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Synotic · Oct 13, 2006, 01:12 AM

I've been looking at buying new prescription glasses and have found myself really confused. I realize that I can probably go through Lenscrafters and have the whole operation done there, but its value is seemingly poor. I would prefer to buy the frames separately and then have the lenses installed. Or maybe that's not worth it. I don't know at all. I know a lot of you guys wear glasses out there, so what's the standard "procedure"?

Is it safe/does it make sense to buy frames online; if so, where? Then where can I get my lenses made and fitted? I've done a lot of research/shopping around, but I just wanted to be safe and make sure I did this right. Thanks for any help!

GSixZero · Oct 13, 2006, 01:40 AM

I think the cheap lens deals you can get everywhere are basically based on the fact that all of the profit tied up in the frames. If you show up with your own new frames, I wouldn't expect to get a sweet deal on the lenses.

seanc · Oct 13, 2006, 02:34 AM

I bought mine all together although the practice may be different in the US.
The ironic thing is that my frameless glasses, with three bits of memoflex metal costs more than rimmed glasses

Spliffdaddy · Oct 13, 2006, 02:39 AM

You might be able to find a deal at Lenscrafters where you can get a pair of glasses along with prescription sunglasses for about the same price as a single pair. The whole "1 hour" thing never materializes for me. Seems like they try to give themselves 3 days unless you throw a hissy fit.

On the other hand, you can get a year's worth of contact lenses and the examination for about $300. Better yet, just get the examination and prescription - then order contacts online. Typically, if you get a year's worth then you qualify for a substantial rebate.

itai195 · Oct 13, 2006, 02:45 AM

You can usually find frames cheaper online, but I've never had a case where it was really worth it to do so. At least if you have insurance... That said, most places will also give you a warranty if you buy the frame and lenses together, and I've found that to be valuable.

Oct 13, 2006, 07:26 AM

I haven't personally bought the frames separate from the lenses but a friend of mine did awhile back. She found some frames on eBay she liked (about $30) and took them to the optrician to make and install the lenses. I believe she paid about $75 for the lenses.

That's way too much work for me. I'm actually thinking about getting new glasses as I have a habit of falling asleep while wearing them and they get all bent up. I'll probably do as I did last time: go to the Eyeglass Factory, get an exam, pick out two sets of frames, pay about $150 for it all and pick up the two new pair of glasses in a week.

brassplayersrock² · Oct 14, 2006, 08:15 PM

you cant go wrong with any prescription frames made by prada. i've had a couple of "upgrades" all by prada, and none have been bad.

just my two cents

Buckaroo · Oct 14, 2006, 10:43 PM

Go to Costco. It is much cheaper.

Buckaroo · Oct 14, 2006, 11:19 PM

Or maybe SAMS Club.

im_noahselby · Oct 16, 2006, 02:09 AM

Originally Posted by Buckaroo

Go to Costco. It is much cheaper.

For the lenses.

Their frame selection sucks big time!

Monique · Oct 17, 2006, 11:00 AM

Get it all at the same place; it is not worth the hassle of finding one place for the frame and one for the lenses. Also, do not buy glass for the lenses, it is heavy and not durable. You should go to a place that says 2 for 1 and you can have the 2nd pair as sunglasses and be careful ask if the tint will cost you money.

Spiff, maybe he cannot wear contact lenses, I can't.

hookem2oo7 · Oct 17, 2006, 11:51 AM

i've always gone through eyemasters. their 2 for $99 deal is hard to beat, even if the quality isn't superb, it's cheap enough to get a new couple of pairs every year

Synotic · Oct 17, 2006, 12:23 PM

Thanks for the help. Even if the frames are cheaper online, I can imagine that service fees and getting the lenses and all the hassle might not be worth it. I think I'll just do it all at Lenscrafters (but I'll still look at the cost of doing it separately and see if that might work out). Contact lenses don't really appeal to me. I don't mind my glasses and I don't play any sports, and I don't want to have to deal with contact lenses. Again, thanks, and I'll keep you guys posted on what I do in the end.

Buckaroo · Oct 17, 2006, 07:23 PM

Originally Posted by im_noahselby

For the lenses.

Their frame selection sucks big time!

You won't believe this, but my optomitrist [spelling] didn't have any resonably priced frames that I liked. The only frames I liked he wanted to charge me over a $1000 for. The name brand was Wood & Gold or something like that.

Anyhow, I told him hold on and I ran to Costco bought a cheap $49 pair of frames that I liked and he mounted the lenses in them for me.

Synotic · Nov 10, 2006, 10:56 PM

OK, I ended up doing everything online, and separately at that. It was a learning experience, and your results might vary, but I am very very happy with how everything turned out.

These were the frames I wanted to buy, at $170. At Lenscrafters, these frames cost about $285 dollars. I asked about lenses at Lenscrafters and they said that lenses would start out at about $180 dollars. So I'd already be paying $465 dollars for frames with a base set of lenses.

I ordered my frames late Saturday night and they shipped on Tuesday. I got them Thursday afternoon.

I ordered my lenses from eyeglasses.com where polycarbonate lenses cost $75 and trivex lenses (I chose these) are $99. I also opted for the anti-reflective coating, which was $52. I sent in my lenses Monday afternoon. They got the lenses the next day, and I got them back today (Friday morning). Supposedly rimless glasses take a little bit longer, but I don't know if it's the same for half-rimless.

Eyeglasses.com is a really nice website (they have lot of reading material about how they make their lenses and how to choose lenses and whatnot; they even discourage certain features and lenses, like Transitions). The Framesdirect website isn't that great, the custom order page only worked half the time and the glasses could have shipped a bit quicker. That said, everything (on both sites) was done with free shipping and no tax, and the value is definitely there for Framesdirect. The only shipping I had to pay was to send my frames in, which was just a couple bucks (I used the same box). If I had ordered the lenses and the frames together from Eyeglasses.com, I would have gotten everything in just a few days (they had my style, but not the right color and they were about $20 more expensive).

If anyone's considering using either of these sites, their warranties and return policies are generally excellent, especially Eyeglasses.com. Naturally if either messes up your prescription, they'll redo the lenses for free. If you're unhappy with your lenses for any other reason, Eyeglasses.com will do a one time free replacement or they'll refund your lenses for $50. Both let you order as many frames as you want and send them back, but Framesdirect charges you a 10% stocking fee for frames you don't end up buying. Eyeglasses.com on the other hand let you order and return as many as you want so that you can try out different styles. All of this is within 30 days, generally.

As for the glasses, they're brand new and they're exactly my prescription. It set me back about $325 bucks with all the options and sending in, which is definitely worth it in my book. Overall it was fairly hassle-free. Most of my time was spent just deciding what I wanted to do and learning about all the different options, which is something I do anyway, and something I can do a lot more easily online (eyeglasses.com really is an easy place to just sit down and learn about buying glasses online and glasses in general), rather than just relying on the salesperson.

Here's what they look like:

I can answer any questions

Again, thanks for all your help!

cybergoober · Sep 8, 2007, 07:02 AM

I heard about Zenni Optical - Complete prescription eyeglasses from $8.00 on the radio the other day.
I think I may give it a shot just to see what I end up with.

2020image · Oct 19, 2007, 08:06 PM

It's great to hear you had a good experience buying glasses online, but don't forget to make sure you go get your eyes checked when you should. A lot of people switch to buying their glasses online and just don't go get their eyes checked, which can lead to some serious problems in the future.