Prescription Eyeglasses

[Crow]

For those of y'all who need prescription glasses, (like me) you know that a pair or two of eyeglasses can really bust the budget. But there are ways to minimize the pain. Here's how I save a sizable chunk of change on my glasses.

First, I call around to find the least expensive places to get an eye exam. In my area, it's the Walmart optical dept, at $50 bucks. This is good for a couple of years--my vision doesn't change much. I'm getting gradually more farsighted with age. When I get the exam, I don't buy glasses there. I get a copy of my prescription. Doctors are required to give you a copy of your prescription by law if you ask for it in the US--I'm not sure on other countries. One thing that you will need to have them write down is the PD or "pupillary distance." They usually won't do this if you don't ask.

Next, I get online to my favorite cheap glasses site, Zenni Optical. I've bought my glasses there for a couple of years. The quality is good, IMHO, as good as the glasses I've gotten through "regular" sources.

Here's an example of how much you can save on eye wear. I bought a pair of these glasses, among others, the last time I ordered. The base price was eight bucks for frames and lenses. I added the 5 buck optional anti-reflection coating. Shipping and handling, no matter how many pairs you order, is $4.95. So the total cost for this pair of glasses breaks down as follows:

Eye exam -- $50.
Base price of glasses -- $8
Anti reflection coating -- $5
Shipping -- $ 5

Total cost -- $68

One one pair I'm more than a hundred buck ahead of what it would cost to obtain these glasses locally. And the eye exam is a one time cost--when you buy additional pairs you only pay for the glasses. Naturally, I didn't stop with one pair. I have about 10 pairs. Different styles. Some tinted for sunglasses. A pair of $40 progressive lens glasses, which would cost over $300 locally. And the quality is very good on all of these.

Are your kids tough on glasses? The kid's glasses run from $8 to $30. So you can afford a back up pair or two for that kid who is hard on glasses, and what kid isn't? I'm hard on glasses--I've stepped or sat on a few pairs. When the glasses are this cheap, it's not a tragedy. And if you have kids who like styles that make your stomach churn, you can afford a pair the kid likes and one that's fit to have his pictures taken in.

There are drawbacks.

You have to have some idea of how wide you want the frames. Each frame is listed with a width. I measured a pair of glasses I owned and figured out that I wore a medium width. I've ordered all of my glasses in that width and they fit fine. It's not tough to do--use the metric side of a ruler.

It takes 2-3 weeks to get the glasses once you order them. For me, that's a reasonable trade off to save quite a bit of money. It might not be so reasonable to you. It's an individual choice.

You also need to be able to figure out what your prescription says and enter the numbers in to the proper places. For me, this was quite easy. There is information on the site that walks you through this process.

So that's my hint on how to save money on prescription eye wear. It works quite well for me. I have both distance and astigmatism corrections and the glasses I get do great for both. I like being able to have prescription glasses for a few bucks a pair. I have sunglasses, driving glasses, even high power glasses for very close hobby work that most people would never need. And the total for more glasses than any reasonable person would ever need is under $200. I can't complain.

[eudyptes]

....just in time for my bi-annual checkup...looks like I may be getting me a few pair instead of spending the $250 (after insurance) for one....
...great tip

Question:
Have you ever had to send one back...or get one that wasn't quite right...wondering about their customer service on "fixing" things?

[Crow]

I've never run into a problem on quality. The only problem I ever ran into was one pair I ordered was held up in customs for over two months--apparantly this happens from time to time. Since it was such a long wait, I contacted them. They sent me another pair free, which arrived about a week before the pair I paid for showed up after passing through customs. I considered this to be making out like a fat rat on my end--free glasses. If you're replacing your only pair of glasses it would be more like a disaster. So make your choices according to your own needs.

This isn't a source to use if you don't know what you want in terms of size or style. You get exactly what you order. They don't do repairs. They do offer to replace a pair for 1/2 price if you aren't satisfied. here

In the case of the glasses I buy, 1/2 price plus shipping and handling is more than I normally pay for one pair of glasses. So I would probably just order another pair if I would ever run into a quality problem.

What I did when I first heard about this site was risked 21 bucks and ordered two pairs of glasses to see how well they worked. I'm still using one pair. The other pair....well, remember how I mentioned occasionally stepping on a pair of glasses? That's a spare parts pair in case I ever have a screw fall out or lose one of those little nose-pad thingies.


ETA: I've never used this service, but Zenni will send you small parts to fix your glasses if you've lost a nose pad or screw free. Here I'm fairly handy at doing stuff like this, so it would be no problem for me, however you might not be used to assembling stuff. I'm an amateur jeweler, so it's no challenge for me. I don't see it as being difficult if you're at all familiar with putting things together or making minor general repairs.

[Dee Dee Warren]

I should post pics, but I have ordered from them multiple times, and LOVE them, and there are some stylish pairs. Let me go find some pics of me in them.

[Dee Dee Warren]

I have a new pair that is absolutely awesome but no pics yet. But here are two with my other pair I love that I call my Sarah Palin glasses

[T-Shirt Ninja]

Wow. Awesome. I need new glasses since my vision has changed.

[supton]

I just wear my glasses till they break, then cobble them back together. I've tried the flex frames this last couple of times, and I'm not so sure they are all that they are cracked up to be--the first pair broke after 2 or 3 years, despite being "flexible".

Luckily, I'm not particularly athletic, so my prescription sunglasses have manged to last 10 years without any breakage, despite being just about the cheapest frame that I could find that wasn't plastic.

[Crow]

That will work too if your vision doesn't change.

Mine changes slightly each time I get it checked. Because my job involves a lot of paperwork, wearing my glasses from 2 years ago is not an option.

If I don't have pretty much spot on correction I develop a splitting headache after a few hours at work. That is one of the little reminders that I need to get my eyes checked again. My sunglasses aren't as much of a issue. I can get by with an old pair on those.

[supton]

Yeah, my vision is not changing all that quickly. But it does change just slightly each time, it seems--hence, my sunglasses are a bit off.

Maybe I am blessed twofold: I rarely clean my glasses, until I can't see, and I'm nearsighted. The former means I'm somewhat used to not seeing everything too clearly, and the latter, well, I usually don't like to read wearing glasses. I need them for the computer, but anything w/in 18" or so is just fine--closer than that, and the glasses interfere.

Speaking of glasses: my poor old dad is nearsighted like me, was for at least 30 years. Had his cataracts removed, but opted not to pay for some optional surgery (?laser something?). Wound up farsighted! No longer needs glasses to drive or do most things -- except, his life is spent behind the computer. As he says, he can no longer take his glasses off and bring whatever it is closer to see it. I do not look forward to that!

[deangraziosi]

It is good to see here job hunting tips for students. Nice offer for eye exam and glass prices. It is a really good deal you offered about anti reflecting coating as well.

[Epoetker]

Those lucky enough to be military dependents can get their glasses Rx at any good military optometrist.

Or you could just autorefract yourself. There's an app for that.

And then you can measure pupillary distance with a standard mm ruler. Not too hard once you get the hang of it.