So I finally broke down and bought an actual pair of prescription glasses to replace the cheap reader-glasses I usually buy. Like, $450! Damn! That's a lot of reader glasses. But my distance vision is starting to fade a bit, so the bifocals are making things a bit clearer now.

I bought them because in many of the women's profiles I read on Match-dot-com the women want a guy who can see his toes. I figured it'd be a lot easier to buy glasses than it would be to lose weight.

You could just take photo of your toes. Silly.

Or use a mirror...

Edited by kthompson on 09/12/2012 20:49:30 MDT.

"You could just take photo of your toes. Silly.

Or use a mirror..."

Doh! You could have offered that bit of info before I stumbled into Lenscrafters......

Just date different women, Doug. Like the ones that have very thick glasses. You know, the accountant/librarian types. They can't focus well when they look at your belly. Being from where you are though, go for the ones that don't carry the Virginia rabies virus...if they look mad and aggressive, just walk away. But carry your pepper spray at all times, in its cuben belt pouch, just in case.

You got ripped off. 450 for one pair of bifocals? Ouch

I'm lucky with insurance, but you might want to check out Warby Parker:

http://www.warbyparker.com/

I didn't know about this until recently, but the prices are really good!

Only place I've bought glasses from in 4 years.

Www.zennioptical.com

Super cheap and outrageous selection.

Agreed. Cheap enough that I don't need to take super extra special care not to scratch it while backpacking.

> Www.zennioptical.com
> Super cheap and outrageous selection.
And fast too.

Cheers

I'm certainly glad that I wasn't in the middle of sipping my morning tea when I read your post :D You are just tooo funny! On a more serious note, I too have paid too much for glasses....The bridge of my nose is incredible sensitive and I can't wear heavy frames,so I bought frameless, titanium,SUL progressive lenses,with all the bells and whistles etc.etc...I will not say how much I paid..but it was more than yours!I only admit this to make you feel a little better :) They finally died and I replaced them with a pr from zen...And, now I don't have to wear crockies in case I stumble on the trail and they go flying...my expensive ones were so invisible I would have never found them, not to mention the cost.

$200 for mine and insurance did not cover. I didn't bring them on my last trip. Reading a map while going cross country was a pain

I always tie a length of flagging tape on my glasses when backpacking. Easy to find, although it is a dorky fashion statement.

You mean people actually can go about life without glasses on? Lol......

I don't fear a bear mauling when hiking. I fear breaking my glasses. When you have as bad vision as I do, the higher end optics allow for thinner lenses. I pay $350-500 total every time I buy glasses. It is the cost of living I'd say - and I like fashionable glasses. I have been wearing glasses since I was 7 or so.......

Although I refuse to use bifocals. I had them when I was 10-14 years old. After that I struck a bargain with my eye Drs. I take my glasses off to read or do up close work. I hate them.

If you gotta wear glasses, enjoy them!

Wow. $95 for a cool frame and poly AR lens. Not bad. Cheaper than Costco even.

Kirkconnell- My wife has the same issues, legally blind without glasses. Stupidly expensive prescription. It does look like Warby Parker does the high index lenses for $30 extra. I think we will be looking at those, as it is 125 vs 300+ that we pay now.

Ah, the joys of bad eyes.

K

Hmmm. What I like most about the Warby Parker site is that they give a pair of glasses to someone in need for every pair bought. They have a store in Philly, I may just take a road trip and have a look!

You got the glasses pretty cheap buying from Lens Crafters.
I know I use to work at Pearle Vision Care/Pearle Vision for 15 years and was forced to work for Lens Crafters when they did a corporate take over and purchase of the Cole vision group who owned Pearle Vision , Cole optical,Sears optical,BJ optical,Target optical.

The take over of the Cole vision group made Luxottica retail group/ Lens Crafters the most powerful optical retail chain in the world and they jacked up their prices once they had the monopoly on corporate vision care and optical retail.

For example Luxottica retail group owns over 7000 retail outlet through out the world and two eye care insurance companies Cole Vision,Eye Med. Some of the popular retail outlets are Lens crafters, Sun glass hut, Pearle vision, Sears optical,Target optical and other retail optical outlets.

The Luxottica group also own and manufacture Okaley, Ray ban, Arnette,
Eye Safety Systems, K&L,Luxottica,Mosley Tribes,Oliver Peoples,Persol,Revo,Steroflex,Vogue.

They also license theses brands and manufacture:
Anne Klein,Brooks Brothers,Bulgari,Burberry,Chanel,Chaps,Coach,D&G,Dolce and Gabbanaa DKNY,Donna Karan,Miu Miu,Polo Ralph Lauren,Prada,Ralph Lauren Purple Label,Paul Smith,
Stella McCartney,Tiffany & Co.,Tory Burch,Versace,Versus.

Basicaly because Luxottica own the manufactures the spectacle frames for about $0.25 to $3.00 a piece in their manufacturing plants and then they sell the spectacle frames and sunglasses in their retail stores for $100.00 to $600.00 or more they make a lot of profit on the sale.

Plus with their eye med and cole vision insurance they get you coming right when you step foot in the store from Optometrist visit to retail. When the optometric staff steers you over to retail part of the store to purchase glasses or contact lens.

Also the retail staff is graded on weekly, daily,hourly basis if the employee don't preform or sell a certain amount they get their hours cut even if it's no fault of the employee who is scheduled to work at not very busy times in the store. They get their hours cut compared to the employee who work on busy day and sales just fall in their lap.

If you don't like buying your glasses from a online retailer go to Costco optical or Walmart optical and get the spectacle for half the price. With no hassle if there's a problem with glasses. Most of their doctors worked for Pearle Vision who had some of the best doctor in corporate optometry.
Terry

add sam's club to to costco and walmart.

they all sell solid pairs of glasses for a fraction of lenscrafter. and have store everywhere. buying in person on glasses is imoportant imo.

I forgot about JC penny optical is good optical company that been around for awhile also.

The way quite a bit of corporate optometry works is the optometrist lease the space for about $300 to $500 a month and maybe cut 5 % cut of the office fees per month and the optometrist is a independent doctor of optometry .It's a good way for a new optometrist out of optometry school that has about $200,000.00 to $300,000.00 in student debt to get started if they get a good location with cheap rent. Plus they get to keep their patient records if they open a private practice. Optometrist don't make a lot of money compared to the other medical fields.

The way Corporate optometry works who employ optometrist:
They hire the optometrist to work in their HMO or doctors offices they pay them about $70.000.00 to $100,000.00 salary a year. The doctors are expected to carry a minimum of 16 to 20 patient a day plus contact lens checks and take all walk in patients and the optician staff piles them in on the doctor.

I don't know if they practice this any longer but the doctor's have bonus system for seeing lot of patients. I have know some doctors see 30 plus patients a day. The doctors don't own the record when they move along it stays at the practice.

I know from experience the pretest by the optometric techs take 9 minute or longer{I have done about 20000 pretest in 15 years I was the fastest pretest tech.}. The average eye exam by the doctor takes at least 15 to 20 minutes with the doctor to keep up all standards of care.

The big money is sale by the optician of spectacles and they see how many add on they can add to your purchase and they make special little bonus on certain add on they sell to you. It kind of like working at car lot mentality for the sales people.

Private practice optometry office are good to see the doctor is their to practice for life. But what happened over the years with the high cost of rent and other bills they have been raising their prices over the years just to stay in business.Plus they don't have a lot of capital for advertising and also to get trough bad economic time like the big corporate optometry offices.
Terry

Edited by socal-nomad on 09/14/2012 14:58:23 MDT.