# Mail Order Prescription Eye Glasses???  WOW the prices!!!



## Melensdad

My local, high quality eyeglass joint sells me eyeglasses for roughly $400 to $500 per pair.  They have a beautiful luxurious office.  They have all the fancy designer frames.  They have the best eye exams that I've ever encountered, very complete and detailed.  But I don't really care if I get designer frames.

So I started looking around the internet.  

I can buy the same designer frames for a bit less.

OR

I can buy some knock off and no-name frames for pennies on the dollar.  Progressive lenses for 1/3rd the price I normally pay, etc.  

Basically I can go to my local guy, pay $400 to $500 for a really nice pair of designer frames . . . or I can type in my prescription on a website and get a pair of NON-designer NO-name frames, with my prescription lenses for about $100, some a bit less, some a bit more.  Or I can buy 4 or 5 pairs of glasses for the price I pay for 1 pair!!!

Anyone try any of the mail order glasses companies?

Going in Tuesday for my annual exam.  Thinking of buying glasses, if I need them, from here => http://www.eyebuydirect.com


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## JEV

I will also be interested on others experiences with online purchasing. I can get progressive  bifocals thru the VA for under $100. But it takes six weeks to get them. I've heard online delivery runs less than two weeks. Also getting an exam soon, so I'm in the market again.


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## Melensdad

I'm also planning to look into COSTCO, SAMS and WAL MART.  I'm a member of both COSTCO and SAMS clubs and both offer discount eyewear.  Wal Mart also offers a discount eye glass service.  I'm hearing people say that $100, give or take, is a fairly common price for a pair of glasses.

My insurance company pays a pretty good portion of my lenses_ (new lenses every year)_ plus pays for a good portion of my frames _(new frames every-OTHER-year).  _  But it still will cost me more than 2.5 pairs of mail order glasses for 1 pair of designer frame glasses from my favorite eye care provider.   I was at their shop last month when my daughter had an appointment, while I was in there I picked out a frame that I liked, just the frames were well over $300.00.


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## OhioTC18 RIP

Bob, you can also try Zenni Optical. I have not used them myself but know several people who have.


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## Melensdad

OhioTC18 said:


> Bob, you can also try Zenni Optical. I have not used them myself but know several people who have.



I've also heard of them, but their website is much harder to navigate than the one that I linked to above.  There appear to be plenty of choices to choose from on the internet, I tend to favor the providers (or anything) with the big pictures


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## muleman RIP

I have been buying my glasses from Walmart and Sams for years now. Just got a new pair at Sams for $117 and that included $45 for the eye exam. Took 2 weeks for the glasses to be made. They are safety glass lenses too.


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## Melensdad

Mail order 'no-name' frames, with the transition type lenses, progressive focus, etc.  *List price without insurance, $151*

Optometrist's really expensive PRADA frames, with transition lenses, tri-focals (my preferred option), etc, *after insurance $208*

So here is what I figured out, I could probably get the mail order stuff, with insurance, for *just barely under $100 *because the insurance would have covered 100% of the mail order frame, and would have shaved off 20% of the progressive focus _(they don't offer tri-focals, which insurance covers at 100%)._  So the end price would have been right under $100.  *BUT* how do I know, when I order on-line, if they feel good on my face?  If they are light or heavy on the bridge of my nose?  If they pinch my nose?  Or squeeze my head?  I tried on 30 or 40 different frames _(hell maybe 50) _in the showroom, thought that I liked brown, found out that I look better in blue, grey, gunmetal . . . goes with the grey hair!!!  So what I thought I liked didn't look good.  And while I had 3 pairs that were nearly identical from 3 different fancy designers, they didn't feel anything close to the same on my face.  

So I'm not sure if the mail order way is the right way, it might work really well for many people, but I chose to pay $208 instead of right about $100 and get a sure thing that I know fits, from a source that will fix them if the screws fall out, etc.


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## Adillo303

I think the most important thing is the lens. Of you mail order. How sure are you that the prescription is right? If bifocals or verifocals the graticule has to be in the right place. Therein lies the rub.


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## Melensdad

Adillo303 said:


> I think the most important thing is the lens. Of you mail order. How sure are you that the prescription is right? If bifocals or verifocals the graticule has to be in the right place. Therein lies the rub.



yup


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## luvs

i've not- w/ reason. i can make a co-pay once a year fer maybe $100, & glasses suited to me, get them insured, & get a new pair a year later, or, when insured, sooner. a nominal co-pay, & i was equipped w/ my new specs. again.


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## Melensdad

I priced some glasses with my prescription.  I wear multi-focal/progressive lenses.  

*Many of the places, like ZENNI, charge an absurd premium for those lenses, like over $200!
*
EyeBuyDirect charges $39 or $49 premium for the same lenses_ (depending upon the option you choose)_

WarbyParker also charges a big premium for the same lenses.  

So, from what I can tell, if you have single focus lenses then any of these types of places will probably get you glasses for about $100, maybe a reasonable amount less.  But if you have multi-focal lenses then the EyeBuyDirect price will be about $130 to $155 depending upon the frames but the other sources like ZENNI and Warby-Parker were running between $285 and $350 depending on the frames chosen.  I found a few places that were over $500.

Just because I wanted a knock around pair for fencing practice, I ordered a pair from EyeBuyDirect, chose one of the most expensive frames they offered, with real wood sides, they were $49 for the frames.  Total price was $151, including impact resistant, light changing (auto darkening) lenses with anti-reflective/anti-scratch coating.

Im still getting a good pair from the local eyeglass shop.


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## tommu56

My local optician and i use titmus-uvex-honeywell safety glasses no frills etc.

My out of  pocket with VSP plan from work was about 75.00 

http://www.honeywellsafety.com/Products/Eye_and_Face_Protection/Titmus_EXT2.aspx?site=/usa

tom


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## Dargo

Melensdad said:


> *after insurance $208*



After insurance....what is that?  I've never had vision or dental insurance in my entire life!  With Obastard screwing with our health insurance, I now pay $2250 a month in premiums, have a $5000 deductible and have *no dental or vision!* 

Before long, I'm probably going to need glasses.  I suppose I'm fairly lucky to be into my 50's and not have to wear glasses.  I have a pair of glasses for night driving, but that's pretty well the only time I wear any glasses.


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## Melensdad

Well my mail-order glasses from EyeBuyDirect.com arrived today and they actually EXCEEDED my expectations.  The frames are very nice, seem to be high quality, and easily compare with the $300+ Prada frames my wife picked out for me.  Easily compare to the $250+ Izod frames I already owned.  And the mail order frames were under $50.  

As for lenses, I got progressive lenses with a photo chromatic tint that is similar to, but not as good as, the 'Transition' brand photo chromatic tint.  Its adequate.  But I could have paid a few bucks more and gotten the name brand.  I also ordered progressive lenses instead of the hard-line trifocals that I actually prefer.  I could not figure out how to order trifocals from EyeBuyDirect.com so I ordered the progressive.  

Will I buy from them again?  Maybe.  Am I pleased with what I got?  Definitely.  Would I recommend them to others?  Yes.


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