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Glasses cost?

technicolor

technicolor

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Dec 21, 2005
1,651
1
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General question for glasses wearers...

How much did your pair of glasses cost visit+frames+prescription?

Total real cost, not cost with insurance.
 
Frame was about $100 USD
Lenses were $300 (I have a -6.5 in both eyes... super-thin, no bi/tri-focals)
visit? 100-ish
 
Thanks Termina. I dont have insurance right now and I dreadfully need glasses. I am trying to see how much out of pocket they will be. I was hoping less than a 1000.00
 
Mine were fiendishly expensive. I have very, very bad eyesight so I went for the super-extra-double-thin lenses which ramped the cost up quite a bit, and a good set of frames – my justification being that I wear them every waking hour of the day, so it made sense to invest in a good pair that would serve me well for a couple of years.

All in all, they were about £450 – that's about $900.
 
You can get them in the US for well under $500... don't know where you're stationed.

The problem is my vision is so bad I have to pay tons for the lens if I don't want glass bottles on my face. I use daily contacts, but at night I slap on the glasses.
 
If you live near a Costco they offer eye exams, glasses, and lenses at very good prices. It costs $50 a year to be a member, but you'll easily save hundreds. I've been wearing glasses since high school and my most recent pair I got at Costco and I'll probably never buy glasses anywhere else. Things like protective coatings and anti-glare coatings, which in my experience always cost extra, were free at Costco.


Lethal
 
I believe I paid about £120 for mine in the UK. My eyes aren't really that bad either. This was at Specsavers, got a free spare pair, £80 frames, loads of fancy coatings. This was a couple of years ago when I was at college. Probably cost me loads now :eek:
 
LethalWolfe said:
If you live near a Costco they offer eye exams, glasses, and lenses at very good prices. It costs $50 a year to be a member, but you'll easily save hundreds. I've been wearing glasses since high school and my most recent pair I got at Costco and I'll probably never buy glasses anywhere else. Things like protective coatings and anti-glare coatings, which in my experience always cost extra, were free at Costco.


Lethal
Click to expand...
Hmm good suggestion. I was going to use the Care Credit card my mom got me..but if I could save money I can just use my own CC.

Thanks
 
Ive worked in the optical market before.

There is a HUGE markup on frames, like 100-500% in some places. Especially big names like Polo, Gucci, etc. So, haggle if you can (if its Pearls or LensCrafters, good luck)

When it comes to the REAL cost of glasses, its all about the lenses.

Depending on how bad your eyes are, it could cost a pretty penny. The worse you are, the thicker your lenses need to be. But no one likes thick coke-bottles, so they make thin lenses (1.60, 1.66, 1.67 and higher) which cost more as you go thinner.

Your prescription means nothing in terms of cost, its the lenses you choose.

Prepare to pay $100+ per lens if you go thinner than 1.66
 
ForEyes (an eyeglass company in the United States) usually will give you two pairs for $99. given, they're not the most fashionable glasses but i think that's a great price.
 
£315

42b84553c9df1.jpg
 
my eye exam was like 120 , oakley rims and polycarbonate lenses totaled 450. I got relativly good glasses cuz before my dad insisted on me ggetting the P.O.S. insurance ones for 50 bucks. I treated myself now that i'm on my own:)

PS. i did go to a nice eye glass store, so i get free replacement pads and adjustments, so i'm not sure how price will fluctuate.
 
About 500 for each of mine prescription sunnies and glasses. Lucky insurance covered most of it
 
What do you mean by Visit?

My frames were about $150 and my lenses were $100, that is with a discount though. You can easily spend less than $1000, if you look around you can spend less than $400.

Good luck!
 
Here's and interesting link - http://glassyeyes.blogspot.com/2006/11/from-3mew-eyeglasses-stores-are-for.html

I wear contacts daily but have been shopping for a new pair of glasses this past week. I have poor vision and need high index lenses. Thinking about giving one of these online stores a try for a back up pair at $80, but I know I need the higher 1.8 or 1.9 glass from outside the US to get something wearable.

The local shops have given me prices from $125 for 1.67 and $500 for 1.74 lenses, frames $100 and up.

Over in Canada, 1.9 Zeiss lenses are $750 CAN, frames start around $100 CAN. These lenses do not meet US impact safety standards, but are available in the UK and elsewhere - http://www.visionsofcanada.com/
 
Sdashiki said:
Ive worked in the optical market before.

There is a HUGE markup on frames, like 100-500% in some places. Especially big names like Polo, Gucci, etc. So, haggle if you can (if its Pearls or LensCrafters, good luck)
Click to expand...

Lenscrafters has a sale going on right now, 50% off all frames.

Just bought myself new glasses a little over a month ago.

Eye Exam (including for contacts lenses), about $100, paid for by my insurance.

At Lenscrafters, I bought:
- Prada frames, plastic, price tag: $280. doesn't have the nose bridge thingys, which I hate. and thin lenses for my eyes (right eye: -3.75, left eye: -4.25).

Total was $510.

I haggled and they gave it to me for $382.50.

Basically I told them, I just hated my old glasses, so I didn't need new glasses. And I could wait a bit longer to see if they have a sale (the 50% off promotion had just passed when I bought my glasses, but there's a new one now). So the lady asked about my insurance. I said, I have to do a reimbursement (I think they give me $100). It would be a hassle and she offered me a 25% "insurance" discount instead if I bought it that day.

Done deal.
 
Glasses use to cost me about $250 or so. My Sweetie's eyes are terrible. He sprung for titanium frames a few years ago, but still dropped $350 for new lenses this spring.

I finally broke down and did the lasik thang. It's been 4 years, and still is one of my better investments :) My Sweetie's eyes are even too bad for Lasik...really sux for him.
 
I paid about £400 for mine. Thinnest, lightest lenses, anti-scratch, anti-glare, and lightest rimless frame. Reasons as already given above by Jaffa Cake.

A similar pair would probably cost about £60ish if bought on the internet via the likes of Spex4less. Opticians put on a huge markup in the UK.
 
j/k/Andy said:
The local shops have given me prices from $125 for 1.67 and $500 for 1.74 lenses, frames $100 and up.

Over in Canada, 1.9 Zeiss lenses are $750 CAN, frames start around $100 CAN. These lenses do not meet US impact safety standards, but are available in the UK and elsewhere - http://www.visionsofcanada.com/
Click to expand...

I have pretty bad eyes, -6 / -5 or so.

I have 1.66 and they are pretty darn thin, barely bulge from the thin frames i have.

Going any thinner than 1.67, not only does cost skyrocket, but you are only saving fractions of mm in thickness. Higher than 1.67 is for people with REALLY bad eyes.


side note: the cost of rimless frames/lenses is higher because holes must be drilled into each lens, and if not done perfectly will crack. I am pretty sure its all done by hand. You also cant move the lenses to another frame (unless its the same model/manufacturer maybe). So rimless is a BIG fashion statement!
 
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