Author Topic: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?  (Read 13802 times)

nereo

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cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« on: February 23, 2016, 12:18:17 PM »
I'm wondering if anyone has found a really great place to buy prescription glasses.  My prescription is fairly strong, so I need/want a high-index lens (the base CR-39 lenses won't take my prescription, and even the polycarbinate ones are a bit thick).  Costs for just the lenses at my optician were around $400 just for the lenses, and the few eye-glass stores all seemed to be well north of the $300 mark.


Cassie

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #1 on: February 23, 2016, 12:24:49 PM »
I think your eyes are too important to buy glasses online. I have had the doctor over correct once and it was easy to get it fixed for free because I bought the glasses from her. I am all for cutting costs but not with your eyes.

nereo

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #2 on: February 23, 2016, 12:30:19 PM »
I think your eyes are too important to buy glasses online. I have had the doctor over correct once and it was easy to get it fixed for free because I bought the glasses from her. I am all for cutting costs but not with your eyes.
I have a regular ophthamologist and my prescription is current. 90% of the time I wear my contacts, but my glasses are about 6 years old and the coating is all scratched.
I'm not quite understanding how purchasing something online would result in any problems; in the odd event that it's incorrect I imagine I'll just send it back.

NextTime

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #3 on: February 23, 2016, 12:35:11 PM »
I had Lasik years ago, so I haven't shopped for glasses in awhile.

My wife gets them at a discount frames/lens store in town. I think she was able to get 2 pair for less than $100. We live in a mid-sized town (around 150k), so unless you are in a small town, there are probably options nearby.

On his show, Clark Howard always recommends http://www.zennioptical.com . I've never used them but I browsed the site once and they are very affordable. I don't know how specialized they go on the lenses but it's worth a look.

daverobev

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #4 on: February 23, 2016, 12:35:41 PM »
Zenni optical, clearly contacts, eye buy direct.

My prescription is -6 or so. No issues with buying online.

Cassie

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #5 on: February 23, 2016, 12:36:22 PM »
The RX was not wrong but the eye doc over corrected my eyes. Because I bought my glasses from them they re-corrected for free. Not sure that would happen if you went to a different place. Your doc may not feel responsible then. I keep my frames forever and just redo the lenses. My last 2 pairs lasted 18 years and I just had to buy new frames. I like to have 2 pairs.

daverobev

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #6 on: February 23, 2016, 12:40:00 PM »
I think your eyes are too important to buy glasses online. I have had the doctor over correct once and it was easy to get it fixed for free because I bought the glasses from her. I am all for cutting costs but not with your eyes.

You can, in my experience, go to any optician for frame adjustments - I have never been charged.

And... Your prescription is your prescription. It used to be that your lenses would be cut in the opticians shop. Now they are just ordered in (possibly from the same discount places).

It's a no brainier. The price of a pair of glasses, retail, vs online means I could buy four or more pairs for the same price.

Cassie

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #7 on: February 23, 2016, 12:41:56 PM »
No one is understanding what I am saying. My RX was wrong( the doc over corrected my eyes)  and I needed a different one. Would my eye doc have paid my RX filler for his mistake?  I don't know.

justajane

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #8 on: February 23, 2016, 12:46:07 PM »
Are you a Costco member? If so, call and ask them what your specific lenses will cost. Their frames and eye exam are super affordable.

Jack

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #9 on: February 23, 2016, 12:47:02 PM »
Zenni. Even if you order the wrong frame style or size or RX and don't like what you get (or they screw it up somehow), you can just try again. As long as you get it right within 10 tries or so, you'll have still come out ahead compared to the $300-400 you got quoted at the brick-and-mortar stores! And that's not even counting the return policy...

nereo

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #10 on: February 23, 2016, 01:50:46 PM »
No one is understanding what I am saying. My RX was wrong( the doc over corrected my eyes)  and I needed a different one. Would my eye doc have paid my RX filler for his mistake?  I don't know.
I understand what you are saying - i'm just pointing out that my RX isn't wrong, so I don't see why your statement about eyes being "too important to buy online".  If there were some concern about the online places giving out incorrect prescriptions i might agree, but even that's fairly straightforward and free to verify.

nereo

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #11 on: February 23, 2016, 01:55:34 PM »
Are you a Costco member? If so, call and ask them what your specific lenses will cost. Their frames and eye exam are super affordable.
I am a CostCo member - for some reason I hadn't thought of them.  I have a current prescription so next time I'm there i"ll just ask what they would charge to replace my lenses.  I do like how they will take back just about anything for any reason.

Thanks all for the suggestions.  Seems like several people like Zenni optical, and their prices seem to be 1/3 of what I've found at any any dedicated eye-glass retail store.

TheInsuranceMan

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #12 on: February 23, 2016, 01:56:04 PM »
Zenni optical, clearly contacts, eye buy direct.

My prescription is -6 or so. No issues with buying online.

Zenni Optical, x2.
Sporting a pair of prescription lenses right now, for $7.95!

warmastoast

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #13 on: February 23, 2016, 02:11:08 PM »
My husband ordered from https://www.perfectglasses.co.uk/  based on a recommendation of a friend of mine who lives in Sydney, Australia...

His prescription is also a tricky one - he ordered 2 pairs from them, they arrived in a couple of weeks.  He didn't like the frame of one so he sent it back and they refunded.  2 pairs were less than half the cost of getting them at our opticians here in Austin even with using our insurance.


nereo

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #14 on: February 23, 2016, 02:23:07 PM »
My husband ordered from https://www.perfectglasses.co.uk/  based on a recommendation of a friend of mine who lives in Sydney, Australia...

His prescription is also a tricky one - he ordered 2 pairs from them, they arrived in a couple of weeks.  He didn't like the frame of one so he sent it back and they refunded.  2 pairs were less than half the cost of getting them at our opticians here in Austin even with using our insurance.
forgive the dumb question, but that website appears to be in the UK - did your husband somehow order them and pay international shipping to Austin?  Or were you in the UK?  or is there another website?
(ok, that's technically 3 interrelated questions)

jda1984

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #15 on: February 23, 2016, 02:35:39 PM »
Zenni optical, clearly contacts, eye buy direct.

My prescription is -6 or so. No issues with buying online.

Zenni Optical, x2.
Sporting a pair of prescription lenses right now, for $7.95!

I've done both Zenni and Eye Buy Direct.  I think I like Zenni a little better, but both were great (no Rx issues, cheap complete glasses).

Rightflyer

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #16 on: February 23, 2016, 03:53:49 PM »
Thumbs up for Zenni.


serpentstooth

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #17 on: February 23, 2016, 03:56:46 PM »
I buy from Coolframes. -6 in one eye, -11 in the other, roughly. I paid about $200/pair, but I can cheap out on the frame because I have a relatively small face and wear children's ones.

nereo

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #18 on: February 23, 2016, 05:21:52 PM »
I buy from Coolframes. -6 in one eye, -11 in the other, roughly. I paid about $200/pair, but I can cheap out on the frame because I have a relatively small face and wear children's ones.
Thanks for the suggestion - i'll check them out too.
Your prescription isn't too far off from mine; -9 in one eye -8.5 in the other.  My wife likes to say if I were born 200 years earlier a lion would have eaten me by now.

TrumanGrad

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #19 on: February 23, 2016, 05:25:47 PM »
I agree with the other posters who suggested Costco.  My husband and I both bought our glasses through them.  The frames and lenses are very very reasonable and they have free adjustments and repairs.

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #20 on: February 23, 2016, 05:45:53 PM »
I've bought from both eyebuydirect and zenni, and I actually preferred EBD just because it felt easier to me to find frames that looked very unobtrusive, while zenni's catalog was more eye catching. But they were both very positive experiences and shockingly cheaper (maybe only 10-20% as much) than buying glasses from an in-person optician. Don't see myself switching back any time soon.

slugline

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #21 on: February 23, 2016, 08:40:57 PM »
If you're in the market for active sport eyewear check out Gogglesnmore. I've got a really well-done pair of prescription swim goggles from them and would use them again. If they can handle my wretched prescription (-14) they can probably handle just about anyone's.

dess1313

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #22 on: February 23, 2016, 09:24:23 PM »
+1 for zenni!  i have ordered several pairs for myself, family members, and friends.  use your current glasses to estimate how big/wide etc measurments are compared to the online ones to get estimates of their size/look

arebelspy

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #23 on: February 23, 2016, 09:26:23 PM »
Agreed on Zenni.  The wife and I are at around -10 or so, and their stuff is great.

We don't bother paying for the thinning stuff, and it looks fine, IMO.  Costs $20-30 total?
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goatmom

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #24 on: February 24, 2016, 05:47:42 AM »
39dollarglasses is also a good place that is online and has some brick and mortar stores.  Have had great luck.  Didn't have such great luck with zenni.  I bought progressive bifocals from zenni and did not like them.   Might have been just me because everyone else I know has had good luck.

Jack

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #25 on: February 24, 2016, 08:47:51 AM »
We don't bother paying for the thinning stuff, and it looks fine, IMO.

Whether high-index lenses are worth it or not depends on the style of frame you're picking. For wire-framed glasses (or especially rimless!) it matters a lot, but for plastic frames it generally doesn't (unless the lenses are so incredibly thick they stick out beyond it).

Having the lens edges polished can also help thick lenses in a wire frame look less obtrusive.

nereo

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #26 on: February 24, 2016, 08:56:52 AM »
We don't bother paying for the thinning stuff, and it looks fine, IMO.

Whether high-index lenses are worth it or not depends on the style of frame you're picking. For wire-framed glasses (or especially rimless!) it matters a lot, but for plastic frames it generally doesn't (unless the lenses are so incredibly thick they stick out beyond it).

Having the lens edges polished can also help thick lenses in a wire frame look less obtrusive.

good tips.  My existing frames are wire, but after seeing the prices online I'm beginning to think that the most sensible solution might be to keep my existing pair as a backup and purchase a set of plastic frames with the normal polycarbonate lenses instead of hte high index lenses.  The cost savings from not getting the high-index lenses would make up for the cost of buying new frames, and I'd end up with a backup pair instead of just one.

Gone Fishing

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #27 on: February 24, 2016, 09:01:25 AM »
Does Zenni accept most insurances?  I think I have VSP.

warmastoast

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #28 on: February 24, 2016, 09:04:33 AM »
My husband ordered from https://www.perfectglasses.co.uk/  based on a recommendation of a friend of mine who lives in Sydney, Australia...

His prescription is also a tricky one - he ordered 2 pairs from them, they arrived in a couple of weeks.  He didn't like the frame of one so he sent it back and they refunded.  2 pairs were less than half the cost of getting them at our opticians here in Austin even with using our insurance.
forgive the dumb question, but that website appears to be in the UK - did your husband somehow order them and pay international shipping to Austin?  Or were you in the UK?  or is there another website?
(ok, that's technically 3 interrelated questions)

Yes, they were ordered from the UK site..  international delivery was £8 or about $10.   He paid about $15 postage to return the one pair - which isn't refunded.

The £ is falling in value right now, it's just breached the $1.40 level -  so this makes the UK option even better.


Trudie

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #29 on: February 24, 2016, 09:04:56 AM »
Are you a Costco member? If so, call and ask them what your specific lenses will cost. Their frames and eye exam are super affordable.
I am a CostCo member - for some reason I hadn't thought of them.  I have a current prescription so next time I'm there i"ll just ask what they would charge to replace my lenses.  I do like how they will take back just about anything for any reason.

Thanks all for the suggestions.  Seems like several people like Zenni optical, and their prices seem to be 1/3 of what I've found at any any dedicated eye-glass retail store.

I get all of our glasses at Costco.  I've been thrilled with the process.

GuitarStv

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #30 on: February 24, 2016, 09:19:08 AM »
I think your eyes are too important to buy glasses online. I have had the doctor over correct once and it was easy to get it fixed for free because I bought the glasses from her. I am all for cutting costs but not with your eyes.

My prescription has been between -8 and -9 for several years now.  I buy new glasses every 2-3 years, and it's vital that the glasses are correctly made . . . with the prisming that I get, when things are even a tiny bit off they seem OK for a couple hours and then tend to lead to nausea.

The past four pairs of glasses that I've ordered (all from different local opticians) have all had errors or mistakes made that needed correcting.  Sometimes I had to take the glasses back more than once before they were corrected.  None of the shops around here do the glasses in house, they are all sent away to a lab to be corrected.

To prove that I'm not crazy I get an appointment with my optometrist and have her determine if the focal point is in the right spot on the lense, and measure the prescription.  Then she writes me a note indicating corrections that should be made.

I've been considering buying online with a place with a good return policy because of the poor quality from local opticians.  My eyes are too important to keep buying glasses locally.  :P

Jack

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #31 on: February 24, 2016, 09:39:34 AM »
We don't bother paying for the thinning stuff, and it looks fine, IMO.

Whether high-index lenses are worth it or not depends on the style of frame you're picking. For wire-framed glasses (or especially rimless!) it matters a lot, but for plastic frames it generally doesn't (unless the lenses are so incredibly thick they stick out beyond it).

Having the lens edges polished can also help thick lenses in a wire frame look less obtrusive.

good tips.  My existing frames are wire, but after seeing the prices online I'm beginning to think that the most sensible solution might be to keep my existing pair as a backup and purchase a set of plastic frames with the normal polycarbonate lenses instead of hte high index lenses.  The cost savings from not getting the high-index lenses would make up for the cost of buying new frames, and I'd end up with a backup pair instead of just one.

Oh yeah, another tip for strong prescriptions: edge thickness increases with lens diameter, so if you want to minimize it then go for relatively small frames instead of Aviators.

nereo

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #32 on: February 24, 2016, 09:45:40 AM »
It's nice to see so many other posters with strong prescriptions.  I feel like a blind freak everytime someone picks up my glasses and says "holy-crap you're really blind!!".  My vision is 20/20 with glasses or contacts.  Without them I can't even read the "E" on the eye chart (though I always say "E".  It's always an E...)

Elliot

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #33 on: February 24, 2016, 09:52:06 AM »
I wear both glasses and contacts. With my insurance I can have a pair of glasses/sunglasses OR contacts covered each year, but the fitting for glasses and contacts is included. I buy my contacts through the eye doctor (lasts me two years) and the next year I buy prescription sunglasses. For regular eyeglasses I just have the doctor give me my written prescription which they do gladly. Then I buy my chosen pair online and when they arrive, take the glasses to my doc to get checked. They've never been wrong, fwiw.

nereo

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #34 on: February 24, 2016, 09:58:01 AM »
I wear both glasses and contacts. With my insurance I can have a pair of glasses/sunglasses OR contacts covered each year, but the fitting for glasses and contacts is included. I buy my contacts through the eye doctor (lasts me two years) and the next year I buy prescription sunglasses. For regular eyeglasses I just have the doctor give me my written prescription which they do gladly. Then I buy my chosen pair online and when they arrive, take the glasses to my doc to get checked. They've never been wrong, fwiw.
Great to know.  My doc checks my glasses everytime I come by (which seems as simple as popping them into his fancy machine and getting a readout).  Too bad I don't have vision insurance for glasses/contacts, so that's all out of pocket for me.

arebelspy

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #35 on: February 24, 2016, 10:15:37 AM »
We don't bother paying for the thinning stuff, and it looks fine, IMO.

Whether high-index lenses are worth it or not depends on the style of frame you're picking. For wire-framed glasses (or especially rimless!) it matters a lot, but for plastic frames it generally doesn't (unless the lenses are so incredibly thick they stick out beyond it).

Having the lens edges polished can also help thick lenses in a wire frame look less obtrusive.

I use wired/rimless (for the bottom half?), and don't bother with the thinning stuff, and it looks fine still, IMO.
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GuitarStv

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #36 on: February 24, 2016, 10:24:01 AM »
We don't bother paying for the thinning stuff, and it looks fine, IMO.

Whether high-index lenses are worth it or not depends on the style of frame you're picking. For wire-framed glasses (or especially rimless!) it matters a lot, but for plastic frames it generally doesn't (unless the lenses are so incredibly thick they stick out beyond it).

Having the lens edges polished can also help thick lenses in a wire frame look less obtrusive.

I use wired/rimless (for the bottom half?), and don't bother with the thinning stuff, and it looks fine still, IMO.

Do you have very small frames?  My issue is not so much the thickness of the lenses, but that they are much heavier . . . which tends to make the nose pads dig harder into the nose, and makes them want to slide off my face more easily.

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #37 on: February 24, 2016, 10:30:00 AM »
Have bought glasses from zenni, frame broke in 6 months... oh how disappointing
go online to zenni and go to frames and take out lenses and it's THREE DOLLARS

Oh okay i'll take 5...

popped the lenses out of old frames into new ones and 4 more for backup...

I could buy over 100 replacement frames fro the cost of fancy glasses... I dare you to break that many

It's like the dollar store for glasses
« Last Edit: February 24, 2016, 10:31:46 AM by comfyfutons »

geekette

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #38 on: February 24, 2016, 10:38:26 AM »
It's nice to see so many other posters with strong prescriptions.  I feel like a blind freak everytime someone picks up my glasses and says "holy-crap you're really blind!!".  My vision is 20/20 with glasses or contacts.  Without them I can't even read the "E" on the eye chart (though I always say "E".  It's always an E...)
Heh.  Mine are both in negative double digits.  My doc says I'm beyond the eye chart and more in the "how many fingers" area...  </topper>

High index + progressive = $$$  I'm just glad there are now more small frame options because otherwise the lenses graze my cheeks.


arebelspy

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #39 on: February 24, 2016, 10:49:21 AM »
We don't bother paying for the thinning stuff, and it looks fine, IMO.

Whether high-index lenses are worth it or not depends on the style of frame you're picking. For wire-framed glasses (or especially rimless!) it matters a lot, but for plastic frames it generally doesn't (unless the lenses are so incredibly thick they stick out beyond it).

Having the lens edges polished can also help thick lenses in a wire frame look less obtrusive.

I use wired/rimless (for the bottom half?), and don't bother with the thinning stuff, and it looks fine still, IMO.

Do you have very small frames?  My issue is not so much the thickness of the lenses, but that they are much heavier . . . which tends to make the nose pads dig harder into the nose, and makes them want to slide off my face more easily.

These are the frames:
http://www.zennioptical.com/452012-metal-alloy-half-rim-frame.html

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goatmom

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #40 on: February 24, 2016, 10:54:20 AM »
I guess I would be to timid to bring a pair of glasses I bought online to my optometrist to check. 

nereo

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #41 on: February 24, 2016, 11:22:10 AM »
I guess I would be to timid to bring a pair of glasses I bought online to my optometrist to check.
Meh - I had exactly one bad experience with an optometrist when I needed to renew my prescription but couldn't see my regular opthmalologist I've been seeing since i was a kid.  They tried to deny giving me my prescription and insist I had to buy my glasses and contacts from them for health/quality reasons.  I've since learned this is against the law.  They also tried to suggest I needed extra tests not covered under insurance and were 'very concerned' about some non-issues.
An optometrist is a medical professional first and foremost.  You should never feel pressured to buy anything from them anymore then you should feel pressured to buy medicine directly from your doctor.  You should never feel ashamed to go to one and tell them you've been to a different optometrist or purchased glasses/contacts online.   If they try to make this out like you're doing something wrong - run; they are interested in your money and not your optical well being.
If they want to charge a small fee for verifying your prescription in their machine I would be fine with that (but think it's completely unnecessary), and you could probabyl get insurance to pay for it.  But it is their job and duty to help you and your vision.

GuitarStv

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #42 on: February 24, 2016, 11:28:11 AM »
My optometrist doesn't sell glasses at all.  She's just an optometrist.

kimmarg

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #43 on: February 24, 2016, 11:39:02 AM »
I think your eyes are too important to buy glasses online. I have had the doctor over correct once and it was easy to get it fixed for free because I bought the glasses from her. I am all for cutting costs but not with your eyes.
I have a regular ophthamologist and my prescription is current. 90% of the time I wear my contacts, but my glasses are about 6 years old and the coating is all scratched.
I'm not quite understanding how purchasing something online would result in any problems; in the odd event that it's incorrect I imagine I'll just send it back.

I won't buy online because I've had trouble with them getting the optical centers correct and my eyes are very sensitive to that error. That said many are happy wiht online- double check your optical center distances and don't assume they are the same left/right.

For high index there is 1.67 and now 1.74. The 1.74 is hard to find online - I've only seen it one place and I can't remember where right now.

nereo

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #44 on: February 24, 2016, 11:46:13 AM »
I think your eyes are too important to buy glasses online. I have had the doctor over correct once and it was easy to get it fixed for free because I bought the glasses from her. I am all for cutting costs but not with your eyes.
I have a regular ophthamologist and my prescription is current. 90% of the time I wear my contacts, but my glasses are about 6 years old and the coating is all scratched.
I'm not quite understanding how purchasing something online would result in any problems; in the odd event that it's incorrect I imagine I'll just send it back.

I won't buy online because I've had trouble with them getting the optical centers correct and my eyes are very sensitive to that error. That said many are happy wiht online- double check your optical center distances and don't assume they are the same left/right.

For high index there is 1.67 and now 1.74. The 1.74 is hard to find online - I've only seen it one place and I can't remember where right now.
Zenni seems to carry high index 1.61, 1.67 and 1.74 (with the 1.74 carrying a $74.99 premium and the 1.61 carrying a $19.95 premium over stock 1.57 lenses) in the frames I've been looking at.
I will definitely verify my pupilary distance (PD) once I've received my new glasses.  I'll post back our experiences (SO is ordering some as well since it looks like we can both get new glasses and frames for under $40 each). 

Trudie

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #45 on: February 26, 2016, 07:40:41 AM »
I guess I would be to timid to bring a pair of glasses I bought online to my optometrist to check.
Meh - I had exactly one bad experience with an optometrist when I needed to renew my prescription but couldn't see my regular opthmalologist I've been seeing since i was a kid.  They tried to deny giving me my prescription and insist I had to buy my glasses and contacts from them for health/quality reasons.  I've since learned this is against the law.  They also tried to suggest I needed extra tests not covered under insurance and were 'very concerned' about some non-issues.
An optometrist is a medical professional first and foremost.  You should never feel pressured to buy anything from them anymore then you should feel pressured to buy medicine directly from your doctor.  You should never feel ashamed to go to one and tell them you've been to a different optometrist or purchased glasses/contacts online.   If they try to make this out like you're doing something wrong - run; they are interested in your money and not your optical well being.
If they want to charge a small fee for verifying your prescription in their machine I would be fine with that (but think it's completely unnecessary), and you could probabyl get insurance to pay for it.  But it is their job and duty to help you and your vision.

What you describe here is precisely why I switched eye doctors.  When I was captive in their chair they used to propose all kinds of elective tests that were medically unnecessary.  I felt like I was at a chain restaurant being upsold on drinks, appetizers, and chocolate lava cake.  The same eye doctor now has a swanky office and a huge retail operation for glasses.  I have friends who've paid upwards of $600-$800 for glasses.  I bought 2 pairs at Costco last year.  Total cost = $225.

nereo

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Re: cheap(er) place to buy strong prescription eye glasses?
« Reply #46 on: February 26, 2016, 08:19:16 AM »
I guess I would be to timid to bring a pair of glasses I bought online to my optometrist to check.
Meh - I had exactly one bad experience with an optometrist when I needed to renew my prescription but couldn't see my regular opthmalologist I've been seeing since i was a kid.  They tried to deny giving me my prescription and insist I had to buy my glasses and contacts from them for health/quality reasons.  I've since learned this is against the law.  They also tried to suggest I needed extra tests not covered under insurance and were 'very concerned' about some non-issues.
An optometrist is a medical professional first and foremost.  You should never feel pressured to buy anything from them anymore then you should feel pressured to buy medicine directly from your doctor.  You should never feel ashamed to go to one and tell them you've been to a different optometrist or purchased glasses/contacts online.   If they try to make this out like you're doing something wrong - run; they are interested in your money and not your optical well being.
If they want to charge a small fee for verifying your prescription in their machine I would be fine with that (but think it's completely unnecessary), and you could probabyl get insurance to pay for it.  But it is their job and duty to help you and your vision.

What you describe here is precisely why I switched eye doctors.  When I was captive in their chair they used to propose all kinds of elective tests that were medically unnecessary.  I felt like I was at a chain restaurant being upsold on drinks, appetizers, and chocolate lava cake.  The same eye doctor now has a swanky office and a huge retail operation for glasses.  I have friends who've paid upwards of $600-$800 for glasses.  I bought 2 pairs at Costco last year.  Total cost = $225.

Yup - my ophthalmologist got visibly angry when I explained to him what they had told me.  "There's no damn medical reason for them to want to do that... it makes our whole profession look like a bunch of used car salesmen."  I didn't even know what they were telling me was wrong, and visited him immediately afterward because they had me freaked about my eyes and what I needed to "monitor, just to be sure".

I've since learned that compelling patients to order glasses/contacts "only" through them is one of the biggest scams.  If they don't willingly hand you your prescription upon request something fishy (and illegal) is going on.