Ugh, I don't think I'm emotionally prepared to read this!

I have worn glasses since grade school (3rd grade maybe?? 5th grade? Pretty much forever). I wear them all day, regardless of activity, and have since the first time I started wearing them. And my one stint with contacts taught me that I hate contacts.

So I am totally dependent on glasses (as many of us are). And trying to get good, thin, lightweight lens with progressive prescription, the right kind of anti-glare coating etc, is a freaking nightmare now.

And there *is* a difference between the super high-end lens and the more middle of the road ones (no comment about the PC monitor lens and all of the most recent developments). But it seems like such a scam at a certain point...

Anyway, maybe I'll read that article this evening before bed, and then lie awake feeling angry about capitalism.

From the article:

quote:

The company’s owned and licensed brands include Armani, Brooks Brothers, Burberry, Chanel, Coach, DKNY, Dolce & Gabbana, Michael Kors, Oakley, Oliver Peoples, Persol, Polo Ralph Lauren, Ray-Ban, Tiffany, Valentino, Vogue and Versace.

My first pair of glasses I bought when returning to the states were Coach, then Valentino, and now my regular glasses are Versace and my PC/piano glasses are Ralph Lauren.

Sigh.

But ultimately it's not even the frames that break the bank, it's the damn lenses. Ugh.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-ch...e-eyeglass-industry/

We order all our prescription eyeglasses from Zeni optical.

https://www.zennioptical.com/

Yes, I order from Zenni also, but I don't wear glasses fulltime. At least, not yet.

They are fine for what I need and much cheaper. Just make sure you get all the measurements you need on your prescription. There's one (the distance between your pupils?) that is routinely left off unless you ask for it.

I also have friends who swear by Costco for glasses.

quote:

Originally posted by markj:
https://www.snopes.com/fact-ch...e-eyeglass-industry/

We order all our prescription eyeglasses from Zeni optical.

https://www.zennioptical.com/

I use Zenni Optical, too.

We do Costco. They are routinely about half the price of the ones you get at the optometrist.

I buy glasses once every 5-10 years. Even the expensive ones are cheap when you think of it that way.

Like jon, I buy glasses maybe every 5 years or so. But plunking down seven or eight bills for a good progressive, anti-reflective coating, and a modest frame is insane when you consider the markup.

I did Costco for years when I wore single vision for distance. They were very good, and inexpensive.

Once I got to middle age I needed to either take off my glasses all the time to read or switch to a bifocal or progressive. Tried Costco progressives (they only sold one, the Essilor Ovation) and they didn't work for me at all, and I can usually get used to pretty much anything.

Went back to taking my glasses off to read but after a few years and worsening presbyopia broke down and tried a premium progressive (Definity) with a Crizal anti-reflective coating. They're great. Coating is way better than Costco and there's no comparison on the progressive; worth every extra penny to me.

Never tried Zenni but for progressives I'm a little leery.

Costco has changed their progressive and I was debating whether to try it. their optical shop policy used to be 30 day no-questions-asked trial. Now you're stuck with them unless they made an error when they made them up. Still might be worth it.

Vision insurance through VSP can help bring down the cost quite a bit. It's crazy to go into an optical shop and pay full freight.

Another failure of unfettered capitalism.

Zenni didn't work well for my progressives, but are fine for my active wear sport glasses where I don't need really crisp sight.

I had luck with a local Warby Parker store - I think even if you get the pupilary distance correct, the up or down centering is hard to do without a person fitting the glasses.

I recently got the app called topology that claims to offer custom frames - takes a bunch of pictures of your head and then the frames are custom made to your nose, eyes, head... Might be worth a try for my next pair!

Great info, ron. Will keep it for future reference.

I didn't know there was a Warby Parker store in our area.

I tried Zenni once, but I’m really hard to fit, and they didn’t fit! (Not much of a bridge on my nose.)

Costco doesn’t do the super high index progressive lenses that make my glasses bearable (I’m really really really nearsighted). But I’ve had sunglasses made there, where my vision doesn’t need to be perfect. I may do sunglass lenses there again.

We have vision insurance this year, first time in 9 years. But the place I usually go isn’t on the plan. They usually gave me 20% without blinking because we had no vision insurance. I’m sure they were stll making money.

I just spent $375 on a pair if progressives. From Warby.

I used to use Costco, but the price is about the same. I think the Warbys are more stylish and have never broken. My Costco ones (Fendi) broke within a year.

I got frames that cost $150 instead of their basic ones that cost $95. Add on progressive lenses and ultra thin and they get expensive.

I also like their warranty and return policy. They will replace scratched lenses for a year, and you can get a full refund in 30 days. Better yet, my last pair started to feel a little loose after about six months. When they couldn't make me happy, they just let me pick out a free replacement.