Prescription Glasses

[aaronc879]

I could tell I was in need of a new prescription so I went and got an exam. I was right and the change was pretty big. I ended up getting new regular glasses and new sunglasses with the new prescription. Total cost was nearly $800. Those who know me know that that is nearly as much as I spend per month on Everything so it was a big expense. Too late this time but for future reference could I have saved a few hundred by just having the new prescription put in my old frames? I'm not sure how that would have worked. They said it'll take two weeks to get my new glasses. It's not one of those 1 hour kind of things because my prescription is unusual. I have significant astigmatism. What do other people do to keep prescription eye glass costs down?

 

[MikeWillRetire]

Eyeglasses should not cost more than a smart phone. You can get reasonable eyeglasses at costco for much less. If you are not opposed to buying glasses online, then consider zenni.com. You can buy prescription eyeglasses for less than $50 on that website. The hardest thing about buying them on line is getting your pupillary distance. If you buy your first pair at costco, they will show your pupillary distance on your receipt.

 

[REWahoo]

Eyeglasses should not cost more than a smart phone. You can get reasonable eyeglasses at costco for much less. If you are not opposed to buying glasses online, then consider zenni.com. You can buy prescription eyeglasses for less than $50 on that website. The hardest thing about buying them on line is getting your pupillary distance. If you buy your first pair at costco, they will show your pupillary distance on your receipt.

^ What he said.

I buy prescription bi-focals from Zenni for $40.

You can measure your pupillary distance by punching a couple of small (notebook paper size) holes in a piece of paper. Keep varying the distance between the holes until you can hold it up to your face and see clearly out of both holes, then measure the distance between the center of each hole.

 

[Dawg52]

^ What he said.

I buy prescription bi-focals from Zenni for $40.

You can measure your pupillary distance by punching a couple of small (notebook paper size) holes in a piece of paper. Keep varying the distance between the holes until you can hold it up to your face and see clearly out of both holes, then measure the distance between the center of each hole.

Same. I was reluctant to order online but the glasses turned out fine. I will order again from them.

 

[aaronc879]

Eyeglasses should not cost more than a smart phone. You can get reasonable eyeglasses at costco for much less. If you are not opposed to buying glasses online, then consider zenni.com. You can buy prescription eyeglasses for less than $50 on that website. The hardest thing about buying them on line is getting your pupillary distance. If you buy your first pair at costco, they will show your pupillary distance on your receipt.

I've been told that if I get the basic lenses then they'd be "coke bottle" lenses. So I doubt I could get a pair for less than $50 but i'll look into it. I assume that price would also not include anti-scratch or any kind of UV protection?

 

[REWahoo]

Aaron, go to the zenni.com website and price out a pair outfitted with everything you want. Also, you can easily search and find a coupon for 10% off, free shipping etc. (coupons don't stack).

 

[bingybear]

I used last years script and got mine from eyebuydirect... progressives with light sensitive dimming. I paid about $138 ... They worked better than the glasses I got locally a year ago (which broke).

 

[rbmrtn]

I've been told that if I get the basic lenses then they'd be "coke bottle" lenses. So I doubt I could get a pair for less than $50 but i'll look into it. I assume that price would also not include anti-scratch or any kind of UV protection?

I have a "coke bottle" prescription but also bifocal. I added the auto tinting lens and it all came to about $85.

If you have just a single vision lens, even with upgraded lenses it will probably be less than $50.

 

[pb4uski]

I had an exam in November and my prescription changed slightly but it had been 4 years that I had had those glasses so I took my back-up frames to Costco for ~$200 and had new lenses put in them. My old glasses are now my back up pair.

I always get Transition lenses that darken and those are my sunglasses.... simple.

 

[aaronc879]

I had an exam in November and my prescription changed slightly but it had been 4 years that I had had those glasses so I took my back-up frames to Costco for ~$200 and had new lenses put in them. My old glasses are now my back up pair.

I always get Transition lenses that darken and those are my sunglasses.... simple.

I don't think I would want transition lenses. I guy I know told me a story about when he went on a road trip while wearing progressives. He was driving in sunlight so the lenses were darkened, then he went into a tunnel and he was practically blind. They don't "transition" fast enough. He had to take his glasses off until he got out of the tunnel. Very dangerous.

 

[Rustic23]

Another vote for Zinni! Been using them for about 8 years. Most expensive pair I have is bifocal sunglasses with polarized lenses, about $80. My regular bifocals are less than $40.

 

[bingybear]

I don't think I would want transition lenses. I guy I know told me a story about when he went on a road trip while wearing progressives. He was driving in sunlight so the lenses were darkened, then he went into a tunnel and he was practically blind. They don't "transition" fast enough. He had to take his glasses off until he got out of the tunnel. Very dangerous.

I've never found the lenses to darken while driving. Usually the UV rays are blocked by the windshield

 

[omni550]

I could tell I was in need of a new prescription so I went and got an exam. I was right and the change was pretty big. I ended up getting new regular glasses and new sunglasses with the new prescription. Total cost was nearly $800. Those who know me know that that is nearly as much as I spend per month on Everything so it was a big expense. Too late this time but for future reference could I have saved a few hundred by just having the new prescription put in my old frames? I'm not sure how that would have worked. They said it'll take two weeks to get my new glasses. It's not one of those 1 hour kind of things because my prescription is unusual. I have significant astigmatism. What do other people do to keep prescription eye glass costs down?

Perhaps it is not too late to cancel the actual making of the eyeglasses, if they not started making them yet? And possibly your state requires that you be given a copy of your prescription if you ask for it. In my state (Michigan), we are to be given a copy of the Rx upon request, but you'd think I was asking for the crown jewels, as they know that I most likely will be shopping for glasses (or contact lenses) elsewhere.

omni

 

[braumeister]

. Too late this time but for future reference could I have saved a few hundred by just having the new prescription put in my old frames?

Yes.
You could take your old frames to most opticians and have new lenses fitted to them. I've done that many times.

But the online places like Zenni and 39dollarglasses and the like don't charge much for frames so you could get new ones that way.

 

[calico1597]

Frames go out of style like anything else. If your frames are still available for purchase, you could have ordered just the lenses. If the frame is no longer available, they would have to 'custom make' lenses for your old frames. Very expensive. Also, for the transition lenses, they do not darken too much while driving because of the tint in the vehicle's windshield. My husband wears prescription sunglasses while driving, but can where his transition glasses for sunglasses when not in the car or truck. The tunnel story doesn't sound accurate.

 

[athena53]

The last time I got glasses, I had access to my employer's "Vision Care" plan, which pretty much covered only an annual exam and offered (supposed) discounts on glasses.

We used a typical chain optical center, where they did the exam and then steered you to the walls with the expensive designer frames. Then there were the up charges: gradient lenses, special coatings, even a charge for the extra work to do gradient lenses on narrow lenses. I was less picky then since I had a Use it or Lose It Medical Spending Account.

I'm ready for another exam and will go to Costco. We were very impressed with DH's experience buying hearing aids (thanks to those here who suggested Costco). No hustle, no up charges, reasonable prices.

 

[pb4uski]

I don't think I would want transition lenses. I guy I know told me a story about when he went on a road trip while wearing progressives. He was driving in sunlight so the lenses were darkened, then he went into a tunnel and he was practically blind. They don't "transition" fast enough. He had to take his glasses off until he got out of the tunnel. Very dangerous.

I've never found the lenses to darken while driving. Usually the UV rays are blocked by the windshield

+1 They do not darken while you are in the car and I have driven through many tunnels from sunlight with no problem.

Also, since they are activated by UV exposure, most Transitions lenses don't work behind the windshield of a car (your windshield actually blocks UV rays). However, Transitions® XTRActive® lenses do activate moderately behind a windshield as they react to both UV and visible light.

That said, when you come in from outside it does take some time to transition from darker to lighter but it is rarely an issue for me and the benefit of not having to carry sunglasses or a clip-on far exceed these things.

 

[golfnut]

Same. I was reluctant to order online but the glasses turned out fine. I will order again from them.

I just had an eye exam and asked for the rx. The rx only lists the measurements for the following for the rt (right eye?) and the lt (left eye?) :

Sphere
Cylinder
Axis

Is this enough to order glasses on line? It's all greek to me.

 

[CRLLS]

I am another satisfied Zenni customer. If I recall correctly, the waiting was the worse part. I think it took2-3 weeks before I got them. Then you'll have to fit them, which isn't difficult.


in order to order online from anyone, you will need to measure the pupillary distance. There are many how-to videos online.

 

[audreyh1]

My transitions lenses aren't good enough for driving in bright sunlight. The problem seems to be that if I'm in the car, the sunlight isn't hitting my face, and my lenses don't get that dark.

I really have to use a prescription pair of sunglasses if I'm driving with glasses. I'm usually wearing contacts, but I had to take a two week break recently.

 

[aja8888]

I use Zinni, 39dollarglasses.com and replacealens.com. All good for at least 8 years now.

 

[Major Tom]

When working, I use to purchase my prescription glasses from the local Sears, and always got a quality frame and lenses, including my strong prescription, toughening, extra coatings etc for ~$150. Over 10 years later, the last pair I got from them is still going strong. They are still my daily wearers.

Then one year, my employer added vision insurance, so I decided to try it out, figuring that because it was insurance, I'd get a better deal. Visited an optometrist on the plan who was in a fancy building on Sunset Blvd in LA (it was the CNN building, IIRC). I did get a quality pair but even with the insurance, they set me back significantly more than my Sears glasses. Next time, I went straight back to Sears. The lesson I took from that experience is that vision insurance isn't worth it, and is possibly an even worse deal than dental insurance. If I had a Costco membership, I'd think seriously about using them.

My friend uses Zenni and loves them. Although I haven't looked closely, her frames don't seem to be of the highest quality though, at that price, they don't need to last as long to be worth it. She likes having different pairs in different colors and styles, so the low prices allows her to do that.

For the folk here who use Zenni, my question is - what is your opinion of the quality of the frames?

Aaron, unless there is some extra information we are not aware of, I think you paid far more for your glasses than you needed to.

 

[REWahoo]

For the folk here who use Zenni, my question is - what is your opinion of the quality of the frames?

I ordered a pair of computer glasses (bifocals with a slightly different prescription than my reading glasses) from Zinni in December of 2012. The metal frames were $6.95 and are still in good shape after three years of heavy use.

They worked so well that when my prescription recently changed I ordered the same frame again. Still $6.95 and appears to be the same good quality.

While I don't fully trust customer reviews, I do note that the individual frames on the Zenni site have a wide variability of ratings. The frame I've been ordering has 5 stars while some others have lower ratings. Based on my limited experience I'd suggest sticking with the frames others rate well.

 

[Dawg52]

For the folk here who use Zenni, my question is - what is your opinion of the quality of the frames?

Aaron, unless there is some extra information we are not aware of, I think you paid far more for your glasses than you needed to.

I can't say the frames are as sturdy as some I have had. But they feel great on my face and look just as nice. I bought this pair to wear around the house for reading and watching the tube(bifocals). I found that I like them so much I wear everywhere except the golf course. I wear single lens there. Oh yes.....my bifocals are the bendable type, maybe that is why they don't seems as sturdy as some. Ha!

 

[Bamaman]

I could tell I was in need of a new prescription so I went and got an exam. I was right and the change was pretty big. I ended up getting new regular glasses and new sunglasses with the new prescription. Total cost was nearly $800. They said it'll take two weeks to get my new glasses. What do other people do to keep prescription eye glass costs down?

We recently got our eyes examined. On the way out, they wouldn't give us our written prescriptions without going through their sales office. When they figured out we were not going to buy from the optometrist office, we got the scripts.

Shop around before buying your glasses/contacts and there will be a big savings.