I’m in the market for a new pair of spectacles for the first time - well, technically ever, because last time I was about 15 and my parents basically dragged me to pick out new frames.
I know the price will vary by prescription. I have moderate astigmatism that I think needs to be corrected for (I wear toric contact lenses; I don’t know how it effects glasses), and my prescription is in the middle of the road, something like 5 diopters in one eye and 8 in the other. My insurance says that lenses are fully covered with a $25 copay, so I assume that means they’ll pay the base price. If I also get “high index” lenses (thinner, apparently) with a scratch-resistant coating, I’ll need to pay for those myself. What sort of exorbitant cost am I looking at?
I’m just trying to figure out whether I should try to get insurance to pay for the glasses or contacts to save the most money.
I pay something on the order of $60 including my copay, anti-scratch (and probably underbody coating too). Note that you also need to get frames and prices for those can be all over the map. See what your insurance covers on those!
Toric lenses won’t affect the cost of your lenses. Assuming you wear biweekly disposable contacts, and you don’t want tinted eyeglass lenses, figure between $50 and $80.
A frame will go from anywhere between $50 and $1000. Quality-wise, there will be no difference whatsoever from about $200 up; at that point, they’re just priced by designer cachet.
If you plan on keeping the same glasses for a while, avoid rimless or half-rim styles.
Lifelong glasses-wearer here. In New York City, which may make a difference.
Prices for glasses are all over the map. First, there are the frames. As someone, above pointed out, except for the cheapest ones, they’re all pretty much the same, and you’re paying for fashion and designer name and stuff like that. Really Not All That Bright says that rimless glasses won’t last all that long, but I’ve been wearing them all my life. You’ve got to be a bit more careful than you would with full-framed specs, but you’ll be OK.
As to the lenses, it’s hard to get accurate information from optometrists. At least it is here. Someone above mentioned paying $60. I can never find anything that cheap. I guess mine would be somewhat more expensive, since I wear bifocals, but they shouldn’t be that much more expensive.
It seems like optometrists want to keep as much information from you as possible about the cost of lenses. They’ll advertise sales and specials all the time, but somehow those sales and specials are never available in my (very ordinary) prescription. It’s a bit of a scam, in my opinion.
As with so many things, the Internet has incredible deals for the savvy. Slate ran an article awhile back on Internet eyeglass sites. You’ll need your prescription from a doc, but then you can buy a complete pair of glasses for less than the coating from a brick and mortar store. I’ve used EyeBuyDirect for prescription sunglasses, but my head is far enough on the bell curve I prefer a custom fitted pair for daily use.
Insurance will pay up to $200 for frames, and since I really only wear glasses on the odd occasion that I can’t wear contacts (allergies, going to bed, etc), I can’t imagine I’ll possibly go over that (I look terrible in glasses to begin with, a frame can only do so much).
I am so kicking myself now. I’ve been paying $200-$280 for eyeglasses/prescription sunglasses at my optometrist’s office, mainly because while my insurance will pay for frames/lenses, they won’t pay for any bells and whistles, so for me it adds up (Polycarbonate lenses, anti-glare coatings, etc) though since my job often involves driving at night, and I don’t like wearing contacts, I consider a necessary thing.
That’s what I came in to mention. It seems to me that glasses are like electronics, they keep getting cheaper while everything else gets more expensive. Last year, I got two pair of glasses (frames and prescription lenses) from an Internet retailer for $21, including shipping. You read that right, $10.50 each pair. My first pair of glasses in 1985 was far less comfortable and far less fashionable but cost 25 times more.
For single-vision lenses, cost doesn’t vary by prescription as much as by substrate (polycarbonate, high-index, etc). If you’re not picky about frames and aren’t going to wear the glasses much, the basic glasses your insurance covers should suit you fine.
My current pair cost ~$300, but that’s with “designer” frames ($150), ultra-high index lenses ($110), and anti-reflective coating ($40). I wear them daily, so I’m particular. When I was a regular contacts wearer, my glasses were bare-bones.
I recently replaced my pair at the end of 2008. I had high-index lenses and a new frame with spring hinges. It came up to about $240. I’m wary of any coating as I had anti-glare on a pair in 2000. You have to use special cleaner and take special care. Despite this, they eventually fogged up and I had to replace the lenses for $120. The frame lasted 8 years and I still have them.
I actually just ended up having the optometrist order contacts for me via insurance, mostly because I remembered the less-than-idea situation I encountered last time, where the insurance company decided they weren’t going to pay the doc unless he ordered the contacts, but I had already ordered them, so I ended up paying the full cost out of pocket, and my lenses aren’t cheap. Spring break starts next week, so I’ll have some time to both go to stores to try frames on and hopefully find similar frames online.