glasses purchasing

[vicky]

blindish people.

do you feel like going to get glasses is a scam?
especially if you have -6.75//-7.25 vision?

i remembered going to mall for glasses gives me panic attacks, i couldn't remember why.
i swear the  optometry sales people know a mark when they see one.
i told the lady my credit wasn't good enough to finance, i was on a budget.
she showed me designer glasses nonetheless, stressed between my insurance and discount I'd pay next to nothing.
she insisted, i told her nah, she asked if i had a checking account, and wanted me to sign up for affirm. ran my card and it was declined. i did not give her permission to run my card, so it was denied by my bank - i have all purchases off on my debit card and did not know she would be using it to run a $50 charge
i asked if i could just pay cash, and got my card back, she asked where i was going and i said "to get money for my glasses!"
laughed my ass off as i was walking away, then realized how scammy this was.

AND THE KICKER, i told her why i was on a budget - leaving a bad situation and my credit was not good.
she said she recognized my name (from when I had come while i was married) and knew i used to buy tiffany glasses with my old insurance. she saw a mark!!! she asked about my husband and i said i was divorced, and do you know what she said!?!!?
"oh you believe in divorce?"
.... should i stay with a man who i clearly said was a bad situation who destroyed my credit??

fangool. shopping in brooklyn, man.

[meanie]

Yep, got DD glasses last year and they *should* have been free - insurance said she was covered for new glasses/lenses up to $200 and the pair she picked was well below that. So tell me why I still spent $60?!

[vicky]

i just called for a digital copy of my rx.
i'm going to go on warby parker and get 6 pairs for the tom fords she wanted to sell me.

[ellipses84]

That sounds like a awful experience! I normally buy my glasses at Costco which is the cheapest option I’ve found. I know a lot of people who buy multiple pairs from cheap online places but I need to try them on in person. I definitely have to upgrade for thin lenses because my eyes are drastically different prescriptions and one is really thick.

[bittybomb]

I had a great experience at Costco.

[VillainV]

Yeah, I think most of those places overcharge. I have bought several pairs from Warby Parker and one from Pair (for me) and several pairs from Zenni for C. H gets his from the optical shop because he gets progressives and they’re tough to make right (and once you add in the high density lenses, progressives, and anti-reflective coating, even a “cheap” place will really add up).

[thebreakfastclub]

I canceled vision insurance and just go to Costco for the best pricing with in person try on.

Frames have a very high markup. I used to work in the buying office of a company that sold reading glasses, and even those were marked up x4 cost.

[macmars45]

I had an awful experience at costco. The optometrist berated me for driving at night with eye sight so bad. I was 24 so I just walked away crying. I went to a stand alone eye clinic and got much better service. Haven't tried costco again since.

I have to try on glasses and get all the upgrades to the lenses because my eye sight is so bad. I'm looking forward to cataracts because that's my ticket out of not be able to see anything without my glasses... only 30 years to go because cataracts come early in my family. :-p

[redheadk]

Mar 19, 2024 17:33:25 GMT -5 macmars45 said:

I had an awful experience at costco. The optometrist berated me for driving at night with eye sight so bad. I was 24 so I just walked away crying. I went to a stand alone eye clinic and got much better service. Haven't tried costco again since.

I have to try on glasses and get all the upgrades to the lenses because my eye sight is so bad. I'm looking forward to cataracts because that's my ticket out of not be able to see anything without my glasses... only 30 years to go because cataracts come early in my family. :-p

The Costco optometrist and buying glasses at Costco are 2 different things, just FYI, in case you'd ever like to try shopping there for glasses. You can walk into Costco with your rx from anywhere and just go to the glasses counter. I think most optometrists actually run like this. I never buy dd's glasses at the optometrist, I offer to pay for them to measure her pupillary distance (PD) since that is part of the glasses fitting, not rx, though they often don't charge me. It's $20 if they do at our office. 

I think a lot of places do a shit job of fitting glasses anyway so take a trusted friend and try Costco, Warby Parker, or another one of those places where you know what you are paying upfront. With a higher rx, your options can be a little more limited but I don't think you are really high enough for that to be a big issue.

Sorry the place was scammy and the lady was so rude. It's stressful shopping for glasses and knowing that you are being taken advantage of just makes it so much worse.

[noodleoo]

Mar 19, 2024 17:05:46 GMT -5 vicky said:

i just called for a digital copy of my rx.
i'm going to go on warby parker and get 6 pairs for the tom fords she wanted to sell me.

Thats awful, I’m sorry you had such a bad experience. Yes, I hate buying glasses so much. I’m wearing frames that are like 5 years old and I’ve just replaced the lenses using an online company. So far that’s worked pretty well for me.

My H just bought new glasses and RX sunglasses from Warby Parker and he loves them. So much cheaper! We have a store at the mall so he could try on and the people were super nice. It was a very easy process. I’d definitely try them!

[coltsfan85]

I just get a copy of my Rx and buy my glasses at Zenni. My husband doesn’t have eye insurance and we do the same thing (and get his contacts at Walgreens or Costco depending on coupons). It’s just part of my budget now.

I also hate trying glasses on in front of a virtual stranger who doesn’t know me at all so this helps with that too. I’m not the most fashionable but at least I can do my best with what I’ve got

[lavenderblue]

I just feel like everything is an upcharge, because it is. Sure, I could walk out of there with frames and coke bottle lenses with a line through the middle, but I don't want to. So my glasses usually end up costing me upwards of $300 because of the "extras". That said, I only pay $75/year for my coverage and my insurance does ultimately save me several hundred dollars, but still, it's kind of crazy that it costs so much money just to be able to see.

[rubytue]

Mar 19, 2024 17:05:46 GMT -5 vicky said:

i just called for a digital copy of my rx.
i'm going to go on warby parker and get 6 pairs for the tom fords she wanted to sell me.

I started ordering from Zenni ~15 years ago, and never looked back. It was wonderful when I was in single vision, as I’d get like 6 or 8 pairs of glasses for $120 and could use them as accessories.  Now that I need progressives, they are more like $80-100 each, so I only get 2. 

[luckystar2]

Zenni is great. My prescription is very similar to yours. so it can be soooo expensive for lenses since I always have to go with the nicer/lighter ones. But zenni ends up being about $60-70. I can’t believe how much I like my glasses and how cheap they are.

[midwestmama]

I do go to an optometrist office, and the frames are expensive. However, the couple that owns the place (both are optometrists and essentially split a full-time job) go to our church and I do like to support them/local small businesses in general. However, I only get one pair of glasses a year (I usually wear contacts, so don't feel the need to have multiple pairs of glasses) and am ok with the amount I spend.

[CrazyLucky]

Ah! My most recent pair of glasses were like $350. They are progressives and have the anti scratch and all that. I did not pick expensive frames. I don't know how much better of a deal I could get somewhere else, but ouch! That was more than I expected.

[thejen626]

Omg to your experience 😬

I strongly dislike buying glasses. Warby Parker has been a game changer for me. I live 2 hours away but drive there to try on and order. I just bought 6 new pairs for less than $1200 total. (Sunglasses for me, two pairs of glasses for me, and sunglasses and two pairs of glasses for DH). They include anti reflective, blue light, etc etc.

[stemmie]

I get the script from my eye doctor and go to a small local optician who brings in great stuff at several price points. He genuinely enjoys finding newer lines that aren't overly expensive. He always has a bargain bin that includes some cute stuff; my mom got some great frames for reading glasses in the markdowns for about $65. My lenses are pricy because I wear a brand name high index progressive. I tried Costco's high def lenses and never felt I could see well out of them. My eye doctor checked them and they were filled properly, so it wasn't that.

[mommin]

Absolutely yes! It’s terrible and we pay extra for higher level vision insurance.
DS2 is only a +4.5 but he’s also in a bifocal. He’s also a kid so he can never go more than a year without needing new glasses. We’ve tried going to cheaper online route but since he’s only 10 it’s been difficult to find online retailers that will do that strength and a bifocal on kid glasses. I’m taking him to Sam’s club today to see what options they have. I know they’ll be cheaper but I don’t know about their variety.

[jeaniebueller]

Mar 19, 2024 17:02:19 GMT -5 meanie said:

Yep, got DD glasses last year and they *should* have been free - insurance said she was covered for new glasses/lenses up to $200 and the pair she picked was well below that. So tell me why I still spent $60?!

i find that insurance covers the basic lenses and frames but scratch protectant, thin lenses, insurance, etc. is never part of it. 

[devonpow]

I’m -9.25, so I always go in knowing glasses are crazy expensive because I have to get the special lenses that make them thinner (ha, they are still super thick), I’m limited in the types of frames I can get because my thick lenses only fit in some types etc etc. I’ve had the worst experience with chains like lens crafters. The best at small independent stores. They just know what they are doing more.

[EvieEthelGarland]

I have had great luck with SEE Eyewear over the years. They're a similar model to Warby Parker. I wore one pair from there for over 8 years despite getting other pairs from my optometrist etc.

Once I had to move into progressives, Costco was no longer a good option. I love just about everything from Costco, but eyewear is a miss for me.

[vicky]

so many people recommending costco. do you need a membership for the optometrist area?

[katb]

I get my kids (older teens) glasses from Costco and Zenni. Contacts from Costco as well.

But, I was in the optometrist office this past week for some eye testing and they have a vendor/glasses in the lobby. I heard her tell someone her prices for frames/lenses at whatever prescription they needed "started" at $700 - I almost choked. Someone else sat down later and even after whatever insurance they had, it was like $560ish.

[gemini79]

Honestly, I can't say I've had an experience like that while buying glasses.

Why did the sales person have your credit/debit card? That's confusing.

[bsp36]

Mar 21, 2024 8:59:28 GMT -5 vicky said:

so many people recommending costco. do you need a membership for the optometrist area?

For the actual ordering of glasses yes(unsure about an exam). I just got some last month and they had to scan my membership card.

[mountaingirl]

I’m. -10 and go through my eye dr’s office. I don’t think I could get glasses that fit just right online.
I get the budget frames that were about $50 and my glasses still were $375 out of pocket just for the lenses. My insurance says they will pay $200 out of network but refuse to reimburse me or pay the office.

I agree that does not sound right and I’m glad you left

[mountaingirl]

Mar 20, 2024 14:17:08 GMT -5 devonpow said:

I’m -9.25, so I always go in knowing glasses are crazy expensive because I have to get the special lenses that make them thinner (ha, they are still super thick), I’m limited in the types of frames I can get because my thick lenses only fit in some types etc etc. I’ve had the worst experience with chains like lens crafters. The best at small independent stores. They just know what they are doing more.

Finally someone that understands! I don’t even get the thinnest as that would be crazy expensive. People don’t understand why I just can’t buy cheaper online.

[devonpow]

Mar 21, 2024 12:17:39 GMT -5 mountaingirl said:

Mar 20, 2024 14:17:08 GMT -5 devonpow said:

I’m -9.25, so I always go in knowing glasses are crazy expensive because I have to get the special lenses that make them thinner (ha, they are still super thick), I’m limited in the types of frames I can get because my thick lenses only fit in some types etc etc. I’ve had the worst experience with chains like lens crafters. The best at small independent stores. They just know what they are doing more.

Finally someone that understands! I don’t even get the thinnest as that would be crazy expensive. People don’t understand why I just can’t buy cheaper online.

I just say we have special eyes that deserve the best lol. Makes me feel slightly better

[calamity]

Mar 21, 2024 8:59:28 GMT -5 vicky said:

so many people recommending costco. do you need a membership for the optometrist area?

Yes I believe so. But, they do give you a good deal if you buy a second pair.

One of my friends has had good luck at Target. (I've heard Walmart too, but I hate Walmart and avoid at all costs)