Eye glasses, how much?

mscard88

mscard88

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Mark
Whew, wondering what a good pair of woman's eye glasses cost these days. Had a quote north of $800 but it's been awhile since my wife had a new pair. She really wants 'em too. Last time went to Costco but not 100% happy w/ the service and warranty. This was at a local eye Dr's business. These have the "sunglass thing" that clamps or sticks on to them, forget what they're called.
 
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I get my exam and RX from a trusted ophthalmologist and get the lenses and frames from Costco. I think I paid a little over $200 for the last 2 pair - I get one "normal" pair of varilux (gradual trifocals) and 1 pair of upside down bifocals for shooting. I buy the $10 clip on sunglasses at Walgreens.
 
Yeah they're priced out of sight (pun intended).

I changed to contacts several years back and haven't regretted it.
 
There is a huge range of options available now. I recently negotiated a discount and bought from my local optician -- $400 frames and lenses. I paid over $100 extra because I wanted my main pair to be correctly adjusted, etc. The frames were around $250 IIRC. I then bought a second, identical frame, from lensesrx.com and had my old-prescription lenses installed in it. That frame was $120. Half! lensesrx.com is a US supplier that has recognized the fact that Chinese competition has made the old high-margin optician model obsolete and they are discounting to compete. jemoptical.com is another US supplier that has read the tea leaves.

The frame I bought is an EasyClip #344. It includes sunglasses that magnetically clip to the glasses frame. Very handy. Whether they have a woman's version I don't know but you can check on the 'net I am sure.

A completely reasonable alternative is to go direct to China. When I get a significant prescription change I buy my variable focal length lenses in the US, then I buy three single-vision reading glasses and two single-vision computer glasses from one of the Chinese suppliers. Typically I can get a BOGO and have two pairs (with frames) for $25. So well under $100 for five pairs. I am not at all fussy about the frames, so I take whatever is on sale. I get black or black trim for the reading glasses and brown or gold for the computer glasses so can easily tell them apart. Most recently I bought from goggles4u.com. Prior I bought from optical4less.com Both were fine. IIRC delivery is about ten business days.

All you need for mail order is your prescription and your interpupillary distance. Typically the optician measures this when you order glasses but you can ask him/her for it (they know why you're asking!) or measure it yourself. There are instructions on many of the Chinese sites.
 
These are 'screwless' frame, quote was for a protective coating, progressive lense, very light frame, and with a matching clip on sun glass.
 
mscard88 said:
These are 'screwless' frame, quote was for a protective coating, progressive lense, very light frame, and with a matching clip on sun glass.
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Anti-reflective coatings and scratch-resistant coatings are very cheap to apply, but the vendors tend to use them as tools to pad the ticket. I have seen prices from zero to maybe $80 for a scratch coating. Shop carefully.

Women can be fussy about frames; that may leave you paying through the nose. Sorry to say.
 
I spend about a g-note, give or take. That said, I wear progressives and have a plus correction... therefore want the more aesthetically, much more costly, thinner lenses.
I also get all the bells & whistles such as transitional and non glare.
 
airdale said:
All you need for mail order is your prescription and your interpupillary distance. Typically the optician measures this when you order glasses but you can ask him/her for it (they know why you're asking!) or measure it yourself. There are instructions on many of the Chinese sites.
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I was going to measure with calipers. But then I thought better of sticking the pointy ends in my eyes.

650px-Vernier_Caliper_150mm.svg.png
 
$325 to $425 in STL suburbs, including exam and frames
 
mscard88 said:
Whew, wondering what a good pair of woman's eye glasses cost these days. Had a quote north of $800 but it's been awhile since my wife had a new pair. She really wants 'em too. Last time went to Costco but not 100% happy w/ the service and warranty. This was at a local eye Dr's business. These have the "sunglass thing" that clamps or sticks on to them, forget what they're called.
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There is a chain out there these days called America's Best. They advertise "Two pairs for $69.95 - exam included". I decided to give them a try. Everything is high tech -
the latest & greatest equipment. I, of course, did not choose the low price option. I got two pairs of single vision glasses with metal frames and upgraded lenses, one
pair tinted to serve as sunglasses - for a little over $200. Can't say I'm disappointed with them. No doubt other places will have more choices in frames and lenses - but
mine are good enough for the price.

Dave
 
Warby Parker. $100. Online company. They will send you multiple frames to try on before ordering. My wife just did it. Pretty easy process
 
I just got a new pair. My eye doc had a half price deal going on. I would have made my current set last yet another year otherwise.

At half price, I didn't feel so bad about adding an anti reflective coating and paying a little extra for lighter lenses. I use progressives and they cost a lot, even mail order. I weighed my previous glasses, they came in at 22g. My newest weigh 20g. Those 2g, 10%, is noticable.
 
I went to Target Optical (yes, the store like Walmart) and paid about $400 for my second pair with all the bells and whistles. I got the exam there too, but insurance covered the exam and most of the first pair. Both were Ray Ban frames (regular and sunglasses).
 
Coincidentally, I got an eye exam last week that indicated I needed slightly stronger lenses.

About $240 at Walmart for progressive bifocal lenses with “midrange” scratch resistance and anti-glare. About $20 cheaper than the optician quoted.

$10 charge if I used my old frames, but they have decent frames for $9, so that makes more sense.

I’ve used WalMart - and their budget frames - before with good results.
 
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Thanks everyone so far. She's on the fence now.
 
EppyGA said:
Zenni Optical
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Got new glasses last year from Zenni. My daily glasses have antiscratch and antireflective coatings, are lightweight polycarbonate with titanium frames, and darken when I go out in the sun.

Also bought two pair of sunglasses (one each for my truck and wife's car).

The total bill from Zenni was a little over $200, and took just over a week to arrive at my house.

I think the rest of my glasses will continue to come from Zenni . . . .

The last ones I bought from the eye doctor were over $300 for one pair of sunglasses, after my vision insurance kicked in their lot. I only bought sunglasses if the prescription was a minor change. Now i will get at least one pair every time!
 
I just paid a little over $700 but that included the exam and I didn't even look at price, I picked the one frame that I could stand to have on my face at the one optician in town. I want the full personal service.
 
EppyGA said:
Zenni Optical
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What's the old saying, you can have good, cheap, or fast, but not all three?

The glasses I got from Zenni were the worst I've ever received. They were also the least expensive by far. The focal area for distance vision is diminutive, and it is placed high enough on the lenses that I have to perch the glasses on the middle of my nose to see straight ahead.
 
The last time ever spent $400+ on glasses was for Rayban frames which I really liked, but I liked the $320 that I had left from buying stuff at Zenni way more. That's was years ago. I will never buy from the huge big box stores again. They are almost all owned by the same parent company Luxottica and that only appear to be competitors on the street.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxottica

The company operates in two sectors: manufacturing & wholesale distribution, and retail distribution.[26]

The house brands include the following:[27][28]

The company also makes eyewear under license for the following designer labels:[27][28]

These brands are sold in the company's own shops, as well as to independent distributors such as department stores, duty-free shops, and opticians.

Retail[edit]
Luxottica Retail has approximately 8,000 retail locations[1] in the United States, Latin America, Canada, China, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and United Arab Emirates.[16] The headquarters of the retail division is in Mason, Ohio, United States (North America).[16] Their retail banners include the following:[30]

 
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I got a pair of progressives at Sams Club recently for around ~400.
I got my prescription sunglasses thorugh Zenni for about $80. I'm probably going to stick with Zenni.
 
I flew with my driving/everything progressives and the "old folks" sunglasses from Walgreens over them. They are a more reasonable style now that don't look like you're playing junior airman.

That setup worked really well. In fact, I'd say that I could see better that way than with my Sheydens, although those need the lenses to be replaced with a newer prescription. The dark sunglasses were better.

I just took herself to Costco and she was thrilled with the lower prices. I have bought extra pairs there with no problem and was changed half of what the optometrist wanted.

Vis: From my local optometrist I got two pairs of progressives in Izod frames where one pair was covered on my insurance and the second was "half price." I still paid nearly $400 of HSA money for everything. I have to remember to skip the "half price pair" next time and get extras from Costco.
 
A bit off topic, but I prefer “flip-up” clip-ons.

Lots of time I want to view the outside view through tint, and the instruments without tint. Flip-ups can be full down, full up or anywhere in between.
 
FastEddieB said:
A bit off topic, but I prefer “flip-up” clip-ons.

Lots of time I want to view the outside view through tint, and the instruments without tint. Flip-ups can be full down, full up or anywhere in between.
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Like them flapper things. :)
 
At those prices, consider Lasik surgery possibly?
 
Sac Arrow said:
At those prices, consider Lasik surgery possibly?
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LASIK doesn't mean you won't ever need glasses. My wife still has glasses though they are primarily readers (though there is a touch of correction on the distance part.

LASIK is not without issues. My wife had just about every complication you can imagine. Her very excellent surgeon held her case up as a teaching example. She had no long term issues, but it could have been worse.
 
Similarly, I had radial keratotomy - the precursor of LASIK - back in the 1980’s. Great improvement in vision, very close to 20/20 in one eye and about 20/30 in the other. Perfection was elusive, due to an existing astigmatism, that RK could not perfectly adjust for. And over the years the correction has definitely slipped.

Anyway, no regrets - decades of not needing glasses day-to-day was worth it.

Next hurdle may be cataracts. Not an issue yet, but on the horizon. Upside is the new lens has the potential to greatly improve uncorrected vision.
 
FastEddieB said:
Next hurdle may be cataracts. Not an issue yet, but on the horizon. Upside is the new lens has the potential to greatly improve uncorrected vision.
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My dad got his cataracts fixed. The surgery was so simple and the results were so dramatic that he was angry with himself for waiting so long.
 
I'm old school. I have the Shuron Ronsir glasses. They've been in business for ages. In fact, I bet many of you guy's parents got their glasses from this company. They're just bad ass glasses and never go out of style.;)
 
FastEddieB said:
A bit off topic, but I prefer “flip-up” clip-ons.

Lots of time I want to view the outside view through tint, and the instruments without tint. Flip-ups can be full down, full up or anywhere in between.
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That's why the Scheydens are good, especially since the sunglass portion in DOESN'T clip on. I knew I'd mess up or lose the clip-ons.
You don't get a lot of stares when walking around with them flipped up...anymore.
 
azblackbird said:
I'm old school. I have the Shuron Ronsir glasses. They've been in business for ages. In fact, I bet many of you guy's parents got their glasses from this company. They're just bad ass glasses and never go out of style.;)
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Ahhhh..... I'm betting my late mother and fathers glasses are well out of style. Women don't wear the cateye glasses anymore, right?
My dad wore the thick black jobs. Don't see those too often either.
 
Kritchlow said:
Ahhhh..... I'm betting my late mother and fathers glasses are well out of style. Women don't wear the cateye glasses anymore, right?
My dad wore the thick black jobs. Don't see those too often either.
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What's old is new again. The retro glasses have been back in style for a few years now. I see all kinds of millennials wearing them right along with us old geezers. Plus all the hollywood crowd have been wearing them for awhile also. In fact my next pair are going to be those "thick black rims". They seem to be the hip style these days. Our head coach of the Cardinals has got it going on. He wears the same hats (Kangol vent airs) as I do, and sports the black rimmed glasses.
 
azblackbird said:
What's old is new again. The retro glasses have been back in style for a few years now. I see all kinds of millennials wearing them right along with us old geezers. Plus all the hollywood crowd have been wearing them for awhile also. In fact my next pair are going to be those "thick black rims". They seem to be the hip style these days. Our head coach of the Cardinals has got it going on. He wears the same hats (Kangol vent airs) as I do, and sports the black rimmed glasses.
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Sorry. Just googled "1950's cateye glasses". Everything looked modern day, and truly nothing like the original.
 
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