I fully admit that I don't wear glasses or contacts, so I don't understand all the costs involved.
However, $400-600 sounds like an absurd amount to spend in that category. I'd love to hear from other sight-challenged mustachians to see what their visual budget is.
It's on the higher end, but it's not unreasonable - particularly if he's purchasing
both glasses and contacts
and has multiple issues like near/farsighted and astigmatism. Based on Fuzz's $3,900 estimate for Lasik, I'd presume he does have an astigmatism, as it should be a good $1,000-$1,500 cheaper otherwise. I don't regularly get contacts anymore, but when I did my costs were at the upper end of that range:
$150 - Eye Exam (glasses and contacts fitting). Contact prescriptions are usually only valid for 1 year, so this is a recurring expense. I see an ophthalmologist (an MD) due to family history of adult-onset blindness; could probably be halved with an optometrist. But it will still probably be ~$70, since most places charge separately for glasses exams and contact exams.
$175 - Glasses. My eyes haven't settled, so I need an updated prescription every 12-18 months. With both an astigmatism and nearsightedness, I generally opt for the lense upgrades secondcor521 mentioned. Night driving is unbearable otherwise.
$240 - Contacts. My toric contacts cost $60/box (6 month supply) from Sam's Club, so 4 boxes are needed per year.
$20 - Contact Upkeep stuff. Holder, fluid, eye drops, etc.
That brings it up to $585, which is the high end of his estimate. The only way I see it being more is if you throw in sunglasses (or Transition lenses), designer frames, bifocals, etc.
Hey Fuzz, could you provide any more details about your vision issues? On first inspection, everyone appears to assume you've overinflated/unoptimized your annual costs and so the ROI is off. But based on your expenses and Lasik estimate, I'm going to presume you've got can't-do-anything-without-glasses vision? If so, I'd say go for it! I'm in the same boat as RootofGood in that I can't see a foot away from me without corrective lenses. As such, I plan to get Lasik or PRK as soon as my vision settles; any other debts be damned. The lifestyle improvement alone, not just the cost savings, would be worth it.