Inexpensive eye glasses?

[collegebound]

Does anyone have any tricks or tips on how to get eyeglasses inexpensively? It looks like I'm going to have to get my first pair, and from what I've been able to find so far it looks like it's going to cost me quite a bit of money. All the stores that I have visited have been pretty expensive. There must be some chain where I can get discount eye glasses, but I can't seem to find them in my area. Where is the best place to get eyeglasses that are not the cost me a fortune?

[bjl584]

Try Costco. They have very good deals on eyeglasses.

Do you need a special prescription? Specialized lenses cost alot. Be sure to skip the designer frames.

I'm lucky in that my insurance pays for my glasses/contacts.

[disneysteve]

For Eyes and America's Best are two good discount chains. WalMart's optical department is another place to check. We were actually just there last night. My wife got frames for $9. Of course, the lenses were costly but she also gets polycarb lenses and bifocals. Plain old single vision lenses would have been quite a bit cheaper.

Stay away from designer frames and skip all of the bells and whistles on the lenses. Get plain old plastic or glass lenses and you should be able to get a pair for well under $100. I think America's Best is about $69. For Eyes has a 2 pair for $99 promotion regularly.

[Momma23]

Eyebuydirectdotcom

[disneysteve]

Eyebuydirectdotcom

There are a few places where you can order glasses online. This is one. Zenni Optical is another. I'm not convinced about these places, though. Just the other day, I read an article that said the performance of these places is pretty poor. Something like 15% of orders are never received. 45% of orders have some problem that requires sending them back. Unless you can find a professional who is willing to do all of your measurements for free so that you can then send those measurements in to the online places, I wouldn't go this route. I actually considered it myself and even though I think I'm a fairly intelligent guy, I couldn't figure out how to do the measurements that they were requiring.

[cooliemae]

I just ordered my glasses through eyebuydirect.com...went to walmart and had them measure my pupil widths for free. Got them in today and really like my new glasses and they were about $70-$100 cheaper for a comparable set at Walmart, Shopko, or the like.

If this is your first time buying glasses, I would suggest looking at thinner frames even with the higher cost because it will feel a whole lot better on your nose, especially if you haven't worn glasses before.

[elessar78]

Zenni Optical - Eyeglasses, Prescription Glasses, Bifocal, Progressive Eyeglasses, Rimless Glasses

I get my prescription then plug it into the website and about two weeks later I get my eyeglasses. Costs me about $13-14 for a pair.

The caveat is that if fashion is a big issue for you, you can't try it on before hand obviously. I care about the fashion aspect and I'd say they're pretty good in that regard. But this is a great resource if you like to keep backup pairs in the car(s), at the office, at home, etc.

[feh]

Another happy Zenni customer here. Never had any problems.

[disneysteve]

Another happy Zenni customer here. Never had any problems.

I can't really grasp how ordering online works. When I go to buy glasses, I may try on 20 pairs before I find a pair that fits right and looks okay on my face. Then once the glasses are made and I go to pick them up, the tech needs to adjust them and fit them to my head. They warm them, bend them, use special tools to adjust them, etc. Over time, the glasses will stretch and bend and I'll go in periodically to have them adjusted. Obviously, none of this can happen when ordering online. So what do you do when you get the glasses and they're a little too loose or too tight? Do you just mess with them yourself?

[feh]

I can't really grasp how ordering online works. When I go to buy glasses, I may try on 20 pairs before I find a pair that fits right and looks okay on my face. Then once the glasses are made and I go to pick them up, the tech needs to adjust them and fit them to my head. They warm them, bend them, use special tools to adjust them, etc. Over time, the glasses will stretch and bend and I'll go in periodically to have them adjusted. Obviously, none of this can happen when ordering online. So what do you do when you get the glasses and they're a little too loose or too tight? Do you just mess with them yourself?

I haven't had any fitment issues. But yes, if I did, I'd take care of it myself.

For people that are picky about their frames or want personal service, online is not the way to go. I'm a very low-maintenance kind of guy. so Zenni works out very well for me.

[elessar78]

I can't really grasp how ordering online works. When I go to buy glasses, I may try on 20 pairs before I find a pair that fits right and looks okay on my face. Then once the glasses are made and I go to pick them up, the tech needs to adjust them and fit them to my head. They warm them, bend them, use special tools to adjust them, etc. Over time, the glasses will stretch and bend and I'll go in periodically to have them adjusted. Obviously, none of this can happen when ordering online. So what do you do when you get the glasses and they're a little too loose or too tight? Do you just mess with them yourself?

I bought my first pair just to try out the service. For $13 I was willing to gamble and I came out pretty happy with the pair I got. I don't know why, but they fit great out of the box. But that's just dumb luck probably.

The one thing is that my script didn't come with "pupillary distance" listed. That's the distance between your two pupils. The doc's office wouldn't do it, guessing I was going somewhere else to get it filled, so I got a ruler and measured it myself. It worked pretty well. Probably better if I got my wife to do the measuring.

Before I've always just adjusted the frames myself, with pliers or what not. I think for heating I tried a blowdryer and that got it malleable.

As far as the fit and look, again dumb luck. I was resigned that if they did not look good that I would just keep them in my car as my driving pair.

[disneysteve]

I haven't had any fitment issues.

Really? I've been wearing glasses for almost 40 years. I have never once had a pair that I just put on my face and walked out of the store. They always need to be fitted. And more than once, I've had to go back after a couple of days because they weren't fitted quite right. I guess I won't be ordering online. My wife is even harder. She has a great deal of trouble finding frames that fit her. The other night, we went to 3 places for her new glasses. The first place didn't have a single pair that fit that she liked. The 2nd place had one pair but it was $100. The 3rd place had maybe 2 pairs that would have worked and she bought one of them. And when the finished glasses come in next week, she will absolutely need them fitted to her face.

[cooliemae]

I pulled the glasses I bought from eyebuydirect right out of the box and put them on with no problems. I don't know about zenni, but eyebuydirect lets you upload a picture of yourself and try out the glasses virtually.

[Jeriannegia]

I have used Zenni Optical for years and the results have been all good. You need to write down the measurements of the original frame, PD and the latest prescription before ordering glasses online. Sometimes the frame needs slight adjustments. However, I can have them fixed at optometrist office (of course it's not free of charge). All in all, the deals are still fine. The quality is fine and the whole cost is not even a third of the cost of glasses purchased at optometrist's office.

[snafu]

A little research goes a long way in choosing the glasses [frames & lens] that work for you.
How to Choose Eye Glasses: 5 steps - wikiHow

You need to choose frames that fit your face size [width, length] so that your eyebrows are visible, not resting on your check bones or imprinting grooves on the side of your face. Do you prefer plastic or metal? Metal frames have adjustable nose pads, plastic frames need careful review of how the bridge [nose] fits the bridge of your nose. The frame you choose must fit your prescription whose thickness zone is dependent on correction - near sighted, far sighted, astigmatism etc. Choosing color starts with your complexion and secondary your personal preferences. Finally, consider your face shape - oval, heart, square, round - strong, angular jaw.

Consider lens that best suit your lifestyle. Lens are plastic or more expensive poly carbonite and there are many add-ons which are effective but add to the cost. Personally, I find 'transition' lens which change color in sun light or bright snow well worth the extra cost.