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Gosh glasses are expensive

boogenman

Turbo Monkey
Nov 3, 2004
4,290
973
BUFFALO
Glasses and contacts are teh cheap at the Wally World. I usually go there for the exam and contacts but get the glasses at another place because I know the owner and get a deal.
 

MMike

A fowl peckerwood.
Sep 5, 2001
18,207
105
just sittin' here drinkin' scotch
Ok so I've been shopping around a little. Of the 5 place I've been, the original optometrist I went to is the second cheapest.

The most expensive is Lens Crafters. I was blown away. JUST lenses, (with anti-glare),no frames. $346. WTF?? And if I chose rimless frames, add $90.

The cheapest place was a little hole in the wall near work here. All him frames are 1/2 price. ....now here's where maybe you can help me out. His lenses are $69. Add anti-glare, then they are $79. So I could get the whole thing (decent frames) for about $190.

So what's the catch? I asked him what the difference was with his lenses. He said "nothing". But can that be true? Most places the lenses have been about $150 give or take. Lens Crafters is out to lunch. But $80 just seems too good to be true.
 

MMike

A fowl peckerwood.
Sep 5, 2001
18,207
105
just sittin' here drinkin' scotch
Well I wonder if it's because their site is incomplete, or if it's another example of canadian consumers are always getting screwed, but the costco.ca site has very little in the glasses dept.

I'm still going to look into it though.

But really, the other opticians are just hiking up the price for the hell of it? There's not quality difference in the lens material or whathaveyou?
 

dante

Unabomber
Feb 13, 2004
8,807
9
looking for classic NE singletrack
Depending on your definition of "blind as a bat", you might be able to cheap out on the lenses. When your eyesight is really bad, if you don't want 1/2" thick coke-bottle lenses, you have to step up to the better material (same correction, thinner lenses).

And while I'm intrigued by the cost of LASIK (equal to two sets of premium eyeglasses), I'd make sure you get the full cost of eye surgery spelled out before making a decision.

http://www.allaboutvision.com/visionsurgery/cost.htm
 

KavuRider

Turbo Monkey
Jan 30, 2006
2,565
4
CT
I'm in the same predicament right now.
I need new glasses, as the ones I have are about 5 years old and the frame is broken anyways.

I usually wear contacts, but they keep telling me I need to stop wearing them all day every day.
Frame prices are crazy. I think I'm going to do what someone else suggested and find a pair on eBay that I like. Lenses through my doc aren't too bad, I think it would be about $190 for the lenses. That's with thinner lenses (I AM blind as a bat), A/R coating and transitions. I cheaped out on my last pair and hardly wear them. Not doing that again.
 

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
4,904
North Van
Isn't the big thing with Lasik that you need to have a stable perscription for a while? I'd like to get it, but I can't tell if my eyes are getting worse.

It's strange, I seem to have the same perscription as I've had the last 3 years or so, but I just seem to need them more often.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,031
7,550
WEll that's my question really....the definition of "same". I don't want to go cheap and then end up like the victim users of Navin's Opti-Grab.
I can actually answer your question a bit.

(First, about Costco, tho: their website doesn't reflect what's in their stores, including the Optical. The website reflects what you can order through the website, which is a separate item.)

Ok, about lenses: I bought Lenscrafters lenses before shopping around, once. I used them for a day and then realized my $218 lenses could be had at Costco for $70 or whatever it was. Therefore I returned them. Yes, they let you return lenses, and yes, I had an empty frame coming back from the store.

Anyway, I then bought Costco lenses and am now on my second or third set. Are they the same? Actually, not exactly. The only difference that I can really tell is that the Costco ones have more chromatic aberration when looking at things off axis. If I turn my head all the way to the left and look at something "straight ahead" through the right part of the lens(es) then look at something with a contrasty edge I see blue or red fringing. (When looking directly at things there's no such chromatic aberration.) Is it a horrible effect? No, and I clearly don't think enough of it to not buy the lenses. If one is attuned to such things it's noticeable, however.

http://users.zoominternet.net/~matto/M.C.A.S/chromatic aberration.htm
 

Jeremy R

<b>x</b>
Nov 15, 2001
9,698
1,053
behind you with a snap pop
Anyway, I then bought Costco lenses and am now on my second or third set. Are they the same? Actually, not exactly. The only difference that I can really tell is that the Costco ones have more chromatic aberration when looking at things off axis. If I turn my head all the way to the left and look at something "straight ahead" through the right part of the lens(es) then look at something with a contrasty edge I see blue or red fringing. (When looking directly at things there's no such chromatic aberration.) Is it a horrible effect? No, and I clearly don't think enough of it to not buy the lenses. If one is attuned to such things it's noticeable, however.

http://users.zoominternet.net/~matto/M.C.A.S/chromatic aberration.htm
Your answer right there is exactly why I did not give Mike a more detailed answer myself. Mainly because I am the last person in the world that you want to tell you that I can't really tell a difference.
I am the guy downhill racing in a pair of goggles so scratched you can barely see through them.
I will walk around all day with a pebble in my shoe because it is not REALLY bothering me.
I know nothing of chromatic aberrations. ;)
 

MMike

A fowl peckerwood.
Sep 5, 2001
18,207
105
just sittin' here drinkin' scotch
got my glasses.

wow....the minute I put them on I almost tipped over. They are really messing with my balance. The guy said not to wear them until I can sit down and watch TV for a while. Basically sit still while I get used to them

I look like a nerd.
 
got my glasses.

wow....the minute I put them on I almost tipped over. They are really messing with my balance. The guy said not to wear them until I can sit down and watch TV for a while. Basically sit still while I get used to them

I look like a nerd.
I couldn't wear my first couple of pairs of spectacles while riding - it boggled my depth perception. My current pair doesn't bug me, not sure why the difference. I have been getting them from sears - adequate but too expensive.
 

MMike

A fowl peckerwood.
Sep 5, 2001
18,207
105
just sittin' here drinkin' scotch
Have you gone outside and looked at the moon and the stars yet?
When I first got my contacts/glasses, I could not believe how clear they looked.
I went full retard, and stared at the sky for 30 minutes straight.
nope. it's pissing rain here tonight.....the led clock on my stove though is something to behold.......
 

MMike

A fowl peckerwood.
Sep 5, 2001
18,207
105
just sittin' here drinkin' scotch
holy gawd...

yes I know....SIUP and get a blog....

I drive into work wearing them today....This will take some serious getting used to. I have a gnarly headache now. Yes I can read signs better. But if I look down at my speedo, or mp3 player I get an instant...eye cramp if there is such a thing.

So far I am not a fan of this corrective lens thing.
 

Polandspring88

Superman
Mar 31, 2004
3,066
7
Broomfield, CO
Have you gone outside and looked at the moon and the stars yet?
When I first got my contacts/glasses, I could not believe how clear they looked.
I went full retard, and stared at the sky for 30 minutes straight.
It was the same for me and trees. It was mesmerizing that I could see each of the individual leaves that made up the tree rather than one large colorful blob.
 

MMike

A fowl peckerwood.
Sep 5, 2001
18,207
105
just sittin' here drinkin' scotch
glasses fail.

I left them in my rental car in Toronto. ....pretty sure anyway.

In my defense......I can't wear them all the time. And they are so fragile, especially with the clip on sunglasses thing. So moving back and forth from that shop, to my car, switching to my regular sunglasses.....because the polarized clip-on thing totally blocked out the LCD flight displays. They appeared completely blank through them....but this was not the case with my regular polarized Oakleys. So I had to leave the prescription ones behind....which was better anyway because, as I've said before I only needed them for distance and I was doing a lot of writing stuff down....... and somehow in the shuffling from one thing to another, (as I was almost late for my flight home), in my haste, I must have left them in the car. (I was SURE I had put them in my suitcase.)

I haven't told my wife yet.

I've left a voicemail with the lost and found.

I knew it would happen sooner or later, but I was expecting longer than two weeks...
 

Jeremy R

<b>x</b>
Nov 15, 2001
9,698
1,053
behind you with a snap pop
And they are so fragile, especially with the clip on sunglasses thing.
Don't worry about telling your wife. If you were wearing clip on sunglasses, then she was probaly the one who took your glasses, and stomped on them, then buried them in the backyard.
At least that is what I would do if my spouse wore clip on sunglasses.