"Fake" or Nonprescriptive Eyeglasses

Nurses Relations

Published

I know a man in nursing school who wears glasses for accessory and not for medical need. He told me he began doing so when he started working as an aid in a local hospital. He says that he believes people take him more seriously when he wears his glasses than not.

I have known him for years and never would have guessed that his glasses were not a prescription; those days he came in without them I assumed he was wearing contacts. Now I look around me and wonder how many other hospital staff are also wearing glasses for reasons other than poor eyesight.

I did have a colleague who was splashed in the eye with gastric juices when performing a G-tube feeding, and he said his glasses helped deflect some of the material. I don't need them, and I find myself pondering the benefits.

Those of you who wear glasses, do you find they are protective? If you wear both glasses and contacts, do you notice you make different impressions on others depending on your choice? Is there anyone who wears glasses and can admit to perfect vision?

NO definitely not hip....just not enough "protective goggles" in the inner city emergency department and I got tired of spit in my eye...the "fake" glasses" deflected a majority of spit and kept all of it out of my eyes. Most unhappy intoxicated, obtunded, strung out individuals in custody know exactly when to "wake up" scream an obscenity and spit in your face while starting their IV .

Until you have experienced it it's difficult to understand.

Being "hip" was my flight suit as a trauma flight nurse.

Wow, this thread took off!

It's protection from exactly this kind of unexpected bodily fluid contact that I was referring to. In no way did I intend to suggest that glasses should be used as the only eye protection when goggles would be appropriate, and honestly I'm flummoxed about how many thought that pointing this out was a worthwhile contribution to the thread. Yes, it's hilarious, but it also mocks my post, which was intended as a serious topic for discussion.

I like the term "character glasses," and I'm grateful to see there are at least some who feel it's a normal thing to be considering. If I were to go this route, I would not opt for frames that look like they were bought for $5.00 at Walmart, and I have no intentions of advertising their true purpose. As it happens I look about 10 years younger and 50 IQ points less intelligent than I actually am. Unfortunately, I have found that there are people in this world who will decide against you immediately and never give you another chance. Every word you say only confirms their bias against you.

And I am not in possession of a "who cares what other people think" mentality, I am much more socially inclined than that. I care about the opinions others hold of me, and I want to have positive and healthy relationships with my co-workers. I'm willing to make efforts to achieve that. I don't hold their bias against them, rather I want to help them overcome that bias, and so I endeavor to find ways to appear more on the outside as I am on the inside, while staying true to my own character.

Specializes in ICU.

Most of my co-workers who wear glasses wear glasses over contacts to work because of the added eye protection. I have great vision but have seriously considered getting a low prescription pair to wear after my first major gastric juice accident. Gastric juice... on my scrubs, in my hair, and seriously close to my eyes. I've also had another nurse help me bathe a patient who needed to be cleaned, and she very over ambitiously pulled the chuck out. There was air borne fecal matter. It almost got on her, and we would not be friends if it had gotten on me!

Glasses to look smarter? Meh. Glasses to keep **** out of your eyes? I get it.

Who needs to find out they're fake? Do you interrogate people wearing glasses to see if they're real or fake? "Listen Mister, we don't wear non-prescriptive lenses around these parts."

I had radial keratotomy, the precursor to LASIK, back in '82; I was one of the first in the country to have it. It was fabulous unti I was ~ 45y; then I became very farsighted as well as nearsighted. My rx glasses are uncomfortable, and I don't see as well with them as I do readers.

Really, would you judge someone who wears acrylics instead of just going with their regular nails? What about people who color their hair?

Instead of judging someone based on appearance, how about getting to know them? They might be a really nice person...maybe even someone who could be a friend.

I just can't wrap my mind around being so shallow.

OCRN63 I see that my post upset you; let me try to explain my viewpoint a bit. To me, your "smartness" or intelligence should be demonstrated by your capabilities, not whether you wear glasses... real or fake... or by any other physical characteristic. This apparently is more of a tender spot for me than I realized, as I had a rather strong reaction to the OP, which is pretty unusual for me :yuck: All my life I have been judged by the fact that I am blonde -- not dyed blonde, REAL blonde, which in many people's minds makes me automatically (a) dumb/flighty/space cadet or (b) successful because of my looks. Yes, really. Instead of dying my hair brown (for example) to try to influence someone's first impression of me, I have chosen to just OWN who I am and hope that when people get to know me they will see me as the intelligent, successful, skilled individual that I am. The idea of someone intentionally wearing fake glasses BECAUSE PEOPLE THINK HE'S SMARTER with them on bothers me, and yes I think it's a stupid thing to do. That being said, I would not treat someone wearing fake glasses, or nails, or dyed hair any differently... what you choose to do is your business, not mine, and and at the end of the day, as long as you do your job well and are a nice person do and wear what you like. :up:

I actually do wear contacts but I ALSO wear non prescription glasses to work. I wear them because i feel like they make me appear more intelligent, and smart. Although i know I'm smart and intelligent without the glasses, this is probably my own personal insecurity due to the fact that im a very young nurse, I like to be dolled up with make up eyelashes etc. for work and I fear be judged as being "pretty, young and dumb". So i do feel like the glasses kind of work in my favor for any pre-judgers lol who are just looking outwardly. :geek:

P.s. i don't wear them for protective purposes, i follow regular PPE precautions in those situations.

"Please tell me you are either kidding, exaggerating for effect, or not a nurse!" & "LYNDAA is a nurse...you can decide to choose from the other options if you wish...:whistling:"

Don't worry LYNDAA, you're not alone, I thought the same thing. My eyes started messing up in nursing school too. I thought it was the computer usage, also. Don't feel bad about their comments. :) I think it's dumb to make fun of people who don't know what you know instead of helping them out.

I also had to start wearing glasses in college... The doctor said he sees it a lot in students. I happened to have an astigmatism that i never really noticed until I started studying... A lot!

Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
OCRN63 I see that my post upset you; let me try to explain my viewpoint a bit. To me, your "smartness" or intelligence should be demonstrated by your capabilities, not whether you wear glasses... real or fake... or by any other physical characteristic. This apparently is more of a tender spot for me than I realized, as I had a rather strong reaction to the OP, which is pretty unusual for me :yuck: All my life I have been judged by the fact that I am blonde -- not dyed blonde, REAL blonde, which in many people's minds makes me automatically (a) dumb/flighty/space cadet or (b) successful because of my looks. Yes, really. Instead of dying my hair brown (for example) to try to influence someone's first impression of me, I have chosen to just OWN who I am and hope that when people get to know me they will see me as the intelligent, successful, skilled individual that I am. The idea of someone intentionally wearing fake glasses BECAUSE PEOPLE THINK HE'S SMARTER with them on bothers me, and yes I think it's a stupid thing to do. That being said, I would not treat someone wearing fake glasses, or nails, or dyed hair any differently... what you choose to do is your business, not mine, and and at the end of the day, as long as you do your job well and are a nice person do and wear what you like. :up:

I guess my point is I don't care what the person's rationale is for wearing the glasses. It just doesn't matter, and it's their personal business. I wear readers because I can't stand my regular glasses, and yes, my house is strewn with them; I like having different styles. What someone else chooses to do is not about me.

In total honesty, I color my hair red. I've always thought I should have been a red head, and I feel more confident with red hair instead of mousy brown with sprinkles of grey. If it makes me feel better, then so what?

People should spend more time minding their own business.

(Oh yeah, I wear false lashes too. I lost my own due to illness, so the false ones make me feel better.)

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

I guess my point is I don't care what the person's rationale is for wearing the glasses. It just doesn't matter, and it's their personal business. I wear readers because I can't stand my regular glasses, and yes, my house is strewn with them; I like having different styles. What someone else chooses to do is not about me.

In total honesty, I color my hair red. I've always thought I should have been a red head, and I feel more confident with red hair instead of mousy brown with sprinkles of grey. If it makes me feel better, then so what?

People should spend more time minding their own business.

(Oh yeah, I wear false lashes too. I lost my own due to illness, so the false ones make me feel better.)

Well....you're NOT a "hipster"...you're...a-FASHIONISTA! ;)

I wonder when people are going to stop minding what other people do??? :whistling: I guess I never know because I don't partake in such issues. :)

I'm sure everyone reading this thread looks at themselves in the mirror before going outside. And most of us put forth considerable effort in selecting our hairstyle, clothing, jewelry, accessories, etc.

I guess we're all vain, shallow creatures when you get down to it. Even people who make the concentrated effort not to conform to fashion as some sort of statement are still spending time and energy based solely on how they look to others.

I don't see why someone wearing glasses for purely cosmetic reasons is so outrageous. It's not like glasses are sacred or something. They're just another thing that we wear.

+ Add a Comment