Looking for tips on buying your first prescription glasses at Clearly Toronto?
I visited the Clearly Queen Street store to meet with an optometrist for an eye exam. I then listened to advice from a Clearly Toronto eyewear specialist to find fashionable frames that best suited my lifestyle and shape of my face.
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Recognizing You Have a Disability
As many of you know, I’m hearing impaired and have documented my hearing aid journey by describing how the diagnosis has effected my work and life.
It was while working as a teacher in Korea that I started to realize I was shouting a lot more and constantly asking people to speak up. It’s as if everyone was slowly starting to mumble around me.
Once I returned home to Toronto I saw an audiologist who confirmed my hearing disability and outfitted me with Oticon OPN Hearing Aids. The world’s best hearing aids work seamlessly with Apple products via Bluetooth. Over the years I’ve been able to integrate Apple tech such as my Macbook, iPhone and Apple Watch to help make life living with a hearing disability more manageable.
You’d think after experiencing the slow decline of my hearing I’d have been more vigilant when I started to suspect I was losing my ability to see clearly. I recognized something was off but kept delaying my much-needed optometrist appointment because of a hectic schedule and lack of a health benefits plan.
Time To Visit An Optometrist
So what have I learned about disabilities that take their time creep up on you? We often suffer from a slow decline, which makes it hard to pinpoint if our vision is getting worse. Excuses abound such as, “I’ve been staring at my screen too much” or “the winter weather makes my eyes dry.”
My visual impairment became apparent one day when I was with my cousin waiting in line at Adamson Barbecue. Chris asked me what I was thinking of ordering for lunch.
I looked up at the menu on the wall and exclaimed, “I don’t know we have to get closer so I can read it!” It was at that moment that it dawned on me that my cousin could read the menu on the wall but I could not.
Over the next two years I complained about my vision and had my doctor test my eyesight during each annual check up. I was always told that my vision was normal and glasses were not recommended for me.
Since I wear hearing aids I always watch Netflix with subtitles. Once I found the subtitles too blurry to read I decided it was time to book an appointment at Clearly in Toronto.
Clearly Toronto on Queen West
Clearly is considered a pioneer in online shopping. The Canadian brand based in Vancouver launched its website in 2000, selling affordable contact lenses. A few years later, Clearly expanded to offer a curated selection of designer glasses and sunglasses.
Clearly Toronto is located on trendy Queen Street West, near The Beverley Hotel. Skip inside and you’ll find a selection of over 700 stylish glasses. The Clearly website offers an expanded selection, featuring over 2000 styles of glasses starting at just $9.
Clearly Toronto Eye Exam
At Clearly Toronto there are two optometrists who offer consultations and eye exams.
Dr. Melissa Yuen offered advice to people who think they may require glasses, “It is important to have annual eye exam. While most people book an eye exam when they experience blurry vision and feel they need glasses, annual exams are important to screen for eye diseases. Many serious eye conditions do not immediately cause blurriness in vision so having a comprehensive eye exam is part of preventative health care.”
Dr. Yuen continued, “Eye exams can detect eye diseases such as glaucoma, which begins as an asymptomatic condition. It is a progressive eye disease that can lead to permanent vision loss if not detected and treated. At Clearly Toronto we check eye pressures and check a structure called the optic nerve in the eye to screen for glaucoma. Eye exams can also reveal other health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and brain tumours.”
After my eye exam with Dr. Yuen at Clearly Toronto I discovered I had an astigmatism and required a low prescription as I’m nearsighted. “Often, people can have a small uncorrected prescription that doesn’t cause blurriness in vision. However, with all the screen time and close work that are an inevitably part of our lives, the strain can cause one to appreciate a small prescription so their eyes don’t have to work as hard,” said Dr. Yuen.
Full eye exams at Clearly on Queen Street cost $95. If you require a contact lens fitting with your eye exam, the fitting fee is an additional $30-50.
Prescription Glasses at Clearly Toronto
By visiting Dr. Yuen Optometry at Clearly Toronto, first time buyers have the convenience of getting all their eye care needs in one place.
Customers who visit Clearly Toronto for an eye exam receive a $20 credit toward their next order. Applicable to all exams except those fully covered by health insurance.
Dr. Yuen added, “They can have a comprehensive eye exam where vision and eye health are assessed and based on ocular health findings and day to day needs of the patient, the optometrist can make recommendations for their glasses such as certain coatings, materials, frame sizes and Clearly Toronto will translate these recommendations into a stylish product with the latest optical innovations.”
After my eye exam I met with Peter Keogh, the store manager at Clearly Toronto. Keogh asked me about my lifestyle to determine what frame size and style would best suit my everyday needs. He also educated me about the various prescription lenses available: classically clear, transition glasses and digital protection, for those who stare at Macbook Pro and iPhone screens all day (that’s me!)
Once you’ve purchased your first pair of prescription glasses at Clearly Toronto, you might want to purchase additional eyewear online. Customers enjoy free shipping on all glasses orders over $50. If you purchase glasses online and aren’t satisfied, just be sure to return them to Clearly Toronto within 14 business days.
Tips for Visually Impaired Apple Users
You’ve just returned home wearing your first pair of prescription glasses. What else can you do at work and home to make life with a visual impairment easier?
Apple stores regularly offer Accessibility workshops for free across Canada via Today At Apple. I attended a hearing impairment accessibility workshop at the Eaton Centre Apple Store during GAAD. The members of my group were all using hearing aids and enjoyed an hour-long session to learn about how to use Apple technology to make their lives easier.
If you’re an Apple user, I suggest signing up for a free accessibility workshop at an Apple store near you. You can ask questions with an expert and they’ll share tips on how to use iPhone, Macbook, iPad and Apple Watch to better serve you.
- Mac: Quickly boost the size of what you’re reading with Hover Text. If what you’re reading is to small, just hover over it with your cursor and press Command to get a dedicated window with a large, high-resolution version of your section. You can also choose the fonts and colours that work best for you.
- iPhone: With VoiceOver enabled, each character on the keyboard is read aloud as you touch it, and again when you enter it. A flick up or down moves the cursor you can edit precisely. To help you type more quickly and accurately, iOS support multiple character input methods — including handwriting — and correct misspelled words.
- iPad: iPad supports over 80 international braille tables and more than 70 refreshable braille displays. Connecting a Bluetooth wireless braille display can read VoiceOver output, including contracted and contracted braille and equations using Nemeth Code.
- Apple Watch: With Apple Watch Series 3 or later, you can ask Siri to set a reminder, send a calendar invitation or give you audible, turn-by-turn directions. And with cellular, you can do all that even when you’re away from your iPhone. The Siri watch face is an even better personal assistant, offering predictive and proactive shortcuts throughout the day based on your routines, locations and when you use certain apps.
- Apple TV: VoiceOver is a built-in screen reader that lets you enjoy Apple TV even if you don’t see the screen. Available in more than 35 languages in both compact and high-quality format, VoiceOver tells you exactly what’s on your TV screen and helps you choose commands. Apple TV incorporates many VoiceOver gestures you’re already familiar with — including flicks, taps and the rotor — and supports standard VoiceOver commands from connected Bluetooth keyboards.
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