that wasteful to replace them every once in a while
- walterbell 8y agoIt's done all the time for high-quality metal frames or vintage design frames. Two vendors: https://replacementlensexpress.com https://replacementlensexpress.com https://eyeglasslensdirect.com https://eyeglasslensdirect.com
- jorvi 8y agoI'm confused, at my local optician I just point out a frame I want and he either pulls my measurements from his system or re-measures me and tells me my glasses will be ready in a few days. Hell, one time I had a frame that constantly bent and they ended up just letting me pick a new frame with almost identical glass slots and he just polished off a tiny bit until the glasses fit the new slots. How does the manufacturer fit into any of that?
- patentatt 8y agoWell the line that has been told to me is that they receive lenses and frames together, and they can’t sell me the lenses without the frames because then they’d have a frame without lenses. Essentially putting the onus on the manufacturer for why they can’t do it.
- jdietrich 8y agoThat's not how eyeglasses work. Lenses are supplied to opticians as a round blank, which are then cut to fit the frame. Any optician should be able to re-glaze any frame, regardless of age or manufacturer; their equipment measures the frame, then cuts the lens to fit. It's really quite impressive to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCjGNUPO0WU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCjGNUPO0WU
- magduf 8y agoWhen I hear people talk about all the expense and trouble they have getting prescription glasses made for them, I'm so glad I just use contact lenses. I have no idea why people subject themselves to so much trouble, all so they can have a clunky, obsolete device that's been around for centuries sitting on their nose.
- bluGill 8y agoMy old frames need replacement at about the same rate as the lens, so I don't really care.