Cheap Prescription Glasses Thread (as low as $19)

[SMOGZINN]

I know I don't want clip-ons, so that eliminates those. That leaves:

Standard lens and add tint
Select a polarized or photochromic lens

Which do I want and why?

Photochromic lenses are the ones that get dark in sunlight. Personally I hate them. They are slow to transition, are heat dependent (they don't work as well when hot, not something good in the Texas Summer).

Polarized lenses are okay. Here is a link talking about them: Polarized lenses.

Personally, I like traditional sunglasses, plastic frames, as dark as they will make them.

 

[Muse]

$72.00 1.59 Vision-Ease SunRx® Polycarbonate Polarized Single Vision - Gray or Brown -tint at 85%
$76.00 1.59 Vision-Ease Coppertone® Polycarbonate Polarized Single Vision - Gray -tint at 90%

Right now I'm vacillating between these two. Hard time finding info online, the only thing I've found is at Vision-Ease's site:

http://www.vision-ease.com/Home/Consumers/Coppertone.aspx

http://www.vision-ease.com/home/consumers/sunrx.aspx

Their info on the SunRx suggests that the brown tinted lenses can be preferable in terms of depth perception for skiing and golf. I'm deuteroptic (total green blind), so I don't know if that would apply to me. Maybe I'll just get grey. Haven't decided which lens to get, seems like SunRx is something they developed and maybe they license the Coppertone from that company, the info provided is much different. The % figure indicates the Coppertone lenses are more opaque. Not sure if I want lenses that dark. Like I say, I haven't had sunglasses for decades.

 

[Gillbot]

Photochromic lenses are the ones that get dark in sunlight. Personally I hate them. They are slow to transition, are heat dependent (they don't work as well when hot, not something good in the Texas Summer).

Polarized lenses are okay. Here is a link talking about them: Polarized lenses.

Personally, I like traditional sunglasses, plastic frames, as dark as they will make them.

Same experience for me. I got suckered into "transitions" lenses once, i'll never make that mistake again. They do work OUTSIDE but if you are in a car, the UV is blocked by the windows and they do not darken. WTF is the point!

 

[Muse]

Same experience for me. I got suckered into "transitions" lenses once, i'll never make that mistake again. They do work OUTSIDE but if you are in a car, the UV is blocked by the windows and they do not darken. WTF is the point!

I don't mind my transitions, they called them Photo-grey in the day, and I have several pairs with this feature. At the time, it was a free add-on, and I went, what the heck. Don't even think about them. They work indoors, they work outdoors. They aren't so dark in the sun that you notice. It takes them a few minutes to clear when you bring them inside, but it doesn't bother me.

I decided on this for my sunglasses order at Zenni today:

$72.00 1.59 Vision-Ease SunRx® Polycarbonate Polarized Single Vision - Gray -tint at 85%

90% just seems like it would be too dark. I wanted the polycarbonate material for its probably superior UV protection. Grey is, I figure, the best option in sunglasses if you are only going to have one pair. Said to be a very good choice for bright conditions, and that will be my priority with these.

 

[Gillbot]

I bought them mainly for driving and after found out they won't work in the car. Never again.

Finally got my ship order from zenni, 12 days at processing now shipped.

 

[Muse]

I bought them mainly for driving and after found out they won't work in the car. Never again.

Finally got my ship order from zenni, 12 days at processing now shipped.

Driving is my highest priority with the shades I bought today from Zenni. I figure what I got to be optimal, or that was my intention. I drove about 500 miles in extremely bright hazy conditions without sunglasses at Thanksgiving. Don't want that to happen again!

Zenni is slow to ship. I can usually live with slow shipping if the other stuff works when ordering online. Hey, I haven't had shades (other than my photo-greys) since sometime in the 1970s. What's a few more weeks?

 

[mikeford]

A major priority for me is UV protection. I figure the $70+ lenses are probably fine for that, the other maybe too, don't know. I think that Zenni vouches for UV protection on all their lenses, I see that in a blurb. I can't find anything online to help me decide between the Coppertone and SunRx lenses. Maybe I'll just pick the SunRx's. Comments?

UV protection a big concern only option are those wrap around old people glasses, but unless you have some special medical need any lenses should be fine for UV in normal situations.

Photogray was the first photochromatic lens, now there are a handful of brands, but I don't know which are better or if they are.

 

[mikeford]

I bought them mainly for driving and after found out they won't work in the car. Never again.

Finally got my ship order from zenni, 12 days at processing now shipped.

I've been wearing transitions for a long time, not as dark in a car as outside, but I sure know it when I forget and wear my non photo glasses in the car, its BRIGHT.

Common trick with my photo glasses, when you first get them they don't darken as much as they can. Leave them in the sun a few times and they should reach max tint.

I need to be able to use the same pair of distance vision glasses day and night, indoors and outdoors, so some kind of photo is essential.

Do you have a limo tint on all windows but the front? That could be an issue as well.

 

[Muse]

I've been wearing transitions for a long time, not as dark in a car as outside, but I sure know it when I forget and wear my non photo glasses in the car, its BRIGHT.

I'm reading here (and elsewhere) that photo-chromic lenses don't darken in a car but IIRC my photo-greys, from way back in the 1970's, do darken in the car. They are glass, and like I said, it was a free option when I bought them (I still have both pairs I got, same Rx, same wayfarer frame). However, based on statements here and on the many pages I read yesterday online, I ordered polarized this time (sunglasses yesterday from Zenni).

Interestingly, the Rx on those 1970's glasses became way weak for me and I used to use them around the house as a kind of medium strength close+far all purpose set. Lately, however, my Rx isn't as strong and the old 70's glasses are my exact distance Rx, except for the astigmatism adjustment. I figure that's reason enough to get new glasses. But the clincher is the fact that I don't know how UV protecting those old glasses are, if any. Also, AFAIK they don't have any anti-glare properties. Something's wrong in my left eye, a doctor showed me a photo explaining why I'm not getting the sharpness I have with the right. It showed aberrations at the edges of my retina, I believe. I am going to make an appointment today with an opthalmologist, see if I can get a hopefully accurate diagnosis. Meantime, I figure that UV protection is an absolute priority.

 

[emenk]

"Online eyewear tips, tricks and tidbits" By Debra D. Bass St. Louis Post-Dispatch

That was reprinted in a local (different) newspaper today. I didn't think the first half of that article was worth reading, but I thought the "Tips for Buying Eyewear Online" and "Places to Shop" sections toward the end were pretty informative. The places seemed to be different than what I've seen discussed here.

I haven't bought anything online, but I'm considering it for reading glasses or possibly prescription sunglasses.

 

[Gillbot]

I got my order from Zenni, EXTREMELY pleased!! I decided to order a couple more pair to check out. For the price, they can be damn near throw away sunglasses for me.

I think next year i'll go to the eye doc, get my prescription then just order all my glasses from Zenni.

 

[mikeford]

"Online eyewear tips, tricks and tidbits" By Debra D. Bass St. Louis Post-Dispatch

That was reprinted in a local (different) newspaper today. I didn't think the first half of that article was worth reading, but I thought the "Tips for Buying Eyewear Online" and "Places to Shop" sections toward the end were pretty informative. The places seemed to be different than what I've seen discussed here.

I haven't bought anything online, but I'm considering it for reading glasses or possibly prescription sunglasses.

Here are the places listed, many have been discussed in this thread, others are likely not the cheap ones.

PLACES TO SHOP
Coastal.com • Get your first pair free on select frames (shipping and handling, about $16, is not).

Eyebuydirect.com • Advertises glasses from $6.95, but $29.99 will get you a much cuter pair.

Madeeyewear.com • Custom frames that let you pick all the components — front, right temple, left temple, engraving separately. Test three free pairs with your prescription for seven days.

Spiffysociety.com • Starts at $95 for upgraded lenses; 30-day free returns.

WarbyParker.com • A leader in this niche. Known for simplicity of a free home trial — five pairs for five days free. Every pair you buy, means someone else in need gets a free pair of glasses.

Iristocracy.com • “Purveyors of uncommon eyewear.” Prices start at $245 for the frames no lenses. Uncommon doesn’t come cheap.

Mezzmer.com • Hands down, some of the best glasses descriptions online and great looking frames, too, starting at $69.95.

Zennioptical.com • Glasses start as low as $6.95 for prescription glasses, and it has one of the best interactive virtual try-on tools around.

 

[SMOGZINN]

Designer frames are abundant, and if you have insurance there’s no reason to pass up on your benefits for something cheap online (which aren’t covered by insurance, but usually are covered under flexible spending plans).

This is untrue. Every health plan that I have ever had that had glasses coverage covered buying them online as well. You just have to keep receipts and submit them to your insurance for reimbursement. I've done it several times with Aetna.

 

[KingFatty]

This is untrue. Every health plan that I have ever had that had glasses coverage covered buying them online as well. You just have to keep receipts and submit them to your insurance for reimbursement. I've done it several times with Aetna.

I cannot think of any reason why you'd want to purchase your glasses or contact lenses from your eye doctor. Am I missing something? It always seems better just to get the prescriptions, and go online. Why buy from the doctor?

 

[SMOGZINN]

I cannot think of any reason why you'd want to purchase your glasses or contact lenses from your eye doctor. Am I missing something? It always seems better just to get the prescriptions, and go online. Why buy from the doctor?

There is only 2 reasons I can think of.

1. You need them right now. There are occasions when you need new glasses right away and can't wait for even overnight shipping.

2. You want to have a large selection to try on and have a professional help you with fit. I've been wearing glasses for over 30 years, I know what I want in the look, and with some basic messurements I know how they will fit me. But I can see if you didn't know these things you might need the help.

 

[gorb]

I bought mine from my doctor yesterday. $495 out of pocket for my copays, contact fitting, and frames + lenses. Insurance paid $569 :O

I buy my secondarys from warby parker although I might be checking out some of the other companies. I'd like to be able to get 1.74 lenses and warby parker only offers 1.67.

 

[SMOGZINN]

I bought mine from my doctor yesterday. $495 out of pocket for my copays, contact fitting, and frames + lenses. Insurance paid $569 :O

I buy my secondarys from warby parker although I might be checking out some of the other companies. I'd like to be able to get 1.74 lenses and warby parker only offers 1.67.

This is what I'm talking about. This is highway robbery. $1064 for glasses?

 

[gorb]

This is what I'm talking about. This is highway robbery. $1064 for glasses?

My memory/math must have been off because the total bill was something like $1118 or so, but either way, it was excessive (I know I paid $495.20). I found a complete pair of the same glasses online for ~$420 or so (dunno the quality of their lenses or AR/AS coatings though). I will say I've been perfectly satisfied with the condition and scratch resistance of my lenses from my doctor over the past couple years.

I don't have my itemized receipt with me here at work today, but I recall it was something like:
$145 for the exam ($10 copay, insurance for the rest)
$55 for refraction (I have no idea what this is but insurance took care of it)
$60 for the contact fitting (I paid for this, even though nothing changed from the last time)
$349 for the frames (roughly 50/50 split insurance and myself). I found the frames online for $185.47 (on sale from $231.84) afterwards.
$79 for single vision lenses ($20 copay, insurance for the rest)
The rest of the upgrades were where most of the money went. I got relatively significant discounts on most of them and/or insurance took care of 25%-50%. 1.74 lenses (expensive), AR/AS coatings (expensive), edge polishing (cheap), aspheric lenses (kinda cheap).

Yeah, things cost way more than they should at the eye doctor. That will probably be the last time I buy from them. I did do some reading on my insurance coverage and if I buy online from a place like framesdirect or whatever, I can at least get partially reimbursed.

 

[mikeford]

That is the primary reason for not buying from your doctor, terrible pricing.

I don't get being in a hurry part, except for a simple prescription it usually takes days to a week or so for glasses to be done. Last year my wife needed new glasses and wanted them for a business trip so we paid $500 something including a rush fee to the doc, fubared they didn't have them ready in time, would have been faster via Zenni expedited for 1/3 the cost.

Taking a guess.

$145 would be some sort of health related eye exam unrelated to a Rx for glasses, which is the refraction part.

 

[Muse]

Here are the places listed, many have been discussed in this thread, others are likely not the cheap ones.

PLACES TO SHOP
Coastal.com • Get your first pair free on select frames (shipping and handling, about $16, is not).

Eyebuydirect.com • Advertises glasses from $6.95, but $29.99 will get you a much cuter pair.

Madeeyewear.com • Custom frames that let you pick all the components — front, right temple, left temple, engraving separately. Test three free pairs with your prescription for seven days.

Spiffysociety.com • Starts at $95 for upgraded lenses; 30-day free returns.

WarbyParker.com • A leader in this niche. Known for simplicity of a free home trial — five pairs for five days free. Every pair you buy, means someone else in need gets a free pair of glasses.

Iristocracy.com • “Purveyors of uncommon eyewear.” Prices start at $245 for the frames no lenses. Uncommon doesn’t come cheap.

Mezzmer.com • Hands down, some of the best glasses descriptions online and great looking frames, too, starting at $69.95.

Zennioptical.com • Glasses start as low as $6.95 for prescription glasses, and it has one of the best interactive virtual try-on tools around.

Bolded, the only two of the above I have personal experience with. Coastal.com, see my posts above recently, their FIRSTPAIRFREE code is a real good deal, they have quality frames, customer feedback on the frames and experience, give you an awesome case (makes Zenni's cases look like total crap in comparison), they also throw in a great little kit (cleaning solution, cloth and multi-tipped hinge screw tool), plus they ship really really fast, at least they did to me in California (they arrived in 3 days). Experiences with Zenni are well documented in this thread.

IMO, anyone who's not buying their eyeglasses online now either has very special requirements, are well-healed indeed, or are ignorant and/or suckers.

 

[Leros]

Got my glasses Zenni. I managed to scratch one of the lenses setting them down on the table for the first time. Not too impressed really.

 

[mikeford]

Got my glasses Zenni. I managed to scratch one of the lenses setting them down on the table for the first time. Not too impressed really.

I haven't put a pair of glasses lens down on anything but cloth in many years, still give customer support a call and see what they will do for you.

What kind of lenses, anything special?

 

[The0ne]

Bought one each from the places and received them already. As expected the frame materials for all of them are not very good. Still, for $50-70 each I can't really complain.

 

[Gillbot]

Bought one each from the places and received them already. As expected the frame materials for all of them are not very good. Still, for $50-70 each I can't really complain.

Got my glasses Zenni. I managed to scratch one of the lenses setting them down on the table for the first time. Not too impressed really.

I think people honestly just expect too much. My Zenni glasses were $11 each pair and i'm ecstatic with them. Considering the ones I got from the eye doctor were around $80+ out of pocket AFTER insurance, I'll take the Zenni ones at $11. Quality is similar, but once again I don't expect top tier stuff for $11 total.

 

[Muse]

Got my glasses Zenni. I managed to scratch one of the lenses setting them down on the table for the first time. Not too impressed really.

At Zenni it says:

QUICK TIP: All of our lenses come with UV Coating and Anti-Scratch Coating at no additional cost to you. At ZENNI we make our customers happy by providing the best possible value.

I'd think that a call to them might initiate a replacement based on your experience. 😎