I know I need glasses... but I have a couple of questions

[Homerboy]

Sadly. my eyesight is in decline. I know I need to go have my eyes checked and I'm pretty positive it will result in me needing to get glasses.

Do I need to (or should I) go to an actual optometrist? Or can I just go to Stein Optical or whatever place at the local mall?

Regardless of which I go to, am I correct in understanding I can take my prescription home with me and order my glasses online much more cheaply? (if s, suggestions?)

Thanks in advance.

 

[jaedaliu]

The mall place probably has an optometrist on staff. So, that will be the same as seeing an optometrist.

A good optician can fit you with the right glasses, but even with normal eyesight, an annual exam with the optometrist is a good idea.

With vision insurance, optometrist copay is typically $10 - 20. Your discount on eyeglasses depends on your insurance and their network rules. Without insurance, your prices will go up, and most likely cheaper ordering online.

 

[mmntech]

Yes, you should go to an optometrist. They'll tell you exactly what you need to get and offer suggestions on what to buy. Any quality eye glasses will require a prescription. The ones the drug store sells on the rack are just for reading.

From there you can really get them anywhere. There's some good deals online if you're not concerned about trying them on first.

 

[Homerboy]

Long story short, the joint at the mall is fine. I don't have to make some appointment with the "Optometrist" in his doctor's office and I can get my prescription and have it filled online/elsewhere if I wanted.

I actually think places online will send you different styles you pick out now to try on first...

 

[Paperdoc]

Definitely you should see an optometrist to get the right eyeglass prescription. There may well be one on the staff of a mall optician's shop. (Opticians are the people who assemble and fit eyeglasses according the the optometrist's prescription.) As you expect, however, the prescription is yours to take to any place you want for filling.

You should be aware that an optician does several things besides giving you the lenses prescribed. First they measure the spacing of your eyes so that the lens centers are in front of your pupils, something no on-line shop can do. From that they also can advise what size of frame you need - yes, there are sizes, both for width of the front lens frame and length of the arms. They will offer you a large range of frames to try (on-line shops certainly can do this). And finally, when you pick up the finished glasses, they will adjust the fit on your head properly. As it happens, the optician I go to also maintains their own repair shop and I've needed that on occasion - sometimes free to a regular customer for a small thing, sometimes a small charge.

 

[who?]

If it's just age related decline go to the reading glasses stand at Wal-mart and try different strengths until you find what works best. You should still have an eye doctor check for disease, even an optometrist will do this.

 

[Imp]

Optometrist... Price has gun up in the past few years, but $75-ish every other year is pretty cheap.

I'm blind so have been a regular optometrist and optician visitor for almost two decades. Because I have insurance, I don't use online glasses retailers. Mom & pop, and most other retailers, are stupidly expensive. I blew $420 on a replacement pair from a shop down the street once because it was an emergency -- worst was that I was unemployed then.

P.S. Yes, you do want an anti-reflective coating.

 

[rudeguy]

The mall place or wherever is fine. I've had much better experiences there than at an actual optometrist.

If you have insurance, get your first pair where you get your exam done. Most insurance pays for the exam and then $120-$150 towards glasses as long as you are in-network. So the price is pretty decent for out of pocket. Order spares online.

Last time I ordered from Zenni, by the time I was done paying for decent lenses my out of pocket was around $100. That's the same price I paid for a really nice pair at the eyeglass place.

 

[crashtestdummy]

Sadly. my eyesight is in decline. I know I need to go have my eyes checked and I'm pretty positive it will result in me needing to get glasses.

Do I need to (or should I) go to an actual optometrist? Or can I just go to Stein Optical or whatever place at the local mall?

Regardless of which I go to, am I correct in understanding I can take my prescription home with me and order my glasses online much more cheaply? (if s, suggestions?)

Thanks in advance.

Go to an optometrist. I'm guessing you've never been, so it's probably a good idea to go and get your eyes checked out.

Yes, you can take your prescription somewhere else and order online, but I'd recommend getting your first pair at a B&M store. It's hard to know what will look good on you if you've never worn glasses.

Get the antireflective/scratch resistant coatings. I'm also personally a fan of the shape memory alloy (NiTi) frames. They're almost indestructible.

 

[nanette1985]

Make sure when you get your prescription that you also get all the measurements you need to get glasses online. Take a good look at Zenni's requirements. Optometrists won't always give you the information later. They don't want you to order online. The mall places are usually better with that Zenni works well for me.

They have a thing where you upload your picture and you can check out what different styles of glasses will look on you. Fun.

 

[sciencewhiz]

Optometrists have 4 years of optometry school, but no medical school. They are O.D. (Optometry Doctor). Ophthalmologists have 4 years of medical school and 3 years of ophthalmology residency. They are either an M.D. or D.O. (Medical Doctor or Doctor of Osteopathy). You may see an Optometrist at a mall store, but not an ophthalmologist. An ophthalmologist may be better equipped to help with external issues that affect the eye. On the other hand, the Optometrist has more training directly related to the eye.

The person actually running the machine finding the prescription is an Optician. If that's all you see, I would go somewhere else.

 

[PieIsAwesome]

Some optometrists might be dicks and decide not to give you your PD (pupillary distance) measurement. The mall option may be better with this.

As far as glasses go, for some nice frames at a good price, try Warby Parker. $100, and they send you 5 at a time for free to try on.

For dirt cheap frames, Zenni as others suggested, though its going to be difficult to find a pair that suit you without any existing glasses to compare.

 

[bruceb]

Any optometrist will do fine as will most of the big places, like Walmart or Target or Sears that have optical service centers in them. In most cases, insurance will pay just about all the cost of the eye exam. They seem to be stingy when it comes to which frames and types of lenses and features (like Photogray or Progressive) you select. They will usually cover the el-cheapo frames and plastic lenses.
Personally, I prefer more expensive frames, which are usually sturdier and better looking.

 

[Ksyder]

I might be off base with this but you can do the pupillary distance easily. Just have a friend measure the center of your pupils from one to the other with a ruler, and just convert the cm's to mm.

Zenni even gives you a little cheap ruler meant for measuring pd when you get your order from them.

 

[Homerboy]

OMG
It's like the world is in high-def now!

 

[RaistlinZ]

OMG
It's like the world is in high-def now!

Yup, the world is completely different when you're seeing it with perfect vision. Just wait til you go to an IMAX movie. Or a strip club. :awe:

 

[bradly1101]

I got great, inexpensive glasses from here:

http://www.optical4less.com

Make sure to get the "pupilary distance" measurement from the optometrist.