How do Bogleheads save on eyeglasses?

[Lou354]

Costco for main pair of glasses. Zenni for second pair to keep in car or as backup, ordered using the measurements taken for the main pair.

[Gort]

I have used Replacement Lens Express. I replace the lenses and do not buy new frames.
I get a fair number of higher priced features that I thought were worth it, your mileage may vary. It has been about 50% the cost of using a bricks and mortar optometrist.

Re pupilary distance: somewhere I got the notion that they were required to tell you. In any case, I get eye exams from ophthalmologists and they cheerfully enter that information along with the prescription. The opthalmologists do not sell glasses so they have nothing to gain by playing this game.

I took a friend to the ophthalmologist the other day. Walked through his optical dispensary on the way in and out.

[getthatmarshmallow]

I used ZenniOptical for my most recent purchase, but I've used Warby Parker in the past. I had the eye exam performed at Costco, and then I walked over to the eyewear sales desk and requested that they add the pupillary distance to my prescription. $125 for two pairs of glasses from Zenni, which included an upgraded lens material. I'm very happy with them.

[dwickenh]

Costco has been good for DW also. Recently got a quote at a regular glasses retailer for almost 700.00 and Costco did it for about 200.00. DW has stigmatism, and no line trifocals or something like that.

[stemikger]

Any tricks, stores, coupons, websites, etc. that Bogleheads use to save money on eyeglasses? Brick and mortar seems expensive but proper fit seems problematic with the online stores. Is shopping brick and mortar, and then asking them to match, or come close to online stores the best bet?

I have had good luck with Costco....

+1

Me too! Less than half the price from the place in the Mall. They also did a great job.

Posted by Dwickenh
Costco has been good for DW also. Recently got a quote at a regular glasses retailer for almost 700.00 and Costco did it for about 200.00. DW has stigmatism, and no line trifocals or something like that.

Same here. Ten years ago, Sterling Optical charged me over $600 for my prescription glasses, Costoco did them for $240 recently. For same type of lenses and really nice high-end frames.

[fourwaystreet]

I had cataract surgery 18 months ago, for distance my eye sight is 20/20 and the world looks like it is in HD.

I still need reading glasses, four pair at Sam's club for $20.00 and try as I might I haven't lost a pair yet.

I have excellent insurance and recently had my vision checked. Eye exam and one pair of glasses with quality frames cost me $10.00 out of pocket, but I actually prefer and more often than not wear the light plastic ones from Sam's

Merry Christmas

[SittingOnTheFence]

I stopped buying at Costco because they said they would not reuse my frames, I had to buy their frames. ByeBye Costco

[sauron22333]

GlassesUSA.com

Great prices and great quality.

[Momus]

Online $10-50 each, plenty of websites and choices... All reputable. Don't get rip off buying from the stores paying 10x the amount...

[jlawrence01]

I took a friend to the ophthalmologist the other day. Walked through his optical dispensary on the way in and out.

In many ophthalmology practices, the doctors partner with an optician who runs their optical dispensary. It can be a large revenue source, especially in small towns without a lot of chain optical stores.

==================================

When I bought new glasses in December 2014, I used an local optical chain to purchase my glasses. Since I had insurance, I really was not too concerned about the cost and thought it would cost me $350-400 as it had in the past. It ended up that with the progressive lenses, the anti-reflective coasting and all the bells and whistles, it came to $625 with the insurance. Had I known it would be that much, I would have had them done at my old optician in Chicago.

This time, I decided to take my time and check out a few of the local places. This time, I had no vision insurance.

I tried Costco but I could not find a decent pair of frames in the place. Also, in talking with the staff, the lenses would be more expensive than other options.

I went to Lenscrafters and they were able to sell me a pair of glasses for $550 which included a $35 for insurance and the like. I thought that was pretty reasonable but I wanted to try another place in town.

My third place was Visionworks. I found several frames that were very similar to the ones at Lenscrafters in quality and asked for the same lenses. Their list price was $770 ouch) but they offered me a 60% AARP discount which brought the glasses down to $315.

The only thing that I would say is that there is a lot of flexibility in the pricing and to shop around.

[Angelus359]

I got my glasses at zennis

[fortfun]

One word: Monocles.

You can get them for half the price.

JT

[fortfun]

Thanks for all of the great suggestions everyone!

[khangaroo]

I buy a 3 year eye exam plan at America's Best: https://www.americasbest.com/c for $99

Then I use that prescription to buy eye glasses at Warby Parker: https://www.warbyparker.com/ for $95

Maybe because I live in Portland but I absolutely love the styles of WP. They also have an awesome trial system where you can pick 5 glasses to try for free at home, NO CHARGE at all.

[Element]

I'm a licensed optician. I won't say much about the topic because I know saving money is the priority here. You can always get cheaper glasses online, and I don't blame people for doing that. But there are many different types of prescriptions and lens materials. Half the battle with getting glasses that work is finding someone that knows what they are doing. I work for an Ophthalmology practice and yes, we do have higher priced glasses. But we take insurance, and only charge what the insurance company tells us to charge.

I used to work at Lenscrafters in the lab for 8 years, so I'm familiar with how everything works. And there is a difference between a big box store, which focuses only on sales, and an office with multiple doctors specializing in different parts of the eye. Believe me, the optical dept revenue is a blip on the overall revenue taken in each year.

If you can get glasses for $8 or whatever, then that's great. A lot of younger people that need only single vision for distance have minor RX's and Warby Parker or Zenni is fine. The PD is also important, and I give it out with no problem. But the thing about that is that most people older than 40 need multi-focal lenses (Progressive, Bi-focals). When you measure someone's face for those type of lenses, you need to measure what's called a seg height.
While the PD doesn't really change for a person, the seg ht changes on every pair of glasses, because that measurement is determined by the height of the lens on the nose, and nose pads if it's a metal frame.

I troubleshoot a lot of my doctor's patients that come back in with their online glasses because they can't see. A lot of times, it's not the RX that is wrong. It's the measurements. The seg ht is either too high or too low. The online company places the seg ht at an estimated height. Works a lot of times, but a lot of times it doesn't. A lot of people think they can't wear progressives after trying it once and not working. But many times, it's because the glasses weren't measured properly in the first place and the patient just lived with the glasses, thinking it was the type of lens that didn't work for them.

Just throwing in my two cents. I'm not saying to only buy from your doctor. But the markup on stuff is not as high as the internet makes it sound. I don't go home with a bag of money every night laughing at the suckers I robbed earlier in the day. Our lab costs are pretty high, and when a pt has insurance, we are lucky if we net $30 profit.

[tibbitts]

Costco
So convenient, and affordable!
Sometimes there is a special for $30-$40 off the 2nd pair
I primarily use my glasses for driving and keep them in the car and office desk drawer.
Brick and mortar is great to have adjustments.

The nearest store being a 400-mile round trip, Costco is neither convenient nor affordable for some of us.

Most adjustments you can do yourself, admittedly at the risk of breaking the frames. However I've found that Keepons greatly reduce the need for adjustments, and I recommend them. Excellent customer service, too.

[sperry8]

Can check here too: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=214127

Zenni was my most recent purchase. We shall see how good they are, they come this week.

[fmhealth]

Bought two pairs of Foster Grant Multi-Focus Plus @ Walgreens. Total cost $36.00. Thought after 20 years it would be a good idea to have my eyes checked at a local B&M chain. Exam was $65.00. Dr. told me that as long as my vision was fine it made no sense to buy $300 bifocals.

I've never had better & sharper vision. I call them "Visual Viagra". My whole world exploded in front of me!! YMMV.

Be Well,
fmhealth

[hirlaw]

I have gotten progressive prescription lens from Costco and Warby Parker. But they have opticians at the stores to measure your eyes for the progressive lens.

How do purely online companies measure for progressives?

[nalor511]

I really like EyeBuyDirect because they offer a 2 week exchange/refund no questions asked and a full 1 year warranty on the lens and frames. I broke one after 6 months and they replaced it, no question. No other online shop offers such a good warranty. You can sign up to be notified of their sales and coupons. The prices are excellent, and the quality is way better than Goggles4u or ZenniOptical

[dual]

How do purely online companies measure for progressives?

You go to your local optometrist to get measured then send them the prescription. My wife got progressive sunglasses at Goggles4u for about $40 and they work great.

[1210sda]

It's worth the $55 Costco membership even if you only buy one pair of glasses there.

Where I live, you don't even have to be a Costco member to buy glasses (same goes for pharmacy and lunch counter).
1210

[quantAndHold]

One word: Monocles.

You can get them for half the price.

JT

I went one better than that, and got my cataracts fixed, so I don’t need glasses at all anymore. But I don’t think that’s the answer OP is looking for.

Before the cataract surgery, I used Costco.

[tibbitts]

I have gotten progressive prescription lens from Costco and Warby Parker. But they have opticians at the stores to measure your eyes for the progressive lens.

How do purely online companies measure for progressives?

They don't, they give you an average, which is fine since every two minutes your glasses slide an inch down your nose before you shove them back up, so it works out. Now with Keepons I don't have that problem so could I use some fine-tuning of the progressive transitions? Probably, but unless you have a very specific objective in mind - like you fly a certain model airplane with the seat always in the same position where the top of the instruments always falls in the same place - you probably won't notice the transition being a little less than optimal.

[heartwood]

before you order from zenni, try googling "zenni coupon" several come up from Groupon and also coupons.com

One is a cyber Monday sale, expiring 12/29, with 20% off. Might be limited.

[quantAndHold]

I have gotten progressive prescription lens from Costco and Warby Parker. But they have opticians at the stores to measure your eyes for the progressive lens.

How do purely online companies measure for progressives?

They don't, they give you an average, which is fine since every two minutes your glasses slide an inch down your nose before you shove them back up, so it works out. Now with Keepons I don't have that problem so could I use some fine-tuning of the progressive transitions? Probably, but unless you have a very specific objective in mind - like you fly a certain model airplane with the seat always in the same position where the top of the instruments always falls in the same place - you probably won't notice the transition being a little less than optimal.

If your glasses are fitted properly, they shouldn't slide down all the time.

[GerryL]

I have gotten progressive prescription lens from Costco and Warby Parker. But they have opticians at the stores to measure your eyes for the progressive lens.

How do purely online companies measure for progressives?

They don't, they give you an average, which is fine since every two minutes your glasses slide an inch down your nose before you shove them back up, so it works out. Now with Keepons I don't have that problem so could I use some fine-tuning of the progressive transitions? Probably, but unless you have a very specific objective in mind - like you fly a certain model airplane with the seat always in the same position where the top of the instruments always falls in the same place - you probably won't notice the transition being a little less than optimal.

If your glasses are fitted properly, they shouldn't slide down all the time.

I wear my glasses lower on my nose than most people. I have to train opticians who don't know me not to push my glasses up when they are measuring for my (progressive) lenses. I like dealing with a local optician that I can go to at any time with any questsions or issues. And I get an eye exam every year.

[Element]

How do purely online companies measure for progressives?

You go to your local optometrist to get measured then send them the prescription. My wife got progressive sunglasses at Goggles4u for about $40 and they work great.

You're referring to the PD. but the seg ht measurement needed for a progressive or bifocal changes with each frame. If you get them online, they will just estimate where this measurement needs to be.

[cheesepep]

I don’t. I buy them so rarely just I just pay normal price. Or buy them overseas.

[RMD3819]

I liked Costco the best but now that we are retired and travel in our RV full time we are not in one spot long enough to wait the two weeks Costco requires. Last pair we bought was from WM.

When i was working and had VSP insurance I found it largely useless for glasses (good for the exam). It seemed like no matter what the insurance vs current deal vs cash at the box stores I always wound up paying about $300+per pair. This was before I discovered Costco after seeing the 60 Minutes story.

60 Minutes did a story a few years ago that was fascinating. They "exposed" that nearly every facet of the eyeglass market, including VSP and other insurances, was controlled by one company named Luxxotica. The only exceptions were Costco and Walmart. I don't think they talked about online which would have been much smaller back then anyway.

To the person upthread who said Costco does not reuse frames. Unless policy has recently changed, they do, especially if you bought it there. There is an extra $18 charge to do so. I have done it without hassle but not every frame can be reused. Their lab uses a certain technique to affix the lens to the frame and some non Costco frames may not work.

[Element]

60 Minutes did a story a few years ago that was fascinating. They "exposed" that nearly every facet of the eyeglass market, including VSP and other insurances, was controlled by one company named Luxxotica. The only exceptions were Costco and Walmart. I don't think they talked about online which would have been much smaller back then anyway.

To be fair, Luxottica owns a lot of the market, but not every part of it besides Walmart and Costco. They own Eyemed, but not VSP. VSP is owned by Marchon, which is a company in New York. At my practice, the only Luxottica brands we carry are Rayban, Oakley and Persol. All the others are either privately owned, or manufactured by other companies.

[sperry8]

I really like EyeBuyDirect because they offer a 2 week exchange/refund no questions asked and a full 1 year warranty on the lens and frames. I broke one after 6 months and they replaced it, no question. No other online shop offers such a good warranty. You can sign up to be notified of their sales and coupons. The prices are excellent, and the quality is way better than Goggles4u or ZenniOptical

I just received my single lens glasses from Zenni and the quality is decent although one of the lenses sticks out further than the other which is a quality issue. The frames are lovely, comfy and solid however. My new reading glasses cost $28, all in. I paid $300+ for them via the optometrist office I would say they aren't as good looking on my face - but that's solely because I couldn't try them on in person. They do however look pretty good imo and I'm sure I'll get better at figuring out which types fit my face. But I could order TEN pairs via Zenni instead of 1 via the Optometrist. I'll never buy single lens via the Optometrist again. But I will try EyeBuyDirect next assuming their cost is similar to Zenni.

[Bongleur]

Will Warby Parker let me try 5 different bifocal heights? Getting that is critical, so I can glance up at the TV and down at the computer screen.

Online places sell "fashion" but I start with ANSI Z.87 safety frames. Then I want something better than Polycarbonate for optical clarity & color rendition. Like Trivex.

I'd like to see a synopsis of all the available lens materials & high-end lens makers' methods of grinding accurate corrections.

[davidsorensen32]

Costco for best pricing + use my company perk $250 in Limited FSA (LFSA) for taking a biometric test. Comes to $0 FREE eyewear

[watchnerd]

I use Warby Parker

[nalor511]

I really like EyeBuyDirect because they offer a 2 week exchange/refund no questions asked and a full 1 year warranty on the lens and frames. I broke one after 6 months and they replaced it, no question. No other online shop offers such a good warranty. You can sign up to be notified of their sales and coupons. The prices are excellent, and the quality is way better than Goggles4u or ZenniOptical

I just received my single lens glasses from Zenni and the quality is decent although one of the lenses sticks out further than the other which is a quality issue. The frames are lovely, comfy and solid however. My new reading glasses cost $28, all in. I paid $300+ for them via the optometrist office I would say they aren't as good looking on my face - but that's solely because I couldn't try them on in person. They do however look pretty good imo and I'm sure I'll get better at figuring out which types fit my face. But I could order TEN pairs via Zenni instead of 1 via the Optometrist. I'll never buy single lens via the Optometrist again. But I will try EyeBuyDirect next assuming their cost is similar to Zenni.

I've bought from all the online places, and the EyeBuyDirect quality is better than ZenniOptical. The EBD warranty can't be beat either. I've used both the 14 day and the 365 day warranty, and had excellent service every time. I won't shop anywhere else for glasses, because of the great warranty. They only charged me $7 (including shipping) to replace a rimless 1.6 index in titanium, when my non-titanium frame got stepped on. More than reasonable.

The BEST Zenni will do is refund half your money or give you a full store credit within 30 days (or 14 days,I forget). They get reamed in reviews regarding customer service, and also sometimes quality/workmanship errors. Not so with EBD. Another way I look at it is, if a company is willing to offer and honor a warranty, they must trust their work.

[1nv3s70r]

+1000 for Costco

I realized I have been drastically overpaying for glasses - got quoted ~ $900 for just a lens replacement by a local retailer.

Went to Costco to see if they could do the same lens in the existing frame. They said they were not sure but would try it.

They were able to do it and the glasses were ready in about a week.

Total cost - $150 (insurance paid part of it, so OOP was even lower).

[Quickblue02]

I use the Walmart in Montgomery Texas. I lose prescription glasses often. Drop in the lake, leave at restaurants etc... I bought 2 prescription glasses and 2 sunglasses for $300 total ($75/pair).

[Stinger72]

I had great luck with Coastal.com for inexpensive backup pairs.. I have Eyemed insurance, so I used Glasses.com recently since you can use benefits easily online, but if I didn't have insurance, I'd go back to Coastal.

[obgraham]

Let me reactivate this thread. After reading here, and being pretty happy with Costco for a "work in the yard" pair of glasses (rugged plastic frame), I decided to try Zenni for an "all-day" pair.

Online process pretty easy. But no, they weren't satisfactory. I need varifocals, and there is a significant L-R difference. They got the distance part correct, but the near vision was just unusable -- only a tiny portion adequate for reading.

So back to optical shop. Pay the big bucks. But they'll figure out the correct fitting of the lens, and they will make the correct adjustments of the frame.

I think the online places are okay if all you need is a single vision lens or a standard varifocal. But if your situation is complex, the odds of getting it right from them is pretty slim. Sometimes it just isn't always about the price!

[tesuzuki2002]

Any tricks, stores, coupons, websites, etc. that Bogleheads use to save money on eyeglasses? Brick and mortar seems expensive but proper fit seems problematic with the online stores. Is shopping brick and mortar, and then asking them to match, or come close to online stores the best bet?

For those of you that can... LASIK was worth the cost to me... Over the long term... My calculation is that the cost has a 30% chance of being cheaper, but 100% greater convenience. If it ends up costing a little more... so be it.. It's still an HSA expense.

But I have some friends that use Zenni.com and love it.. Less than $10 for a pair of glasses.. PLUS they take returns if you don't like them.


cheers~!

[dm200]

I have used Replacement Lens Express. I replace the lenses and do not buy new frames.
I get a fair number of higher priced features that I thought were worth it, your mileage may vary. It has been about 50% the cost of using a bricks and mortar optometrist.
Re pupilary distance: somewhere I got the notion that they were required to tell you. In any case, I get eye exams from ophthalmologists and they cheerfully enter that information along with the prescription. The opthalmologists do not sell glasses so they have nothing to gain by playing this game.

I took a friend to the ophthalmologist the other day. Walked through his optical dispensary on the way in and out.

Same arrangement at my previous ophahalmologist's practice.