My vision has always needed correction and in fact, I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t wearing glasses. My earliest memories and pictures since about two years old have me wearing glasses. As someone with severe, but correctable myopia—nearsightedness—I’ve always had thick, plastic frames with even thicker plastic lenses. When high-index lenses became affordable in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, I had thinner, but still prominent, lenses. After an eye surgery in 2011, I got the courage to wear contact lenses. Again, soft contacts with my vision correction around −16 to −18 became available and affordable, and I wore contact lenses in both eyes for about five years. Contact lenses allowed me to explore non-prescription sunglasses for the first time. I had worn sunglasses before but they were always had a correction. Whenever my prescription changed, I would need an indoor pair and an outdoor pair. Talk about expensive!
In 2016 I had developed cataracts in both eyes—in my 40s!—and had intraocular lens replacement surgery which gave me normal middle-aged-person vision. Even though the shape of my eye was still oblong, causing myopia, the lens surgery now compensated for it giving me normal vision the first time in my life. My distance vision was good, at the expense of my close-up vision. Now I needed reading glasses.
Over time and working with my eye doctor, I found that I needed progressive reading glasses: “computer reading” distance at the top of the lens and “normal reading” distance at the bottom. Working in an office environment and espeically in IT—Information Technology—reading a computer screen is literally your job. Most computer screens are about an arm’s length away, about twenty to thirty inches. At the time I had two pair of reading glasses, one for each distance. I was finally comfortable enough with the reading strengths to get progressive readers made.
Over the past eight years, I’ve had several pairs of reading glasses. A few weeks ago, I realized the majority of my FSA—flexible spending account—had gone unused and in danger of being lost in 2026. A good thing about FSAs are they are pre-tax funds that let you pay for medical expenses uncovered by insurance (in the United States). A bad thing is an FSA is a “use it or lose it” program; while some funds carry over from one year to the next, unused funds over that amount are lost. I certainly did not want to lose my FSA funds—I’ve lost excess funds in previous years and didn’t wish to repeat it this year—so I thought a new set of reading glasses was in order.
A couple of weeks ago, I visited my eye doctor who also runs an eyewear boutique called Eclectic Eye. Their claim to fame is having frames that you don’t get at chain optometry places or mall stores; they’re the “anti-Luxotica” store and celebrate small and independent eyewear makers. Over the years, I’ve owned frames from Theo, Oliver Peoples, Anne & Valentin, Maui Jim, and others, and I’ve been happy with most of my purchases. In addition to spending FSA money, one of my lows was my most recent readers with Anne & Valentin frames. The frames were good quality, but the unique hinge design in my pair caught my long hair. I needed a change.
My “eyewear architect” Randall was showing me different frames. While I had a definite preferences in mind, Randall would good-naturedly get me to try funky and out-there frames. It was fun trying them on but they weren’t “me.” We finally got to some styles I preferred, thin metal frames. The frames I was really interested in were in the RetroSpecs & Co. collection, but Randall showed me a cool pair of sunglasses from Ahlem. I had purchased a pair of Maui Jim Mokupuuni sunglasses in gold during the summer, and I didn’t want another pair of sunglasses. Randall said they could remove the lenses from the Ahlems and replace them with my reader prescription. The Ahlems were comfortable and most importantly, didn’t pull my hair! Another thing I liked was they had metal nose pads, not silicone.
Unbeknownst to me, these particular Ahlem glasses were part of a limited run of 200 pieces. They were expensive frames and a definite splurge. However, I think they will be timeless and when I’m ready to move on for reader frames, I have the original lenses to makes them sunglasses again.
As I mentioned, these were part of a limited run. My frames are number 114 of 200. Information below from Ahlem’s site: AHLEM Lépine in Peony Gold / Blue Gradient lenses. Yes, they were $640—I said they were a splurge!
Description
A redesign of the Coluche, an early AHLEM style and perennial favorite shape, the elegantly mannered Lépine conjures the ease of a true cosmopolitan: at home in the world and radiating low-key glamor. This chic round silhouette is perfect for fans of radical design movements, night swims in the Mediterranean, new translations of Greek classics, the future. // Limited Edition of 200
Materials
Handcrafted in France // Precision-crafted brow with mounting rail and “wire” bottom, welded beneath the end piece for a seamless connection // Rim and temples are handcrafted using the hammered technique. Each hammered detail is unique, resulting in a one-of-a-kind piece [ 1 / 1 ] // Nylon lenses are double-dipped for enhanced resistance and scratch prevention offering 100% UV protection // Custom temple tip drawing inspiration from our signature triangular and circular shapes evocative of our iconic Bauhaus visual language // Laser engraved filigree nose pads that play with Bauhaus shape, made of titanium to ensure non-reactive and hypoallergenic aspects
Fit & Size
Lens width: 43mm // Bridge width: 24mm // Temple length: 150mm // Fits petite to medium faces. // Ideal for all face shapes.
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