# Does your optometrist make glasses? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 14, 2025, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-optometrist-make-glasses/1012975 "2025-01-14T18:42:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-optometrist-make-glasses/1012975/21 "2025-01-15T15:59:53Z")
I _assume_ marking the pupillary distance would result in a _vertical_ line on each lens of the pupil center. But what she was marking was a _horizontal_ line. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-optometrist-make-glasses/1012975/22 "2025-01-15T16:21:28Z")
Around my hometown the shops that had their own labs for at least the straightforward prescriptions have long since been mostly trampled underfoot by the Luxxotica cartel. At least by law they have to hand me my prescription and I can go to Costco or send it to Zenni. > [@jnglmassiv](#): > > > [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > > > They take a to of measurements you just can’t do with an online order. > > Sure, same as any eye exam, but then forward those measurements (Rx) to the online vendor? A common pitfall there is that in many chains/practices the optometrist’s actual prescription writeup will not include the interpupillary distance measurement, which is measured instead afterwards when you are getting fitted for the glasses and the optician enters it in a work order. So it may not be printed in the prescription sheet that is handed to you to use elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-optometrist-make-glasses/1012975/23 "2025-01-15T16:43:16Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > A common pitfall there is that in many chains/practices the optometrist’s actual prescription writeup will not include … Yes and some places have chips with their burgers instead of fries. Shop around to get the best prices and selection. > [@Is there a term of art of this business practice (leaving old, uncompetitive pricing plans alive while selling competitive plans to new customers?)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-of-art-of-this-business-practice-leaving-old-uncompetitive-pricing-plans-alive-while-selling-competitive-plans-to-new-customers/1012914/10): > > This reminds me of the scene in Boiler Room where Giovanni Ribisi is offered a newspaper subscription. He ask the salesman if that doesn’t screw over the old subscribers in favor of the new ones and the salesman says Sure, I guess. Ribisi replies that he can live with that. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-optometrist-make-glasses/1012975/24 "2025-01-15T17:07:13Z")
Progressive lenses are more than just the Rx and PD. They take into account the optical centre, the reading corridor, the angle of the frame against the face, etc. My optometrist takes a half dozen separate measurements as well as using an optical scanner that captures you looking at a fake book. The lenses are then custom made for your viewing profile. > **[Traditional vs. Digital Eyeglass Lenses - Columbia Eye](https://columbiaeye.com/traditional-vs-digital-eyeglass-lenses/)** > > Fully custom digital free-form eyeglass lenses can provide you with clearer vision in every gaze direction and in all lighting conditions. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-optometrist-make-glasses/1012975/25 "2025-01-15T17:14:09Z")
Yeah. I shouldn’t have presented it as an either/or. My mistake. The optical center (OC) is also used as the basis for determining where to place the progressive segment of the lens. Bored? **[17min YouTube vid](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PIDGBn8RY4)** explaining how this works. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-optometrist-make-glasses/1012975/26 "2025-01-15T17:25:03Z")
Not that bored. And also I’ve never seen the pupillary distance marked on new glasses. I _assume_, again, that for properly fitting ones, the center of the lens should be about where the pupil is. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-optometrist-make-glasses/1012975/27 "2025-01-15T17:31:54Z")
Best practice is to mark the optical center of every pair of eyeglasses every time. Having a disparity between the true optical centers and the pupils can cause uncomfortable and distressing symptoms for the eyeglass wearer – the stronger or more complex the prescription, the greater the potential for those symptoms: > **[Prescribing and fitting spectacles: the role of pupillary distance and the...](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11141121/)** ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2025, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-optometrist-make-glasses/1012975/28 "2025-01-16T02:13:08Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > A common pitfall there is that in many chains/practices the optometrist’s actual prescription writeup will not include the interpupillary distance measurement, which is measured instead afterwards when you are getting fitted for the glasses and the optician enters it in a work order. So it may not be printed in the prescription sheet that is handed to you to use elsewhere This is because the pupillary distance isn’t part of the prescription, any more than your temple width is. Sometimes the optician will write it on the Rx anyway, but often you just have to ask them to do it. I’ve never had one say no. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2025, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-optometrist-make-glasses/1012975/29 "2025-01-16T02:36:04Z")
No, My optometrist charged me a gigantic sum of money for glasses that I could buy on Zenni for $30. Also Zenni both made them and shipped them faster than the optometrist made them. Also I had to go back to the optometrist office to pick up my glasses from them. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2025, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-optometrist-make-glasses/1012975/30 "2025-01-16T02:41:17Z")
I’ve bought glasses from Zenni Optical and yes, they’re very inexpensive, but I also think they’re also constructed more cheaply than the ones from a regular shop. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2025, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-optometrist-make-glasses/1012975/31 "2025-01-16T02:50:22Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Sometimes the optician will write it on the Rx anyway Oops - too late to edit - I meant sometimes the _optometrist_ will write it for you on the prescription. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2025, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-optometrist-make-glasses/1012975/32 "2025-01-16T02:57:11Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > Having a disparity between the true optical centers and the pupils can cause uncomfortable and distressing symptoms for the eyeglass wearer Idk if your video mentioned it, but the pupillary distance should actually be a couple measurements - not only the distance between the pupils, but the distance from the center of the nose bridge to each pupil. Eyes aren’t always symmetrically placed and one pupil may be a millimeter or two further from the center of the bridge than the other pupil, which obviously affects where the lens optical center should be. I had glasses once that didn’t allow for that, and I was unhappy for a year. I’d just chalked it up to it being my first pair of progressives. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2025, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-optometrist-make-glasses/1012975/33 "2025-01-17T02:17:40Z")
Lenscrafters usually had my glasses ready within 12 to 24 hours. For example, I go by at 2pm and select a frame. They’re ready to pickup the next morning. I always paid extra for scratch resistant lenses. I’m pretty sure Lenscrafters made them on site. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-optometrist-make-glasses/1012975.md?page=1)