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Old 11-09-2019, 09:46 AM   #21
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... 3)If you ever need to change lenses, they don't do that. You have to buy the lenses with frames. ...
This is not universally true of the low-cost vendors. A web search will find alternatives. I have used replacementlensexpress.com successfully.
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Old 11-09-2019, 09:51 AM   #22
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I've been buying from Zenni since 2008. Here are the things I've learned over the years.

1. Get your eyes examined. Get your current prescription. Very Important. Don't assume your vision has not changed. One eye exam per year is free according to the law. Take advantage of it.

While at the optometrist,

2. Get your pupillary distance measured. Use the tool that looks somewhat like a set of binoculars. Ask the sales people to measure your PD (pupillary distance). Write it down. There is usually an optical shop attached to the optometrists office where you can get this done the same day as your exam. Yes, you can measure your PD yourself and get decent results, but you can also mis-measure and not get it right.

3. Find a frame that correctly fits you. Go to an optical shop and browse frames (like the one attached to the opticians office while you are waiting for your exam.) I also like to go to a Wal Mart since you don't get attacked by sales people and they are also quite accommodating if you need to get your PD measured. Try on a bunch of frames to find a style you like, then zero in on the proper size. There are numbers stamped on the temple arm that gives you the frame size. The format is three numbers, like 52-18-135. Those numbers correspond to lens width - nose bridge width - temple arm length.

The most common mistake people make is to get lenses that are too wide. The pupils of your eyes should be centered within the side-to-side width of the lens. You should not have your pupils positioned far off-center in the width of the lens (a millimeter or two is OK.) Another mistake is buying frames that have temple arms that are too short. If they are too short they won't reach behind your ears and your glasses will not be secured to your head. You can always adjust longer temple arms to fit, but you can't make short temple arms fit. Another boo-boo is to get frames that have temple arms that rub against the side of your face.

Naturally if you have a set of glasses that fit you very well you could simply look for frames with the same measurements. But it might be instructive to start fresh.

4. Take a picture of yourself wearing a style that you like and that properly fits you. Immediately after taking each selfie, take a picture of the temple arms showing the frame sizes. Now you have a record for an eyeglass frame you like and its size. If you feel like you are mooching by trying on frames in the store with no intention of buying there, assuage your guilt by buying some lens cleaner and/or a microfiber cleaning cloth. I've found that buying some lens cleaner and immediately asking to have them measure your PD is a good way to get this measurement.

5. Go on the Zenni site and use their search tool to find frames that fit your face. I always start by plugging in the temple arm length, then the lens width. Then I put in the lens style, i.e. rectangular, round, etc. That winnows down the choices quite a bit. Now look for a similar style to the ones you liked in the store.

6. Figure out how to upload a photo of your face without glasses so you can use their frame visualization tool. It's worth the hassle because you can see how the glasses will look on your face.

7. Be aware that many glasses do not have adjustable nose pads. I find adjustable nose pads to be helpful in making the frames fit your face, but once you know what size you wear you can order frames without adjustable nose pads with confidence.

8. Be sure to check the weight of the frames. I prefer lightweight frames so it's an important parameter to me.

There is a slight learning curve to buying glasses online but once you learn the tricks you will save tons of money.
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Old 11-09-2019, 09:58 AM   #23
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One eye exam per year is free according to the law.
What law is that?
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Old 11-09-2019, 10:00 AM   #24
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The reason they don't, most likely, is that they know you will take your glasses business somewhere other than their tied optical shop. It is actually the opticians that usually make this measurement.
Yep, there's a PD reading right on the viewfinder apparatus.

Quote:
Sometimes it is one number for normal distance vision and a second, smaller number, for close vision. I suppose the two-number system is better but I have never seen any practical difference.
If your correction is somewhat significant it can make a difference when buying reading glasses.

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I have been known to plunk myself down in the tied opticians chair and say "The doctor said you could measure my pd for me." That has worked fine for me.
Heh, yes, that's good. I've also sat down at the sales person's desk and said, "I'm supposed to get my PD measured."

I've noticed that they are much more willing to measure PD nowadays than they were several years ago. I'm guessing they've resigned themselves to the reality of people buying glasses online.
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Old 11-09-2019, 10:01 AM   #25
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What law is that?
Thought it was a part of Obamacare. Maybe it's just a voluntary thing on the insurance company. People should check their policies.
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Old 11-09-2019, 10:34 AM   #26
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Thought it was a part of Obamacare. Maybe it's just a voluntary thing on the insurance company. People should check their policies.
I don't know either.
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Old 11-09-2019, 10:50 AM   #27
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I have to wear prescription reading glasses (one eye had lasic surgery, other eye did not). I have been getting prescription reading glasses from Zenni for years. I love them, costs $8 each. The first time I bought them I bought 3 different pairs. I figured out which one I like best and then ordered 8 pairs of those. I now have glasses everywhere I need them, all over the house and car. I highly recommend Zenni.
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Old 11-09-2019, 11:07 AM   #28
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I also use Zenni for my reading glasses. Because my contact lens prescription is for monovision correction (one eye for close, the other for distance), I can't use drugstore readers since I only need a prescription for the distance eye. My optometrist's office used to carry inexpensive custom readers for this but doesn't anymore and she said that Zenni is fine for simple prescriptions.
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Old 11-09-2019, 12:04 PM   #29
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Originally Posted by Qs Laptop View Post
I've been buying from Zenni since 2008. Here are the things I've learned over the years.

1. Get your eyes examined. Get your current prescription. Very Important. Don't assume your vision has not changed. One eye exam per year is free according to the law. Take advantage of it.

While at the optometrist,

2. Get your pupillary distance measured. Use the tool that looks somewhat like a set of binoculars. Ask the sales people to measure your PD (pupillary distance). Write it down. There is usually an optical shop attached to the optometrists office where you can get this done the same day as your exam. Yes, you can measure your PD yourself and get decent results, but you can also mis-measure and not get it right.

3. Find a frame that correctly fits you. Go to an optical shop and browse frames (like the one attached to the opticians office while you are waiting for your exam.) I also like to go to a Wal Mart since you don't get attacked by sales people and they are also quite accommodating if you need to get your PD measured. Try on a bunch of frames to find a style you like, then zero in on the proper size. There are numbers stamped on the temple arm that gives you the frame size. The format is three numbers, like 52-18-135. Those numbers correspond to lens width - nose bridge width - temple arm length.

The most common mistake people make is to get lenses that are too wide. The pupils of your eyes should be centered within the side-to-side width of the lens. You should not have your pupils positioned far off-center in the width of the lens (a millimeter or two is OK.) Another mistake is buying frames that have temple arms that are too short. If they are too short they won't reach behind your ears and your glasses will not be secured to your head. You can always adjust longer temple arms to fit, but you can't make short temple arms fit. Another boo-boo is to get frames that have temple arms that rub against the side of your face.

Naturally if you have a set of glasses that fit you very well you could simply look for frames with the same measurements. But it might be instructive to start fresh.

4. Take a picture of yourself wearing a style that you like and that properly fits you. Immediately after taking each selfie, take a picture of the temple arms showing the frame sizes. Now you have a record for an eyeglass frame you like and its size. If you feel like you are mooching by trying on frames in the store with no intention of buying there, assuage your guilt by buying some lens cleaner and/or a microfiber cleaning cloth. I've found that buying some lens cleaner and immediately asking to have them measure your PD is a good way to get this measurement.

5. Go on the Zenni site and use their search tool to find frames that fit your face. I always start by plugging in the temple arm length, then the lens width. Then I put in the lens style, i.e. rectangular, round, etc. That winnows down the choices quite a bit. Now look for a similar style to the ones you liked in the store.

6. Figure out how to upload a photo of your face without glasses so you can use their frame visualization tool. It's worth the hassle because you can see how the glasses will look on your face.

7. Be aware that many glasses do not have adjustable nose pads. I find adjustable nose pads to be helpful in making the frames fit your face, but once you know what size you wear you can order frames without adjustable nose pads with confidence.

8. Be sure to check the weight of the frames. I prefer lightweight frames so it's an important parameter to me.

There is a slight learning curve to buying glasses online but once you learn the tricks you will save tons of money.
on the no. 3 above I didn't see any place on zenni to add those nos. did you call them to do that? I stopped at sams club today and ask about pd measurement and they told me the only time they measure for that is when they are actually fitting for a new order of glasses. I guess I will have to try somewhere else. I ask what it cost for my last pair in 2017 and she said it was 402. compared to 145. at zenni.
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Old 11-09-2019, 12:56 PM   #30
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on the no. 3 above I didn't see any place on zenni to add those nos. did you call them to do that?

When you click on each frame on Zenni it will list those numbers in the details section. First find a frame you like then make sure it's the right size. You can also use filters to show frames in a size range.
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Old 11-09-2019, 01:07 PM   #31
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I've used 39dollarglasses.com and it is similar to Zenni.
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Old 11-09-2019, 01:30 PM   #32
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Has anybody made progressive using Zenni?
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Old 11-09-2019, 01:37 PM   #33
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I just bought new reading glasses at Costco today. I noticed that on the receipt they printed my pupilary distance measurement. I haven't bought online before but did think about Zenni. If I do it in future, I would use the P.D. I got from Costco. One nice thing I liked about Zenni is that I could upload a photo of me and look at how the glasses looked on me using that photo.
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Old 11-09-2019, 02:13 PM   #34
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I've also been "window shopping" at Zenni since my last gouging...er, retail pair of glasses. Also Warby Parker, has anyone used them, or better yet, both them and Zenni? I actually will be getting an updated prescription on Monday, and I've gotten them used to the fact that "I keep copies of all my medical records at home, so I need my prescription and PD printed out". (That part is true, though, I do keep copies of everything!)
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Old 11-09-2019, 02:27 PM   #35
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Has anybody made progressive using Zenni?
Yes, me, for years now.

Plus, I've used 39dollarglasses.com and Replacealens.com.
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Old 11-09-2019, 03:03 PM   #36
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Has anybody made progressive using Zenni?
My everyday glasses are progressives as are my computer/work glasses. My wife's glasses are progressives and also gets them from Zenni. I even buy sunglasses as progressives, and why not at their prices? All have worked just fine for us.

Zenni does have a minimum lens height of 32 mm for progressive prescriptions. (Might be 34 mm, can't remember.) This means you can't get frames with short lens heights in a progressive frame. This has not been a factor for me when I order.
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Old 11-09-2019, 03:19 PM   #37
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My everyday glasses are progressives as are my computer/work glasses. My wife's glasses are progressives and also gets them from Zenni. I even buy sunglasses as progressives, and why not at their prices? All have worked just fine for us.

Zenni does have a minimum lens height of 32 mm for progressive prescriptions. (Might be 34 mm, can't remember.) This means you can't get frames with short lens heights in a progressive frame. This has not been a factor for me when I order.
Thanks. I see that if you put a progressive filter for the search of frames, it seems to drop frames with insufficient height, so I guess that's good.
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Old 11-09-2019, 05:39 PM   #38
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Thanks. I see that if you put a progressive filter for the search of frames, it seems to drop frames with insufficient height, so I guess that's good.
Yes. Also, when you are ready to order and you put in your progressives prescription, if the frame won't accept a progressive lens you will get an error message.
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Old 11-09-2019, 07:21 PM   #39
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A good optician will also strongly discourage you from putting progressives in an especially narrow height frame.

I called my optician and told him the truth - I needed a spare pair to wear skiing because I had already broken my spare pair skiing! I asked him his price for a cheap spare pair, and it was much more than Zenni. He gave me my PD.

The pair I bought serve well for skiing. In addition to temple length and face width, I have to attend to the width of the bridge. Unfortunately, I spent a lot of money years ago at LensCrafters for a pair that were beautiful, but never fit right. Glasses with a narrow bridge. Pathetic.

I haven’t ventured into progressives yet. I should try it. Must schedule the eye exam.
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Old 11-09-2019, 09:08 PM   #40
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I have ordered a few pairs from Zenni with good results. The most frustrating thing I have found when trying to order online or in person is figuring out which subset of frames will fit well before even bothering to consider them. Just like PD (pupil distance) why isn't frame width (face width), bridge width (nose size), temple length (ear location) part of the measurements that the Optician will make and provide to the client?? Which will then directly map to a frame size much like buying a pair or shoes or clothes, where a given frame style will come in different sizes that can be selected.
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