Saving Money On Prescription Eyewear

[Sid]

well folks...

times they are tough... and as everyone is doing in these difficult times. shopping around is a must..

My wife recently had her eyes checked so she could get new lenses put in her eyeglasses.. and we looked into getting a new pair of glasses instead of just changing lenses.

Prices here in Greece start at about 80 Euro for frames and then the lenses lens costs depend on a number of factors coatings thickness and such. but approximately another 80 euros for lenses (160 Euro / $210 USD) this is for no name frames.

I got the idea to take a look on the internet to find perhaps frames etc and then just have the lenses cut here etc to save a few Euro...

searching around the internet i found a few articles and reviews for an online glasses maker called Zenni Optical.

i visited their site and was surprised to see a variety of frames and styles starting at $8 for a complete pair... Including lenses.. yes... you read that right...

this sounded too good to be true.. so i did further research on them.. and i found a good number of positive reviews and youtube reviews etc.

so i decided to give them a try.. and i selected a pair of their 19$ frames
with hardened lenses and filters..
total with shipping came out to 35$ USD..

I ordered them on May 11th...

on May 17th.. yes.. 6 days later i had a DHL express package at my door..
the glasses had arrived.. Yes only 6 days!!! from manufacture to delivery!! AMAZING!

the moment of truth arrived as i opened the package...

the glasses were not junk, they were well made and of quality construction.

the prescription was right and in general my picky wife was very happy, and thrilled with her new glasses... (24euros instead of 160 euros)

i have an optometrist appointment in a few weeks as well so i will be ordering a few pairs for myself...

including a pair of prescription sunglasses.

i thought this might help someone else save a few dollars...

http://www.zennioptical.com

[KimbaWLion]

I have seen them online for years. I need progressives and that makes harder there are only a few that will do that without ACTUALLY measuring the seg. height for the reading part. I have gotten my wife glasses OL though with good results.

I am spoiled though I got my frames from Ebay. That is the only way to get cheap good titanium rimless! My lens were a fortune though!!! I wanted the best and that is, in MOST cases are Zeiss lens, and that was painful but worth it. I DO tend to wear my contacts most of the time but when I do not my glasses work really well.

Glad your glasses worked out for you!

[mcknli7]

looks like they have some really nice glasses.

do they ship to the UK?

[Sid]

I have seen them online for years. I need progressives and that makes harder there are only a few that will do that without ACTUALLY measuring the seg. height for the reading part. I have gotten my wife glasses OL though with good results.

I am spoiled though I got my frames from Ebay. That is the only way to get cheap good titanium rimless! My lens were a fortune though!!! I wanted the best and that is, in MOST cases are Zeiss lens, and that was painful but worth it. I DO tend to wear my contacts most of the time but when I do not my glasses work really well.

Glad your glasses worked out for you!

well thats why i made the point to mention Generic frames and lenses..
I can understand the being spoilt on a name brand.. i do it myself on other things.. where i dont care how much cheaper i can get something i dont care I want that and thats it..

looks like they have some really nice glasses.

do they ship to the UK?

yes they deliver all over the world..

Usa is $4.95 for as many pairs as you care to order
and i believe the rest of the world is $10 for as many pairs as you care to order.


I also make a point here.. that this is not a paid referral to them. its not an advertisement.. just a happy customer.. and soon to be a repeat customer..
your mileage may vary

[Meathead]

Does anyone know a similar source for contact lenses?

[KimbaWLion]

Plenty of places for OL soft lens discounting! I just can not tell you whose the best since I use RGP and they are NOT really discounted anywhere TRUST me!

[mudfud]

my experience, so far, with zenni

I just got my eyes rechecked, and between the presbyopia and worsened near sightedness, it was time for a new pair of glasses.

the optometrist wanted $350, even after $150 was covered by insurance.

costco, my usual place for glasses, was about $160

zenni was about $80, but then I found out that the high refractive index was $28 more.
still would be cheaper, but to do the upgrade required calling them. we tried 6 different times and couldn't get through until today, on the 4th day trying.

their email support was pretty quick, and they did write to double check that I was really that near sighted (-5 vs -.5 they asked), but it was a real pain getting through to them.

I will check in again when they actually arrive.

I ordered with progressive, anti-glare, high-refractive, $24 for frame.

[KimbaWLion]

-5 is not all that bad my daughter is -6.5 these days! She is not happy about it...

Amazing what 2 pieces of HI plastic can cost uh??

[mudfud]

the glasses arrived, and they're pretty nice!

it took about 2 weeks from the time we paid the extra money for high refractive for them to arrive.

the frames are OK. not designer, but what do you want for $30?

the lenses are quite sharp and the prescription is correct. only problem that I am having is adjusting to progressives. there is a fine line of "in focus" that moves if the glasses slip on my nose. I half want to cement them to my nose, but clearly that would be difficult to maintain.

I have since learned that bifocals with the line are easier to use, because there is a much taller area to read through. so maybe the next pair, when I don't mind looking as old as I am.

all in all, I am quite satisfied, so "thanks" to Sid for the recommendation.

also, if anyone else wants to try this, go to costco or where ever and find glasses that you like. read the measurements off the glasses. there are 3 numbers: 52/18/140 these are the lens width, the bridge length, and the arm length, in mm. measure the height of the lenses to get the right proportions.

if you want progressives, you have to have at least 18 mm below the spot you look through to accommodate the change in lens.

then, when you go to Zenni, look for measurements close to what you liked, and hopefully the glasses will look OK when they arrive.

[luckydog]

I have progressive lenses and I like them much better than lined bifocals.

I also bought a pair of prescription sun glasses at the same time corrected just to see at a distance.

I don't care for them because i have gotten used to progressive lenses

[MrGneiss]

Well I just ordered..Lets see what $25 can get you!!

My last glasses were like $300 and I'll never be able to afford that again, so I hope this works!!

[MrGneiss]

Just checked the order status and it now says shipped, so hopefully they'll get here next week!!

[MrGneiss]

I got my glasses yesterday..So $25 and 16 days for new glasses!!

I got the clip on sunglasses and they come with a free cleaning cloth and in a hard case so I say this is a Super deal for the money!!

The only bad thing I'd say is that I never got a confirmation email but I just tracked my order on their website and it all worked out!!

So if you have $8 and need new prescription glasses or maybe just a second pair or sunglasses or just want some funky glasses for a special occasion with purple tinted lenses then I highly recommend www.ZenniOptical.com !!

[mudfud]

another Zenni success story... they should pay us for the free advertising...

ordered another pair from them. they have a cool face upload program, so you can "try on" the glasses.

this pair was about $100, with high refractive, progressive, clip-on's, anti-glare...

would cost at least $300 at an optometrist.

also, they came with a pupillary distance ruler, so you can measure center of eye to center of eye.

I'm sold! was quick, too, arrived in about 2 weeks.

thanks again, Sid.