Earlier this week, the frame from my glasses snapped in two. Without a spare pair to use, I was forced to clumsily tape the frame back together while waiting for new glasses to arrive. My lack of proper planning aside, it’s really incredible how spectacularly a pair of eyeglasses can fail. In fact, I would bet that 75% or more of all glasses issues result in total failure. The frame snaps, the lenses won’t stay in, and the product is totally useless.

What if other products failed like this? The world would be riddled with disasters just waiting to happen. For instance:

– When your car broke down for something minor, the entire engine would go up in flames.
– After your cell phone dropped a call, it would delete all your contacts and then make expensive international calls without your consent.
– As soon as the filter in your air conditioner got filled up, it would blow all the collected dust and other nasty stuff right into your living room.

Granted, these are highly stylized and somewhat ridiculous examples. But why do we put up with total failure in eyeglasses? Seems like every pair ought to include a repair kit to fix broken frames, loose lenses, and more. Of course, if eyeglass makers rely on a steady stream of minor disasters to create a hefty amount of repeat business, they’ve got no incentive to make things any easier for customers.