Of course, the frames are probably made from Chinese toothpaste...

September 19, 2007 8:24 PM

A selection of eyeglasses for $8. (That's including your lens prescription.) Or if that's not to your liking, there's $39.
posted by Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson (80 comments total)

omg i need immediate help
posted by unknowncommand at 8:27 PM on September 19, 2007

you're on the wrong site.
posted by desjardins at 8:37 PM on September 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

Where are the $8 used cars.
posted by dismas at 8:37 PM on September 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

How the hell do they make any money selling prescription glasses for eight bucks?
Even assuming you're right about the toothpaste.
posted by JaredSeth at 8:38 PM on September 19, 2007

what's the catch?
posted by TechnoLustLuddite at 8:38 PM on September 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

How the hell do they make any money selling prescription glasses for eight bucks?

They're not your prescription, and the registration fee for their social network/swap forum is $299.⁹⁹
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:42 PM on September 19, 2007

Here you go... Glassy Eyes
posted by jaronson at 8:42 PM on September 19, 2007 [4 favorites]

How the hell do they make any money selling prescription glasses for eight bucks?

They lose money on every sale, but they make it up in volume.
posted by Poolio at 8:43 PM on September 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

for $8 the catch might be "well, I guess I wasted $8." But if its not a waste then this will be my source for glasses for ever and ever -- I can get 15 pair for what I paid for my last pair. Sunglasses! heck - yellow tinted glasses for a possible angling or sharpshooting applications, or rosy tinted ones for possible... rosy applications!
posted by cubby at 8:44 PM on September 19, 2007

How the hell do they make any money...

They run ads on your eyeballs.
posted by Skygazer at 8:44 PM on September 19, 2007 [3 favorites]

what's the catch?

There is no catch, at least until the Eyesight Freedom Foundation lobby buys laws to make this illegal.

My friend bought a few really nice pairs last week.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 8:45 PM on September 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

My friend bought a few really nice pairs last week.

And they've lasted this long? I'm sold!
posted by TechnoLustLuddite at 8:48 PM on September 19, 2007 [2 favorites]

The final post on the first page of that Glassy Eyes blog is interesting:

Luxottica is the closest thing to a monopoly, I can come up with. Are you pissed off at LensCrafters? Just go to Pearle Vision right? Nope. Same company. Surely, Target or Sears will get you clear of the bad taste LenCrafters has left you with. No again.

Luxottica, founded by the extremely wealthy ($11.5B, Top 50 Richest Globally) Leonardo Del Vecchio has its hands in the eyeglasses market from nearly every angle; retail, wholesale, licensed and house brands (perhaps you read about them purchasing Oakley a few weeks back for over $2.5 BILLION)...

shop the little guy and avoid these brands (Arnette, Killer Loop, Luxottica, Persol, Ray-Ban, Revo, Sferoflex, Vogue, Adrienne Vittadini, Anne Klein, Brooks Brothers, Bvlgari, Byblos, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, D&G, Donna Karan, DKNY, Genny, Miu Miu, Moschino, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Salvatore Ferragamo, Sergio Tacchini, Versace, Versus)
posted by painquale at 8:50 PM on September 19, 2007 [3 favorites]

I've worn my Zenni and 39 dollar pairs for about a year now.
posted by iamabot at 8:50 PM on September 19, 2007

Wait, you mean if you look around you can buy [stuff] really cheap, but it costs more if it has lots of advertising and marketing behind it? No way!
posted by yhbc at 8:50 PM on September 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

"Bendable titanium frame with light & thin Rx lenses and anti-reflective coating ... $129.00"

wow. That's a savings of about 400 bucks in NYC. Awesome! Bookmarked and favorited. Thanks!
posted by nickyskye at 8:50 PM on September 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

and thanks jaronson for the link to some reviews and other available sources
posted by cubby at 8:51 PM on September 19, 2007

They are for real. I bought two pairs from Zenni Optical last month, one $8 pair for reading (my current myopic prescription +1 diopter), and one 80% gray tinted in my normal strength for outdoors (-8.25, which triggered the $9 "extra-strength" charge, so those were $22). I've had them for about 3 weeks, and am quite satisfied with them.
posted by fings at 8:52 PM on September 19, 2007

Any Mefites in the US fancy some on-posting?
posted by pompomtom at 8:55 PM on September 19, 2007

Perhaps they're from Nepal. My Nepalese friend was just talking about how glasses in his country usually run about $7 a pair, with the most expensive pair being $35. So even on his paltry PhD student salary, he splurged for the $35 pair, which are pretty nice.
posted by Mercaptan at 8:56 PM on September 19, 2007

And they've lasted this long? I'm sold!

Hey, I'm not selling you on anything, believe me.

But I will say that based on what she's bought, I am seriously pissed off about spending $350 on a pair of eyeglasses that last about one to two years before getting too roughed up to wear. I could have bought many pairs of glasses with that money. As an aside, my employer's eyeglass coverage is horribly inadequate, and I will be buying my next pair through these sources, instead.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 8:56 PM on September 19, 2007

Excellent! Thank you.

Now how about contact lens without a prescription? Heck, I'll even pay full price, I just want to skip the ludicrous every-single-year-for-the-rest-of-my-life eye exam, and make it, say, an every-third-year eye exam.
posted by Ian A.T. at 8:58 PM on September 19, 2007

now that i think about it, glasses really should only cost around ten dollars.
posted by tremspeed at 9:03 PM on September 19, 2007

Luxottica is the closest thing to a monopoly, I can come up with. Are you pissed off at LensCrafters? Just go to Pearle Vision right? Nope. Same company. Surely, Target or Sears will get you clear of the bad taste LenCrafters has left you with. No again.

I remember one day a couple years ago, after I got a pair of eyeglasses at the mall, wandering from shop to shop looking for a reasonably priced case for my glasses. Sears, Pearle, Lenscrafters . . all had the same overpriced cases. Finally, I made it to the Sunglasses Hut near the foodcourt. As I reached the counter, there they were---the same overpriced cases! When I mentioned the strangeness of this to the girl behind the counter, she looked around and *whispered* to me: Well, we're all owned by Luxottica, you know!

I found a cheap glasses case at the dollar store outside the mall. A month later the bill came from my employer-sponsored vision-care insurance. The return address? 1212 Luxottica Drive.
posted by washburn at 9:12 PM on September 19, 2007 [3 favorites]

I think the danger here is that you equate "glasses" with "expensive", then you decide to go this route to save money.

Ian is already going down that road, in this comment:

Heck, I'll even pay full price, I just want to skip the ludicrous every-single-year-for-the-rest-of-my-life eye exam, and make it, say, an every-third-year eye exam.

This is a mistake, as there is much we don't realize about our eyes, and a regular exam is a very good idea. Recently a friend of mine was diagnosed as having holes in his retinas, and had to have laser surgery. I looked into it, and it turns out that myopic (nearsided) people are much more likely to have retinal detachment, for which holes in the retina are an early sign. If he'd skipped a few exams, the laser surgery might well have been retinal reattachment surgery instead -- and I know which one I'd rather have, and rather pay for.

So yeah, by all means, get the cheap glasses here -- but pay for a good eye exam from a doctor you trust on a regular basis, and if you notice some significant change in your eyesight (such as a sudden increase in floaters, a common sign of retinal holes/detachment) get thee to the exam room pronto.

not an eye doctor, just hate the idea that someone would go for the cheap on the glasses AND by skipping exams, ultimately leading to much more expensive bills.
posted by davejay at 9:13 PM on September 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

According to some (people who claim to be) optometrists on the blog jaronson posted, they've always paid very little for lenses and frames. If true, the enormous markup is a pretty big racket. Apparently a company named Luxottica owns a huge portion of the market, including Lens Crafters, Pearle, and quite a few different eyeglass brands. See the post at the bottom ...
posted by krinklyfig at 9:15 PM on September 19, 2007

Oh, also: when you buy glasses at a retail outlet, you get to try 'em on and have them adjusted -- you can't do that with these places.

With a car, say, this is easy. Go to carsdirect or whatever, find a car you can afford, then go waste the dealer's time test-driving it before you buy (or test drive it, then tell 'em what carsdirect is charging, and offer to buy it from them at that price.)

Hard to do that with glasses, unless you can match the manufacturer and model of the glasses in the store you try 'em on at with those from the web site. Anyone know if there's enough information to do that with?
posted by davejay at 9:16 PM on September 19, 2007

I see.
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 9:17 PM on September 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

Also, my kingdom for an image of Carl Reiner wearing and Opti-grab from The Jerk.
posted by krinklyfig at 9:23 PM on September 19, 2007

I've been getting glasses at $25 bucks a pop at goggles4u.com for a year now.

However each frame number is that one frame in that one size. You can't pick a frame you like and then select your size. Though the inventory is new, the shopping method is like a thrift store.
posted by sourwookie at 9:28 PM on September 19, 2007

Ah, sorry, should have read the posts before mine.
posted by krinklyfig at 9:35 PM on September 19, 2007

The single first criteria in choosing a frame (other than aesthetics) is frame width. This site seems to have no way to search that variable (eg: show me all frames 135mm or larger).
posted by sourwookie at 9:39 PM on September 19, 2007

My googles4u pair was fine, especially for the money.

But my optical4less order wasn't so good. I've been able to use one of the pairs ($20). The sunglasses ($20) made me a little dizzy. And the sport/clip-ins ($60) were totally awful -- the curvature of the glasses just made me want to hurl after a couple of minutes of wearing them.

Caveat emptor, because you aren't going to get any money back, though it isn't a lot of money.
posted by wenat at 9:46 PM on September 19, 2007

I scheduled an optometrist appointment earlier today, hoping to get some new glasses cheaper online after it.

I remember researching these cheap glasses places a few months ago and I recall that the one limiting factor on getting a good set of glasses was getting good measurements at the eye doctor. I thought I remembered that the prescription they write doesn't have your eye width and a few other measurements.

So when I'm at the eye doctor and he's finalizing my prescription, what measurements should I ask him for in addition to the normal lens stuff on the scrip? Or can I simply measure my eye width/distance stuff at home myself?
posted by mathowie at 10:07 PM on September 19, 2007

Or can I simply measure my eye width/distance stuff at home myself?

My friend grabbed her camera and stood in front of her bathroom mirror, holding a small ruler across her eyes.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:16 PM on September 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

just admit it, this is just a way to get favorites.
posted by parmanparman at 10:19 PM on September 19, 2007

But my optical4less order wasn't so good. I've been able to use one of the pairs ($20). The sunglasses ($20) made me a little dizzy. And the sport/clip-ins ($60) were totally awful -- the curvature of the glasses just made me want to hurl after a couple of minutes of wearing them.

FWIW, I got my current pair at a Large Chain of Less Clear mall-based Glass Crafters, and had to return them twice before I got glasses that were even nearly as functional as the pair I'd last purchased, 10 years prior from an independent optician. According to them, the new-and-improved materials had a lower possibility of shattering but a significantly restricted 'sweet spot', where my prescription was actually valid.

I'm pleased I was able to return the glasses, but honestly, a technology which is so refined that it delivers less functionality to its users is a technology supported by a broken distribution network. I'll buy 40 $8 glasses if the first one works properly, just as a "fuck you" to US health care.

Wait, no I won't. But I'll write about it on the web, dammit.
posted by mwhybark at 10:35 PM on September 19, 2007

I can't bring myself to buy glasses I haven't tried on. Same reason I won't buy most clothes or shoes online. Because even if it's something I totally loved in a catalog or on a website, I know that when it arrives and I try it on, in reality the item I purchased is hideous on me. Never fails.

So then I will put said purchased item on the hall counter with the intention of returning it within the week. But then I'll get busy with work, and the next thing I know a month or two or five have passed and I completely forgot to return it & it's gathered dust waiting to be sent back. And by that time I'm too embarrassed to contact the company about making the return because I know I have waited too long & it'll look like I've been using it the whole time. So in the end I'm always stuck with something I don't want & will never wear... so I either give it to a friend or to charity.

I finally got smart after that happened enough times. I've learned to just not buy certain things online in the first place & avoid the whole drama.
posted by miss lynnster at 10:36 PM on September 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

Or can I simply measure my eye width/distance stuff at home myself?

What about measuring your old glasses, then finding something of comparable width, bridge, etc? I know nothing about such matters, but at $8 (or $15 or $30), I think a little experimentation could get you pretty close.
posted by slogger at 10:37 PM on September 19, 2007

Jesus fucking christ I've been putting off going to the Eye Doctor for two months now, mostly because the thought of spending another 600 bucks on the same stupid glasses is absurd. Didn't Fred Sanford have dozens of pairs of eyeglasses in one of his garbage drawers? (If you've got decent health insurance, the exams are pretty much covered and very necessary for the reasons stated above.)

I may have to try this, although I'm pretty sure the Eye Doctor will put poison in those terrible drops once he/she hears I'm ordering glasses online for under fifty bucks.
posted by kenlayne at 10:41 PM on September 19, 2007

So when I'm at the eye doctor and he's finalizing my prescription, what measurements should I ask him for in addition to the normal lens stuff on the scrip? Or can I simply measure my eye width/distance stuff at home myself?

Two biggies: The PD. That is your pupillary distance. Mine is 62.

The second: Overall width. This is the area of greatest diversity and dependancy upon comfort. I can wear anything between 135 to 145 mm.

They will supply these measurements upon request.
posted by sourwookie at 10:52 PM on September 19, 2007 [9 favorites]

I spent $800 Cdn on the glasses I'm wearing now, four years ago, and they were on sale.

I suspect that I'll be buying a half-dozen pairs of glasses in the next couple of weeks from one of the linked sites. This rocks. Thank you!
posted by solid-one-love at 10:56 PM on September 19, 2007

An interesting article about eyeglasses and why they're so expensive.
posted by Oriole Adams at 11:11 PM on September 19, 2007

I have also had success with goggles4u.com. So has Daniel Pinkwater, apparently.

My latest pair cost $33 including scratch/glare/uv filters and whatever its called that makes them get darker in the sunlight. You can search by any dimension. If you already have a pair of glasses, you can just measure those, assuming they're the right size. Or ask at your appointment.
posted by the christopher hundreds at 11:23 PM on September 19, 2007

Caveat emptor, because you aren't going to get any money back, though it isn't a lot of money.

Actually, they offer a 50%, any reason guarantee.

I'm very impressed by the selection and options available.
posted by Revvy at 11:31 PM on September 19, 2007

I bought a prescription pair of sunglasses online recently. It worked out fine. As mentioned already the only real measurement that presented any challenge was my PD, which I eventually found after looking at several older prescriptions.
posted by Rhomboid at 11:57 PM on September 19, 2007

I spent $800 Cdn on the glasses I'm wearing now, four years ago, and they were on sale.

Good lord, really? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, Canada being Canada and all, but yikes. (I've been wearing the same $60-in-Korea pair for 7 years now, and they're going strong.)
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 12:06 AM on September 20, 2007

I just bought frames at Zenni Optical a week or two ago. I blogged about them a few days ago.

I'm very happy with them, and I guess if you care to read any more about my feelings the link is in my profile.
posted by birdie birdington at 12:13 AM on September 20, 2007

Pompomtom: Goggles4u will ship worldwide, probably because the glasses get sent directly from Pakistan anyway.
posted by penguinliz at 2:03 AM on September 20, 2007

I really hope success doesn't ruin these guys. I got a pair of prescription sunglasses at the beginning of the year from Zenni and am very happy with them. The prescription is spot on. Unfortunately, I have quite the huge noggin and my selection of frames was less than optimal.

And although with my wife's help I measured my own Pupillary Distance (PD), it's probably more accurate to have your eye doc do it for you. I really don't understand why that measurement isn't part of the prescription anyway.
posted by SteveInMaine at 2:54 AM on September 20, 2007

FWIW, my eye doctor recommended Zenni when I told him my "new" health plan only covered the exam and $10 towards glasses. After the glasses came, he gave me a followup to see if the glasses needed an adjustment (they didn't). I figure I saved about $400 on a pair.

My eye doctor said he'd rather I but the cheap ones from Zenni than not buy glasses at all.
posted by paddbear at 3:08 AM on September 20, 2007

I had good luck with goggles4u also. 2 out 3 pairs were just fine - 1 pair made my eyes feel kinda nystagmus-y.

What I haven't figured out is how to fit the temples to my ears without several iterations of bending and rebending and a good way to soften them for bending.
posted by klarck at 5:26 AM on September 20, 2007

just admit it, this is just a way to get favorites.

Someone's on to me...
posted by Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson at 5:30 AM on September 20, 2007

I've bought a dozen pairs in the last 10 months (for research purposes), and only been unhappy with one pair. I've spent less than $300 for the whole mess of them.

The lenses you're buying -- even the high-index variety only cost a few dollars. And with the volume LensCrafters does, I'd assume they may get them for less.

Frames? Apart from the exotics (nothing you'd ever find at a mall store), the cost to the store is typically less than $10.

Also, that "luxury" of prescription sunglasses is no longer a luxury.
posted by ropadope at 5:53 AM on September 20, 2007 [1 favorite]

The last pair of glasses I bought at lenscrafters cost over $400. The pair I'm wearing now, from Zenni Optical, cost $60. My prescription sunglasses, from goggles4u, cost $30. I'm happy!

I did buy another pair from goggles4u that are fine optically, but I'm not as pleased with the style on my face as I thought I might be. I was willing to risk the 30 bucks. Now that buying new glasses costs me about as much as buying a new shirt, I feel free to experiment.
posted by sevenyearlurk at 6:17 AM on September 20, 2007

Just sent some of these links to my wife. We may have to look in to this, as my eyes have been bad since grade school and hers need more help than they used to. Only downside is that I have a hard time finding glasses that fit my face. For some reason, many frames sit too close to my eyes, and my lashes hit the lenses. Took me an hour to find the current glasses. Got them at See Eyewear (Flash, sound); they aren't $39 but if you happen to live close to one of their locations they're really good and have a great selection of frames. Best part is that all are tagged with the total price, including lenses, so you know what you're in for when you browse.

Everyone I know has complimented me on the glasses. Have had them for nearly three years now and they are still in great shape.

Interesting side note: See was founded by Richard Golden, of D.O.C. fame. Luxottica recently bought out D.O.C., but Golden retained ownership of See and has chosen not to continue working with Luxottica and D.O.C., which makes me happier to recommend See to anyone who needs to physically try on glasses but doesn't want to drop $300 or more on a new pair.
posted by caution live frogs at 6:39 AM on September 20, 2007 [1 favorite]

Goggles4u has a page about How To Find A Frame of Your Size
posted by TechnoLustLuddite at 6:45 AM on September 20, 2007 [3 favorites]

I bought 2 pair from Zenni in January, 2 pairs of eyeglasses for $20 U.S. (with shipping.) They're great.
My S.O. bought 1 pair and they sent her the wrong frame color. She called them and PRESTO! A new pair in the right color in about a week, and they told her to keep the incorrect pair. 2 pairs of prescription eyeglasses for what, $12?
I'm a customer for life.
posted by Floydd at 6:53 AM on September 20, 2007 [1 favorite]

I ordered Rx glasses through Zenni and they sent me a toaster instead!!

Not very comfortable and I look ridiculous of course, but I see great and it's an awesome way to start conversations with strangers on the bus!! All for eight bucks!! Woohoo!!

I'm never going back to those overpriced toasters ever again!!
posted by Skygazer at 7:36 AM on September 20, 2007 [1 favorite]

I guess I have to be the negative nelly, but my experiences with goggles4u have been quite bad. I have purchased three pairs from them. Pair one was rx sunglasses (I know they're just tinted and not polarized). It was the correct prescription, but somewhat poorly made. The right lens kept popping out, but hey i figured it was only $25. The next two pairs were the wrong prescription and they have never contacted me back after repeated attempts at communication. When it comes to frames, these discount places are great. When it comes to lenses, not so much. The materials are fine, but the lenscrafting itself is pretty shabby. Now if you have a weak rx that requires no cylindrical correction or no prisms, the lack of detail will probably go unnoticed for you. My rx requires a prism and a bit of a correction for astigmatism and they are just not precise enough to do the job.
posted by ozomatli at 8:15 AM on September 20, 2007

H E Y I C O U L D DO
WITH A PAIR
of
these
posted by baker dave at 8:37 AM on September 20, 2007

This is just fucking incredible. I generally wear contacts, and since outgrowing my old glasses I haven't bought another pair due to the cost. It wasn't worth it to spend all that money for something I only wear occasionally.

Now, though... my god. I'm getting a pair, and if they're any good I'm getting like six more.
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:43 AM on September 20, 2007

Neither Zenni nor goggles4u.com offers polarized lenses for sunglasses. Boo!
posted by bobot at 9:00 AM on September 20, 2007

and here i just dropped 300 bucks at Rx Optical. Grrrrrr.
posted by quonsar at 9:45 AM on September 20, 2007

I've bought a dozen pairs in the last 10 months (for research purposes), and only been unhappy with one pair.

Mighty GlassyEyes you have there, buddy.
posted by SteveInMaine at 10:03 AM on September 20, 2007

I just spent $200 for two pair, with the super duper anti-reflection coating. Next time I'm going here.
posted by mecran01 at 10:26 AM on September 20, 2007

The prescription sunglasses I got from eyeglasses.com are polarized.
posted by Rhomboid at 10:49 AM on September 20, 2007 [1 favorite]

I desparately need new glasses; my old ones are bent to the point that I have to wear a hat to hold them on or else they'll just fall right off my face. Of course, I don't have vision insurance. This could be great; my opthamologist will examine me for $90, and figure only $50 more for glasses? Great deal. I really never knew how big the markup was, although I really shouldn't be surprised.
posted by uncleozzy at 10:58 AM on September 20, 2007

I was just about to pull the plug and order a couple pair of glasses for my five year old off this site a couple months ago, when I happened to google around looking for coupon codes (hey, it couldn't hurt, right?).

I found a *bunch* of reviews on places like fatwallet that said they had HORRIBLE customer service experiences with zenni optical. Specifically stuff like once stuff was supposedly shipped, zenni refused any responsibility. Orders never arrived, or if they did they were wrong or incomplete or damaged. It was damn near impossible to reach any sort of resolution, the c/s wench would hang up on them repeatedly ,etc., etc.

I ended up ordering from 39dollaroptical, and got a pretty fast turnaround (it ended up costing more than $39 when all was said and done, btw). I couldn't find the tiny frames I needed for my DD (her original pair were from Costco, btw, and they were PERFECT), so the ones that came are a little big. As back up frames, they do the job.

Ultimately, I took the original pair back to Costco, and they repaired them (yet again) for free, on the spot - well, actually, they REPLACED them - without charging me a penny. And they were only $79 to start out with. Some other kid in her class wears similar glasses and his mom told me she paid $300. For a FIVE year old. And it was his fifth pair. Damn!! is an understatement.
posted by dancinglamb at 12:33 PM on September 20, 2007

I bought my last pair of glasses in 1999. The frames were $140, which I thought to be ludicrously expensive. The little woman just got a pair off Zenni and they're great, although the shipping took a little bit. Anyhoo my next purchase will be from there if I can find a pair I like that fits my dome.
posted by jtron at 5:38 PM on September 20, 2007

My eye doctor said he'd rather I but the cheap ones from Zenni than not buy glasses at all.

I bought my last pair of glasses in 1995. I used to wear them occasionally, but since they went through an apartment fire in 2003, they've been pretty scratched up. There's actually a sticky substance all over the lenses that you can scrape off with a nail, but it comes back.

Anyway, I stopped wearing them. I wear my contacts from when I wake up until I go to sleep. I'll usually wear my glasses from the bathroom to the bedroom, but occasionally, I'll just leave them in the bathroom.

When I wore glasses, from 1982-1989, my eyesight deteriorated from about 20/60 to 20/120 or a little worse.

Since I stopped wearing glasses, my eyesight has not deteriorated at all; in fact, it's improved rather significantly in my right eye. And I work on a computer 50-60 hours a week.

Just saying ... don't wear glasses.
posted by mrgrimm at 6:34 PM on September 20, 2007

Just saying ... don't wear glasses.

I'd roll my eyes, but without my glasses, I don't know which way to face.

The preceding comment was typed by my girlfriend and brought to you by the letters:

E
F P
T O Z
L P E D
P E C F D
E D F C Z P
F E L O P Z D
D E F P O T E C
L E F O D P C T

posted by Alvy Ampersand at 6:48 PM on September 20, 2007 [1 favorite]

I have to say for a prescription as high as mine, that $39 place isn't that cheap. I think it's an additional $70 to get thinner lenses (with some sort of "surfacing"). My last pair was $150 from Pearle. I got a pair that are far more stylish than the ones on that site, I got to try them on before buying them, and the optician fit them to my face. Plus, they came in 3 days.
posted by bluefly at 11:41 AM on September 21, 2007

I'm going to get my eyes checked at the opthomologist soon and my prescription will likely be updated. I'll order one pair of glasses from Zenni and one pair from goggles4u and compare them. Both together will be a quarter of one pair from a local place.

We'll see how it goes.
posted by Justinian at 12:03 PM on September 21, 2007

My prescription is pretty strong, and my glasses usually run (at UK prices) to around £250 for lenses ($500) and if I'm paying that much for lenses, I'll usually shell out another £100 or so for a decent pair of frames. My last pair of store-bought glasses (Jai Kudo frames) cost a total of £380.

So after my last eye test when my prescription had barely changed and it wasn't worth upgrading at the opticians, I decided to check out the online retailers.

I bought these glasses from glassesdirect . They cost a total of £105 (a little over $200) and were shipped within 2 weeks direct from Shanghai. The price I normally pay for specs, I thought it was worth taking a punt on £100 to see if it was worth it. I am completely happy with my specs and would buy online again.
posted by essexjan at 1:34 PM on September 21, 2007

Correction: I got my glasses from here - glassescrafter.
posted by essexjan at 1:48 PM on September 21, 2007 [1 favorite]

So, um, do we have glasses?

I mean, has anyone successfully ordered a pair of glasses from them yet?
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 1:52 PM on October 4, 2007

I ordered a ~$8 pair from Specsonthenet.com a while ago, and while they didn't fit my head or my look so well, I knew they wouldn't when I ordered them. It was a lark, and I planned only to use them for (very low peril woodworking) safety glasses if need be.

When my expensive (well, Sam's Club) glasses broke last week I had to resort to wearing those cheapie ones, and once the friendly people at Lenscrafters adjusted the temples for me I could comfortably wear them for hours at a time. The prescription was spot-on, and had I been able to choose some that fit my head better I might not have been in Lenscrafters at all.

I just ordered a pair of sunglasses from Goggles4u.com and a regular pair with clipon (polarized, woohoo) sunglasses from Zenni - I'll try to remember to come back and post what happens with those two pairs.

As far as the ones I bought (with considerable subsidy from my insurance) from Lenscrafters? I think the lenses look a bit thick, and the (rimless) temples aren't symmetrically drilled. I think I'll be going back tomorrow.
posted by codger at 1:05 PM on October 11, 2007

As I type, I am on hold with Zenni Optical (I am 3rd in line, they tell me), trying to figure out where my glasses are. 415-785-7003.
posted by rossination at 2:32 PM on October 11, 2007

Thanks, codger.

Please do report back, rossination!
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:51 PM on October 12, 2007