GLASSES!

darqness

I just got a haircut last night which essentially transformed me from "one of them long-hairs" to a pretty tidy and neat guy. Without long hair however I feel that I need to wear my glasses instead of always wearing contacts. And seeing as how my last pair of glasses has a prescription that is 3 years old, I feel like I'm going to vomit after only wearing them for 45 minutes.

What I need help/advice regarding, is where to purchase these new frames and lenses? I pretty much got screwed at Lenscrafters on my last pair ($300+ for glasses) and would like to spend substantially less this time. I'm a big fan of the thicker black framed glasses, and would mainly be looking at those styles.

MichaelLC

I think most B&M stores will be about the same price, so you'd have to get them on-line.

I'd recommend going to For Eyes (I've been happy there), or Lens Crafters, etc. and get an exam; it may be free with your insurance, so you can get the prescription numbers. Then browse around and find some frames you like and write down the model #. Keep in mind the frames will probably be cheaper, but the lens may still be a lot if you get extra thin, coated, etc.

Xaquin

Walmart (at least the one by me) is actually pretty efficient and affordable

Kate of Lokys

Somewhere like Lenscrafters is probably going to be your best bet for the eye exam, at least: around here, Lenscrafters and Wal-Mart both charge $50 for the exam, while the independent optometrists in town wanted $150+.

For glasses themselves, you have a few options, but the reality is that you get what you pay for. If you have a Costco membership, some of them have surprisingly good optical departments. If your main concern is cost, there are plenty of online retailers like Zenni Optical that sell frames plus lenses for under $20.

But, again, the less you spend, the less you get. Online glasses can be fine, but not being able to actually see how they look on your face is a pain in the ass (and uploading a photo to model frame sprites on just isn't the same). The frames you get from a place like Zenni aren't going to be name brand, and even if the name on the tag doesn't matter to you, there can be significant differences in quality, too. Buying online also means you don't get free support - if you need your glasses adjusted or cleaned or fixed, you'll need to pay for it.

You'll have to decide for yourself how valuable convenience and quality are to you. If you want to walk into a store, pick up some nice black frame Ray Bans, and walk out again an hour later, then yeah, you're going to have to pay for that. If you go with a cheap pair of glasses from the internet, though, you'll need to wait for them, you won't be able to really see how they look on you, and you should probably think about ordering a backup pair as well, just in case the first ones break or don't work out.

MushroomStick

Do you have vision on your health insurance? Otherwise, that's just how much glasses cost.

darqness

Thanks for the advice guys. The only thing that my insurance will cover is a $20.00 copay on an eye exam, so the exam itself is covered. As mentioned by MichaelLC I may just go to Target, Lenscrafters, Wal Mart etc. and make notes of what frames I like first and price compare online, then settle the lenses.

MushroomStick

There's more to it than just finding frames that look good on your face. They have to measure where your pupils are behind the lenses.

seasleepy

If there's one around you and you have a membership, Costco actually has a pretty decent optical -- I remember they were fairly highly rated by Consumer Reports recently.

Kyougu

Depending on how often you wear them glasses aren't something you want to cheap out on. I usually do spend 200-300 on them (and that's with insurance) but they're always worth it.

Sarcastro

Since I wear my glasses everyday, and image is fairly important to me, glasses are one of the few things I splurge on. Since this last pair ran me around 900 (CDN), 300 seems like a decent deal, even low end, honestly. Granted, I sprung for thinner lenses (I don't like the eye distortion effect from a viewer perspective) and shatterproofing (they double as safety specs), but designer frames for sure. Well worth it IMHO, the difference in how your face looks on cheap vs. right is insane.

Usagi

You need Warby Parker

Seriously, you can order frames for a free five day home try on, and then order glasses for under a hundred bucks a pair including lenses

And as a bonus, for every pair you order from them, they donate a pair to someone who can't afford them. Love that!

Fiziks

Usagi wrote: »

You need Warby Parker

Seriously. Simple, classic, well-made frames for under $100. You cannot beat it.

darqness

Usagi wrote: »

You need Warby Parker

Seriously, you can order frames for a free five day home try on, and then order glasses for under a hundred bucks a pair including lenses

And as a bonus, for every pair you order from them, they donate a pair to someone who can't afford them. Love that!

Wow that is great! Exactly the kind of styles I was looking at.