Just a slightly off-topic nitpick… opticians cut lenses and fit them into frames, not, for the most part, optometrists, unless they own their own practice and are trying to do everything themselves for whatever reason. And I don’t know any optometrist willing to work for $25 an hour, unless they’re in residency.
The general public has a lot of confusion about the roles of ophthalmologists, optometrists, and opticians, so I just figured I’d point this out.
My trouble with glasses is yes, I can try on an empty set of frames (with my contacts in) and see how they fit on my face, but when the lenses are put in, my prescription makes my eyes and the sides of my face shrink in. This is why I only wear glasses around the house or when I have pinkeye.
Of course when I was a kid, I couldn’t see at all how the frames looked–there were some real classics on the IBM cheap frames list. :smack:
You are correct, and I do know the difference. Chalk it up to a brain fart. :smack:
I just bought a pair of glasses online (arrived today). So far, so good. The frames are exactly as I expected (they’re these) and feel pretty sturdy so far. The lenses themselves are great. My vision is pretty standard near-sighted stuff, though.
Having “Xao Ping” or no name on the frames instead of Calvin Klein or DKNY saves about $100 right there. Lens blanks (the basic lenses they then cut into the proper shape) cost about a quarter each, but a lenscrafters type place will charge you anywhere from $50 to $200 for a normal pair of lenses, and it only gets more expensive from there with any sort of special order - bifocals, coatings, etc. Eyeglasses have amongst the highest markup of any retail product, I’d imagine.
I think the manufacturers here does most of their work for the asian market, where their costs are low and their expected income is low. It also means the styling can be different - but with thousands of different pairs available you can find something you like. As far as the actual manufacturing quality, though - as good or better as any other pair of glasses I’ve had.
I like my optometrist. They take care of me. My insurance covers most of the cost of my glasses. I assume that my optometrist does better if I buy from them in addition to paying for eye exams. So I’m happy to do so.
Plus, there’s this one guy at my optometrist who can pick any customer’s perfect frames, first go. He picked great frames for me. That’s the kind of service I couldn’t get online, and they’re nothing I would have picked for myself.
Thanks, Wesley Clark, I was able to find a mom & pop glasses repair shop today. They replaced BOTH temples (including spring hinges) for $50! Now, of course, they don’t have the purdy Prada logo on the side but for the $100 savings, I could have kissed the gal behind the counter on the lips.