Medical science is so advanced, they can re-grow kidneys, but they don't have laser eye surgery? Otherwise Kirk wouldn't have those antique eyeglasses - and he couldn't sell them for cash!
sharethey can re-grow kidneys, but they don't have laser eye surgery? Otherwise Kirk wouldn't have those antique eyeglasses
... also by the 23rd century, hypothermia is regarded merely as a 20th century disease, as they suffered zero ill effects from their long dunk in the San Francisco bay...
shareFor one thing, those are reading glasses. Laser eye surgery can do nothing to eliminate the need for reading glasses. Laser eye surgery reshapes the cornea to compensate for the misshapen eyeball and/or cornea which is the cause of nearsightedness or farsightedness. The need for reading glasses is something else entirely; it is caused by the loss or reduction of the ability of the relevant muscles to focus the eye on close, small objects (such as text). This happens to everyone as they age, even to people who have otherwise perfect vision. Laser eye surgery obviously can't rejuvenate muscles.
For another thing, as others have mentioned on this thread, Kirk is allergic to the medication (Retinax-5) which eliminates the need for reading glasses, though it is odd that allergies in general haven't been cured by the 23rd century.
I don't dance, tell jokes or wear my pants too tight, but I do know about a thousand songs.
I seem to remember that it is explained that the glasses were a gift from McCoy. Kirk collects antiques... so McCoy went to the trouble to get Kirk's RX fitted to the antique eyeware.
share