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Anyone been to the opticians en femme? Did you use your male or female name? Does wearing eye makeup affect the tests?
I want to go as Becca because I want to check that any glasses I buy suit me as Becca.
@rebeccabaxter I go in drab, but do explain to them about Anna and they've been great about helping me choose frames. I have 5 pairs of feminine prescription glasses and had no issues asking for them, choosing them or trying them on. If I go in there, the lady that knows me discreetly asks which side of the shop do I want to chose frames from.
I use male name and my bank cards are all in male name.
Hugs,
Anna xx
@annaredhead I've tried going to opticians to have a look at glasses while in drab but my looks are so different that it is hard to tell if any particular style will suit me when fully-dressed as Becca. I have thought about going in drab for the sight test, then taking the prescription away and coming back en femme but that seems such a faff. I think I'll have to do as Michelle says and explain the situation before I go to make sure it's ok then go as Becca.
@rebeccabaxter I have had 2 or 3 visits at the optometrist. First was over 3 years ago when I went dressed as my male self and picked out 2 frames, one male and one female. Since that time I have been going as Cassie and have had no problems. I think I didn't wear eye makeup thinking that if they had to put drops in my eyes that might be a problem??
Cassie
@rebeccabaxter I’ve been there as both. Just tell them you are trans or ask to see frames that are unisex.
@jillleanne I could do that. I wonder if I should book my appointment under my femme name even though I have to pay as male me? Hmm, not sure.
@rebeccabaxter I’d go en femme so you get to see the real result. They don’t care who pays for them.
Hi Becca,
This has crossed my mind too… I recently had new glasses for my male self, and had wondered about how to get a femme pair too.
I’ve not done anything about it yet, but as I have my prescription from my usual opticians (Boots - I go there as they have my eye history) - I did wonder about going somewhere else just for my femme pair, taking my prescription with me, and in that way keeps it separate. I hadn’t actually considered going en femme, but it would make sense….
For another option, there are also online stores, where you can choose what frames you like, supply a prescription, and they get delivered to your door. Of course you can’t try them on beforehand, but they are a lot cheaper to buy. You could probably try a few pairs in the high street opticians, to gauge which style works.
I wouldn’t worry too much about names - your optician will have your records in your given name, but if you go en femme you can say you like to be known as Becca. The fact that your real name is on your payment card and on your records is all they care about - ie your ability to pay.
I hope that helps and that you have a great experience whatever you decide.
Jen x
I wouldn’t worry too much about names - your optician will have your records in your given name, but if you go en femme you can say you like to be known as Becca. The fact that your real name is on your payment card and on your records is all they care about - ie your ability to pay.
Absolutely this. I went into my optician in drab, asked at the desk that I'd like them to change my preferred name on their system to Fiona, then chose and ordered two feminine frames my everyday varifocal and screen-work glasses. I collected them en femme not very long later. The staff at the opticians couldn't have been more helpful, supportive or thoroughly pleasant, either time.
@rebeccabaxter My recent experience is with both an optician and SpecSavers, an audited ethical company.
My optician has worked with me, lately, to deal with an odd but common age related eye problem (shrinkage of the vitrious gel). I dress in my usual androgynous way, including subtle breast forms. I am treated with the same respect as I would want if in drab.
My contact at SpecSavers (Hi Emerald!) took the time to set me up with a set of 3 different prescription distances, since I wanted to get away from a strong progressive prescription. She was great! I told her straight up that I was a crossdresser looking for my first female frames.
Because of how our public health care works and how I present, I used my male name. I use my femme name mainly in clothing or similarly unimportant stores.
@rebeccabaxter No, not to the eye doctor dressed. I just go drab and get my Rx when done. If it has changed then I get new glasses online at Glassesshop.com or one of the others. They all have Virtual try on so I upload a pic of me dressed without glasses and then pick frames I like and let the system superimpose them on my pic. That way my wife can see also and she can give me her input on the styles.
They are much less expensive than a retailer and I've always had good quality and service from them. They give you all the dimensions of the frames so you can match to what you wear now and they have all the options from single vision, bifocal to progressives. They even have sunglass options with some of the frames coming with clip on sunglasses for your femme frames. At about $130 complete it sure beats the stores.
@rebeccabaxter yes, I have. Makeup made no difference. And I used my given name because, well most people assume Kim is a girls name.
@kimdl94 Same name must be very useful, I don't think I'd get away with mine--Brutus (nah, only kidding).
I always go to my optician enfemme,my doctor loves it.Wearing eye makeup has not effected my tests so far.Its fun,have a great time and enjoy yourself.The fun part can be and is in the waiting room,some people are naturally curious about us.It may be time to make some new friends at the doctors office.If in doubt call first and explain your situation ,you may find out it makes no difference to your doctor and her staff.
I think I will have to go en femme then. I will make it clear before I go but I don't see a problem. The only annoying thing is that for clarity, I will have to book under my male name since I'll have to pay as male me anyway, then turn up dressed as a woman; should make for an interesting day out.
I've done it, no problems. I stayed away from eyeliner that day.
I go to get my eyes tested as boy me. The glasses at my optician are very expensive. I get a prescription and take it to one of the retail opticians to get my glasses. One time it was buy one get one free. I got gray wire-rimmed glasses for boy me, and pink wire-rimmed glasses for Steffi. There was some confusion when I came back to get my pink glasses made. I just said that I like the pink ones without outing myself. Not that they didn't figure it out. Once I went looking and said I wanted a pair for me, and a pair for her, and I showed them a pic of Steffi on mym phone. No reaction.
Hi Becca,
I haven’t gone totally enfemme to the opthamologist - underdressed yes. If you have insurance under your male name and it covers eyeglasses things might get complicated using Becca. As Jill suggests you can tell your opticians office you’re trans and have them update your records.
Alice
@aliceunderwire No insurance here, if I want glasses, I buy them. I suspect that since we don't have widespread health insurance policies in the UK and people have to pay for themselves, people like opticians can't chuck in any old price knowing a big company is going to pay, here, if they charge too much, people just go elsewhere; it gives rise to a competition that I presume is missing from insurance-driven health services.
@rebeccabaxter Hi Becca, That competition has given rise to multiple on line vendors for glasses. Some are designer so more expensive and others plain and simple.
Alice
I recently bought two pairs of glasses ( one male and one female ) at spec savers and openly told the saleslady i was a crossdresser and had no problems.
I have been to the optician in stealth mode often. However, the place I actually get my glasses has my daughter as one of it's staff. If I look at femme glasses, she says, "No Dad, try this one". 😀
Hello Becca,
The last time I went to the optician I went fully dressed as Helenmarie. I did wear makeup & as far as was a where it was no problem. I did not buy ladies glasses when I was there, just my normal male ones, as I do not wear glasses normally, only for driving. Please go as Becca & be happy.
@helenmariehayley I have an appointment booked for next Saturday, I shall decide on the morning before I go.
I was signed up to Specsavers before retirement and after I had a mail from them saying my checkup was due. I was working as Angela in a shop and there was a branch just up the road. I booked it online in my female name and attended after work. There was no fuss and every thing was fine.
However an odd thing occurred while having the test. The optician referred back to previous history which were done in male mode. I didn't say anything and wondered how that was so. It occurred to me that I gave my date of birth and of course the same address so believe they married the two together so a D.A.D.T. situation. That was fine by me and it was seamless having a good experience there.
Glasses are a funny thing for crossdressers. I have two recent stories about them. The first - A dude says - “Hey, nice glasses. Do they come in men’s?” (I busted up laughing at him!) I replied….They ARE mens you donut hole. Later, I did double check the website where I got them and sure enough, they were mens. I was almost bummed out by that .🤷♀️
Second one was a couple weeks ago upon taking off my feminine finery. I had on my red frames that I definitely ordered in the ‘Ladies Section’ of the website. But I thought they looked pretty cool on me in drab too, so left them on. When my wife didn’t even notice the change I brought it up…”How do they look?” She says - better than your other ones…(the mens ones). And then added - “Wear what you like, nobody cares!” Totally correct of course. The icing on the cake was wearing the red ones to a “bro-gathering” sporting event. A friend says - “Dude, cool glasses!” Me, thinking to myself - that would be “Dudette”, cool glasses.🥰👩🦳
GP
@gracepal I use glasses to break up the outline, zebra-like, so to speak; I don't really need them to see.
My long sight is fine but computer-looking and reading require two different focal lengths and it is for this purpose that I'm heading to the optician; that, and the fact that I've noticed arctus senillis rings around my irises which I might never have noticed but for looking in a magnifying mirror while applying mascara.
Anyway, I want to combine the two focal lengths into one pair of glasses, so I want some varifocals with some nice frames. The ones I have are plain glass with a reading section at the bottom but the frame and the glass is so thick, it looks like the bottom of a wine bottle.
Becca is very vain and wants look her best.
Becca
xx
@rebeccabaxter Well the whole charade is a gigantic vanity project. We’re all the stars of our own adventures here.🥰
