Eyeglasses

[JohnHammond]

Fascinated by eyeglasses, since I'm pretty blind without them and hate paying close to $300 or more for glasses if you get them somewhere than Walmart or Costco. Used Zenni a few times, and found a U.S. frame manufacturers that is reasonable that also grinds lenses (less than $150 for frames you'd recognize,).

Thoughts on eyeglasses and where to buy them. Used FramesDirect for my latest pair.

 

[RickStain]

Zenni for life. Cheap **** is fine when you can replace it for $10

 

[cjericho]

Get a job with a vision plan and it's much cheaper than $300.

 

[KJIM]

Guangzhou. Amazing glasses market. I had a pair for every day of the week. I stepped on one pair and broke it recently and was bummed. At $40, it was the most expensive pair I got while there. I miss it, especially since glasses are so expensive in Istanbul.

That said, though, my Walmart pair is still my favorite

 

[Vombatus]

Distance or reading glasses?

Please don't tell me a lot of ****heads are on our nation's roads with Walmart distance glasses.

 

[JohnHammond]

Distance or reading glasses?

Please don't tell me a lot of ****heads are on our nation's roads with Walmart distance glasses.

What's wrong with Walmart glasses (not the OTC readers)?

 

[Starman]

Dollar store 1.50+ readers. My distance vision is still fine.

 

[Vombatus]

What's wrong with Walmart glasses (not the OTC readers)?

I know they sell frames and some have vision centers, but you actually go somewhere else and get a lens prescription, right?

What I'm driving at is that you just don't buy some pre-made distance glasses off the shelf like you do with reading glasses. I've got enough to worry about with drunks, users and texters on the highways.

 

[JohnHammond]

There are optometrists working in Walmart Vision Centers. All the lab work is done off site, though, so it's not like you get a prescription and buy glasses off-the-shelf. I think the glasses are already put into frames at the lab, so the in-store employees just do adjustments and repairs.

 

[EStreetJoe]

My vision sucks. Can't see clearly more than a foot or two in front of me without my glasses. I'm at the age where I need progressive lenses.
I don't mess with my glasses, I go to the local optometrist to buy my glasses, knowing everything is going to be done right.

 

[The Big Ragu]

I go through phases -- daily contact lenses vs. glasses. I got a pair of progressives a while back at Warby Parker. ... I had my eyes checked by my own guy, then brought the prescription into one of their stores in NY. I know that isn't an option everywhere, and I am not sure I would be comfortable buying glasses online (especially progressives) if you don't have a store nearby, but what I got was fine and reasonably priced for progressives (if you compare to a typical optometrist shop).

 

[Madhavok]

Current glasses are Etnias that cost around 220$ after insurance. I buy glasses once every few year and contacts every year. Sign up or promotive and buy glasses from Smith Optics.

 

[Dyno]

What Ragu said. I've gotten a few pairs of progressives from Warby Parker and have been happy with them all. I wouldn't have gotten them there if I couldn't go into a store and get the measurements done, though.

 

[HC]

If you wear progressives I would think that buying online is not an option as they need to be 'lined up' with your eyes (I'm sure there's a technical term for this that is escaping me at the moment).

 

[The Big Ragu]

If you wear progressives I would think that buying online is not an option as they need to be 'lined up' with your eyes (I'm sure there's a technical term for this that is escaping me at the moment).

Believe it or not, Warby Parker will sell you progressives online. They have some kind of predictive technology to set the segment heights. I personally wouldn't buy them that way, but maybe it is fine.

 

[JohnHammond]

Need a PD, which is not part of a prescription, and segment height for bifocals and progressive lenses. The PD app I've used is as accurate as PDs taken by a few different opticians.

First bifocals are on their way. Bought lined bifocals.

 

[User 11148]

I go through phases -- daily contact lenses vs. glasses. I got a pair of progressives a while back at Warby Parker. ... I had my eyes checked by my own guy, then brought the prescription into one of their stores in NY. I know that isn't an option everywhere, and I am not sure I would be comfortable buying glasses online (especially progressives) if you don't have a store nearby, but what I got was fine and reasonably priced for progressives (if you compare to a typical optometrist shop).

I'm wearing progressives bought online (39dollarglasses.com) and they're as good as any I've ever had. They were $150 or so with all the bells and whistles, and they'd have been $400+ at Walmart and more elsewhere.

All these places -- both the online places and your traditional neighborhood folks -- buy the blanks from the same manufacturers. It's a ridiculously low-skilled operation.

 

[User 11148]

Need a PD, which is not part of a prescription, and segment height for bifocals and progressive lenses. The PD app I've used is as accurate as PDs taken by a few different opticians.

First bifocals are on their way. Bought lined bifocals.

My optometrist always writes the PD on the little prescription card.

 

[Buck]

Got prescription at optometrist. Didn't like an of the frame options there.
Bought pair online with Zenni for $35. Not exactly what I wanted but much closer than I have ever seen at the optometrist office.

 

[Vombatus]

If you wear progressives I would think that buying online is not an option as they need to be 'lined up' with your eyes (I'm sure there's a technical term for this that is escaping me at the moment).

I have a hell of a lot of trouble with that. It's called "eye centers". With my glasses on, the technician can use a marker to put a black x where your eye lines up to each lens. They really should do all these measurements on you as you select a frame to make sure each lens is cut correctly.
And I am extremely particular about misalignment. Drives me nuts. They were off a bit with one lens once, and it took me about two months of screwing around to realize that my goofed up vision was due to one of the lens being off and not on me. Gave me headaches, literally. Or is that figuratively. Sigh. Going home. Done for the day.