Like many of you, I spend an awful lot of time in front of the computer; morning, noon and night, you can pretty much find me here – a habit that’s gone on for nearly a decade and a half – and one that’s finally caught up with me.
I haven’t been able to see too well “lately,” putting off a trip to the eye doctor for the past two years despite my decreasing ability to see clearly at distances too far beyond my computer screen; but I’ve had a nagging headache for a week now that I felt was tied to my increasingly blurry vision, so yesterday I finally went to get my eyes checked.
$700 and a lecture about “living in a three-foot world” later, I was being fitted for a pair of glasses; my once 20/20 eyesight now 20/80. “This is common for people that spend a lot of time in front of the computer,” the Doctor told me. “You need to get up every 30 minutes and let your eyes focus on objects at different distances, or this will get worse.”
At least my lovely wife Dawn held back her laughter while I “tried” to read the eye chart.
So now I’m “focused” (pardon the pun) on taking better care of myself. I started going to the gym with Dawn earlier this week (she works out two hours a day and it really shows); and after seeing today’s “Webmaster Rocco” cartoon, I decided that when my dog Jack puts his paws on my lap and gives me that “you need to take a break” look, I’ll listen to him – he hasn’t steered me wrong yet.
So for all of you that tend to spend too much time at your computer, I can only say, “learn a lesson about taking care of yourself from someone else: it’s easier, cheaper and a smart thing to do.”
I’d think of something else to tell you, but I need to get up now, stretch my back and take a look around the room…
UPDATE: Now that I've had a stretch, I remember the other thing I wanted to tell you about this experience, and it concerns the power of communications and upsell.
The $700 this cost me was because of the efforts of the young lady that helped me choose the glasses and fitted them to me. The base price was $250 for the pair. Want the titanium flex-frame? That costs extra. Impact-resistant polycarbonate lenses? I'm a shooter, so eye protection is vital and worth the extra cost. How about the matte-finish anti-glare coating to reduce reflections? Yep, hook me up – and don't forget the magnetic clip-on sun-shield, too. My $250 pair of glasses is now $550. Add in the cost of the eye exam and it's $700 out the door.
Now if we could all be such good salesmen with our websites...