Back in 2011

Hello, and I hope that 2011 is treating you well. We have had the usual number of "minor disasters" welcoming us back to work this week...stolen prescription sunglasses, broken frames, lost contact lenses...this time of year, with the labs and wholesalers shut or on reduced hours, makes us even more aware than usual of the benefits of having a spare appliance.

Most people who wear contact lenses are using disposables, so they have "extra" pairs waiting to be worn. But if you develop an eye infection, and cannot wear your lenses, you need a spare pair of glasses. And if you are dependent on visual correction - for driving, reading, working, whatever - you need a spare.

They don't have to be as glamorous as your everyday pair, but they have to be comfortable and functional - enough to get you by. Always take a spare pair on holiday - missing the sights on a trip is no fun, neither is driving home from Taupo without glasses as they were lost in the lake. (And if it is illegal for you to drive without glasses...) Sunglasses are not an adequate spare pair when you are drving at night, either.

We suggest in keeping a good, previous pair as a backup. But if your prescription is changing rapidly, or after eye surgery, your last pair might not be an adequate spare. As long as you can drive legally, and function as you would like (not being embarrassed at wearing your 1986 specials!) they are a good spare. If you wouldn't want to be seen in them at work, the frame is broken, the lenses are too scratched to see through or the script is way out of date, they're not a good spare.

Like Mrs Christmas, telling you to start saving for next Christams in January, I need to tell you not to spoil next year's summer break by not having a spare pair NOW...so you are prepared for me to tell you to consider a spare when you come in for your next eye exam.