The “And Finally…” Archivist – Part 2

Readers of The New Optometrist’s weekly newsletter will be aware of our “And Finally…” entries, where we take a look at some of the quirkier eye-related news, opinions, and research in our field of vision.

 

For those of you who may have missed them, or fancy a light-hearted moment in your busy week, here’s another round-up of some recent gems for your delectation.

 

Hindsight is 60/60

 

Cornwall man Tom Arnold recently got more than he bargained for when he mistakenly ordered “a small mountain” of reading glasses online. Instead of ordering 12 pairs, it turns out he’d ordered 60 pairs of glasses (12 sets of five pairs). Thanks to the intervention of his BBC radio personality son, Chris Arnold, Arnold senior’s mishap went viral, garnering 2.6m views on Twitter and prompting the likes of DJ Steve Lamacq of BBC Radio 6 Music to call out for song requests that might suit the situation. (“I Can See Clearly Now” was one wag’s suggestion.)

But probably the best Twitter response came from Specsavers – “Do we even need to say it?”

 

We have the technology…?

 

Bionic Reading is “a new method which facilitates the reading process by guiding the eyes through text with artificial fixation points.” 

It looks like this: 

The reader is only focusing on the highlighted initial letters and lets the brain center complete the word. In a digital world dominated by shallow forms of reading, Bionic Reading aims to encourage a more in-depth reading and understanding of written content.
 
It doesn’t seem to do much for me, I’m afraid. But if such a method could quicken my reading ability, I would have known about it in 1985 – when I had a second-hand manual typewriter that printed words in exactly the same way… 

Blepharoplasty Blasts Off

 

No longer the exclusive domain of the Hollywood elite, cosmetic surgery is now a (semi) affordable option for middle-class people looking to fight against the ravages of time.

 

Now, blepharoplasty – surgery to remove skin from the eyelids to eliminate the gravitational signs of aging (i.e., those pesky bags) – has become en vogue, especially with US men.

 

Manhattan-based cosmetic surgeon David Shafer puts a lot of it down to COVID-19. Having spent the last few years in online meetings – sometimes opting to use virtual filters to smooth out their appearance – many men now find themselves returning to the office with their time-worn, unfiltered faces on show for all to see.

 

So, more and more are investing in blepharoplasty, shelling out as much as £13,000 to maintain a youthful (and less tired) look, according to GQ. And the trend seems to be spreading to the UK (where, you might be glad to know, you can get the op done for a cheaper £2,000–6,000).

 

It’s understandable, really – we all came back to the office with plenty of “baggage,” thanks to COVID. We don’t need to be carrying it around under our eyes as well…

 

Buy None, Get One Free

 

In May a Memphis man broke into the Southern College of Optometry through a second-floor window and made off with over $70,000 worth of eyeglasses.

 

Just four days later, he handed himself in and is now facing burglary and theft charges.

 

I imagine the police were relieved – they were getting nowhere with their contacts…