So far I’ve been using the optometrist attached to my eye doctor’s office, but they’re expensive. I want to get a pair of backup glasses, so quality isn’t a huge deal, but I do wonder about stuff like fitting and getting the focal point correct at places like Lenscrafters and Walmart, and especially for Zenni or other online sources.
Also, part of my goal is buying glasses (and maybe sunglasses, too, if it super cheap!) completely within my insurance allowance. How is the insurance coverage and filing with inexpensive sources?
I’ve bought several pairs from Zenni Optical, and I’ve found the lens quality, at least in terms of vision clarity, to be equal to that of the expensive Lenscrafters-type outfits. Focal distance has never been an issue with these pairs.
The frame quality, on the other hand, is not as strong. What you’re really missing out on is fitting them before you buy, and while you can estimate, it’s not always an exact thing. You’re also not getting the professional adjustment on the bridges and arms. I’ve had to do some minor surgery with pliers and crazy glue to a couple.
Of course, where else are you going to find a pair of wrap around prescription sunglasses for $50? Or a pair of rimless glasses for $40? At that price, you can afford to mess up a couple times. (especially if insurance pays for it a good portion of it)
I just bought two pairs from America’s Best – I’d been displeased by frames in the past from there, but this time they were fine. Nice Travis Bickle-shaped aviator sunglass frames, and some OK regular glasses (don’t wear much, except watching a flick or something).
I don’t know how to gauge how well they meet the required optic specifications, but they seem fine to me – when I drive I’m required to wear glasses, and it hasn’t been an issue, but I’m not all that nearsighted to notice finer deets about the lenses.
With my optometrist’s prescription, I went online and ordered myself 3 pair of glasses (2 regular and one sunglasses). I made sure to have my eye people measure my pupillary distance, and my old frames so I could get a good fit, especially on bridge width. All told, with cases, cleaning cloths, and shipping, I paid $49.95. This included a pair of classy looking memory titanium frames, that I promptly tested by dropping them and then stepping on them.
You can’t really go wrong with prescription glasses made and shipped to your door for under $20 in many cases. If you need single vision, and aren’t in the habit of sandblasting your face, the no-frills choices are more than adequate. Tint from barely-there to sunglasses dark is no charge. It also allows for backup pair and a pair for different levels of dress if you’re so inclined, all for less than a single pair from a major retail optician.
ETA: the only real downside I have found is that they take 2-3 weeks to arrive. I was completely without vision correction while waiting for them, though - so if you currently have a pair of working specs, this isn’t as big a deal. Also another reason to buy multiples!
Yeah, Zenni is great. I’ve got two pairs of glasses and two pairs of sunglasses from them. None of them was over $20 or so, and the cool plastic hipster glasses I’m wearing at the moment were $6.95 complete. I think I paid $4.95 extra for the sunglass tint.
They’ve updated the way you can sort through frames, with more precise measurements. You really need to start with a pair of glasses that fit well and measure the lens, bridge, and total width, the lens height, and the arm length (paying attention to where the bend is). Then look at those measurements on the frames you’re considering. Some frames have additional sizes and shapes available on the order page. You can upload a picture of yourself to see how they’ll look. I spent weeks perusing the site and and evaluating different styles before I decided.
Lenscrafters advertises themselves as inexpensive, but by the time everything is totaled up, they’re quite a lot.
We just got new pairs from Walmart based on Broomstick’s recommendation in another thread. I have hard to fit eyes and focal points (off-centered pupillary distance, progressive lenses), and they did just fine. Because of the progressive lenses I was leery of ordering online until I had my main pair in place, but I might give it a try now.
I got a pair online from Goggles4u a couple months ago for a teen I know who needed glasses. $9, and they came out fine. That’s $9, including coatings and shipping. (It appears that coatings are no longer included.) They arrived in one week. There’s a link on the Slickdeals.net main page, over on the right under Featured Coupons, with the promo code “Slickdeal” to get that price. We uploaded a photo of him and he tried out frames online until he liked one. His prescription was simple enough that we didn’t have any concern about them having difficulty with the order.
Since I already have a good pair of glasses, it sounds like Zenni is a good option! I know my doc will scold me and tell me that they won’t do as good a job, but he can go jump in a lake. I have myopia and astigmatism so it’s not too complicated. I’m getting old enough that I have to take my glasses *off *to read teensy weensy print, like on eyedrop bottles, but that works for now.
I’ll definitely keep Walmart in mind too, if I feel I need more personalized service.
I would never order glasses online, I’m too paranoid about fit. I have a large head (for a girl anyway), so typical frames are too small for me. And if a pair of glasses doesn’t fit me PERFECTLY, I’ll never wear them.
I really liked dealing with ForEyes back in the day. It’s been a while since I went there, but they were a bit cheaper than Walmart. More importantly, they seemed much more knowledgeable, and were willing to help find a pair of frames that looked good and felt comfortable. Not that the Walmart vision center employees aren’t knowledgeable, but the ForEyes lady was running and grabbing different flattering frames for me to try on, whereas Walmart leaves you to your own devices. I’m not a very good judge of what does and doesn’t look good on me, so I need that third eye, so to speak.
For those who have ordered from Zenni Optical before, do they send you a tracking number when the order is shipped? Or do they arrive one day at your door.
Heh, well this is funny. Less than one hour after I posted above, I received the tracking number for the order I placed on June 3. So that answers that.
I have significant visual issues (-8.5 diopter, astigmatism, other issues) which has always complicated getting adequate corrective lenses. I went to Wal-Mart upon the recommendation of another poster and was very pleasantly surprised at the thoroughness and professionalism of the eye exam. I think I was still gushing over it two months later. I now recommend them to other people. Short of an ophthalmologist or a low-vision specialist, the Wal-Mart exam I had was the equal of any other optometrist’s office.
I am very pleased with my new lenses from them. (My first pair of progressives). If you need an eye exam or your prescription updated I’d definitely consider them if I were you. Of course, there are plenty of other fine establishments as well.
Can’t speak to the insurance coverage/filing as I’m going “bare” for the vision coverage these past few years, but if you get an updated script then check out places like Zenni for the sunglasses. I haven’t tried Zenni myself, but they do seem to get a lot of positive reviews. And there are other on-line suppliers as well.
Because when I priced out a pair with my prescription at Zenni it came to $189. I have expensive vision problems, what can I say? Sure, the Zenni frames were cheap but the lenses weren’t. Well, they were cheaper than anywhere else, but some of us have the misfortune to need a LOT of corrective stuff.
I guess what I’m saying is “cheap glasses” is relative. For me, $200 would in fact be a cheap pair of lenses. Definitely a case of “your mileage may vary”.
I just want to say that Wal-Mart was recommended to me by another poster here, whose name I will post as soon as I beat the search function into submission (it’s giving me guff today for some reason).
Ah! - It was Sateryn76 in this thread who sent me to Wal-mart. That thread also has links to several on-line sources of eyeglasses. And a little bit of whining from me, which I’ll you to overlook as it was largely due to frustration.
I just don’t get ordering them. I buy mine at walmart and go back about every month or so to get them readjusted (I am pretty hard on my glasses). How would that work if I didn’t have a brick and mortar store?
Hot water and needle nose pliers Plus you can order like 3 extra pairs and still pay less than the Brick and Mortar store. I ordered from Zenni my last two times and everything worked fine and was exactly what I wanted/ordered.
You should be able to get them readjusted anywhere. Every glasses store I’ve been in has had a sign saying they will adjust your own frames for you at your own risk.
Plus you can order like 3 extra pairs and still pay less than the Brick and Mortar store. I ordered from Zenni my last two times and everything worked fine and was exactly what I wanted/ordered.