I just ordered a pair from 39dollarglasses last week. Even with the eye exam from a local optometrist, my total ended up being about the same as most of the frames I'd looked at offline.

boreddusty

@bradnh: But think about it -- the only reason you want high quality is because they are $500. If they were only $50 each, you wouldn't care so much about the quality, right? Because if they break in a year you can actually AFFORD to replace them. Or God forbid, have MORE THAN ONE PAIR of glasses at a time so you can wear a different pair sometimes!!! lol

morganlh85

You can also get name brand glasses on Ebay for pennies on the dollar.

morganlh85

@rogermexico: I too am baffled at the bickering over eyeglass prescriptions. I had two eyeglass shop employees tell me on two separate occasions that those were exactly like a medical prescription and they wouldn't take one over a year old. Just crazy. We used to grind lenses in Boy Scouts and physics classes. Hardly the same as a medical prescription if you let children and college kids do it unattended.

IttyBiggy

"Only a rich elite or a hipster would spend $500 for glasses... am I right?"

I don't consider myself a member of either category, but I did want good quality for something I depend on to see every day. My most recent specs cost a little over $550 at my local optometrist/eyeglass shop. Granted, they are a nice high-quality "Silhouette" brand of wireless frame, but Jeez Louise, the margin on these things is truly unfathomable. I'll definitely look into some of these sites next time around.

bradnh

On a somewhat related note, one fun trick that I use when my prescription is a bit out of date is to order from a Canadian site (although I've only done this for contacts). Prices are quite similar to the US but they don't hassle you about your prescription. My eyes are very stable so there's no reason to go to the optometrist every year.

rogermexico

Hey brimstone, my glasses are really thick. Well they would be if I got the regular things because my prescription was -7.00 in both eyes when I ordered the first time. I think I used Optics4Less or some similar site but the lenses were perfect whenI got them. If your eyes are around that prescription I can tell you I had success buying online and I loved it.

lulugal11

www.urbanboundaries.com has great deals on sunglasses for those of us that wear contacts or have been lucky enough to get lasik.

TechTalk WRLR 98.3FM

If you hate paying an insane markup for something that you need so that you can SEE and you have the time to take some measurements I HIGHLY recommend buying your next pair of glasses online.

I bought 3 pairs from Zenni optical. The only "catch" I see is that the price for lenses goes up by $30 when your prescription is above a certain strength. I spent $150 for three pairs of glasses with ultra thin lenses and anti reflective coating.

remthewanderer

Did LH readers overwhelm the Zennioptical site? It isn't coming up for me.

Anyone like me with really poor vision have good luck ordering online? My lenses are pretty thick and it's sometimes difficult finding frames that help to hide the lenses. That's my only hesitation from ordering online.

Brimstone

i bought a pair of perscription sunglasses from www.goggles4u.com
they were on the cheap end at 25 bucks but they seem pretty solid. they're not anything i would use for a primary pair of glasses, but they are great for driving or a backup pair.

orbface9

i highly recommend zennioptical as well. my total was about 60$. i added antiscratch coating and polarized lenses. depending on how strong your prescription is, the lense cost will vary. you also need your pupillary distance [pd]. just walk into a random eye store and they should measure it for you for free. i'd also recommend checking other online eye stores for measurements if you aren't too savy with the ruler. it can also give you an idea of which frames fit your face the most.

Collaboratory

@That Bastid: And if I wear anything *but* polycarb lenses, everything looks flat and I lose the ability to judge distance easily.

I have bought four very inexpensive pairs now, two for me and two for my daughter, from Eyeglass Direct [www.eyeglassdirect.com] and have been very happy with them. I even specified different PDs for my reading vs sunglasses, and they caught it and called me to confirm I meant to do it (I did).

IttyBiggy

I love my glasses from Zenni Optical. I've had them for nearly a year, and they are still totally fab. I went 'Expensive" at the time... completely rimless, titanium no-hinge frames, superthin lenses, anti-reflective coating and with shipping it was just over 70 bucks. The only real upgrade I didn't take was 'Transitions-type' lenses. My frames were 35 bucks of the 70, arrived in a week, they even let me pick the shape of the lenses!
They have held up better than the $349 frames I had previously always ended up with at Lens Crafters. The lenses themselves have managed to be nearly scratch free too.. and I'm so bad about that.
ZOMG, I am in love.
(yes, I will be ordering form them again in January when I get my new presctiption.)

magdelane

I bought my glasses online and saved money by doing that. The glasses would have cost over $400 in the US to get the thin lenses I wanted because my eyes are REALLY bad. I got them from Singapore after sending all my information and it took about one month but they were perfect.

In fact my prescription just changed after one year and I am going to use the service again and get a new pair.

lulugal11

@timmus: not necessarily. depends on how horrible your eyesight is. the lenses usually make the cost. sometimes the frames are horrifically expensive.

Collaboratory

Costco really is the secret weapon with eyeglasses.

I did a lot of research on the internet glasses sites, and you have to be careful not to wind up with polycarbonate lenses, which have severere chromatic aberration (ie, image warping and color-fringes when looking anywhere but straight ahead through your lenses.)

These give me terrible headaches, but maybe they don't bother others?

That Bastid

@timmus: Yeah, you can get good glasses at Costco for $125.

I like titanium frames and really lightweight lenses, so I spend out the nose on glasses, but I wear them 100% of my waking hours so I don't really mind spending $500 every other year or so.

Canadian Impostor

Perfecting timing folks. I'm going in on Saturday. I will check out these resources.

FREAKHEAD

Hmm... Kids selection was really sparse. I'll stick with Hour Eyes. Happily, my son gets headaches without his glasses, so he guards them with his life.

MrsIrB

Ira's Glassy Eyes site is a great resource; I always get compliments on my $39 dollar glasses.

William Mize

Only a rich elite or a hipster would spend $500 for glasses... am I right?

Nope, you're dead wrong. I'm blind in one eye from birth, requiring high-impact lenses for protection in my good eye, which optometrists sell for a very high premium. The lenses cost more than the frames for all my glasses.

I wrote this article because for the first time in my life, I was only charged $30 for a lens upgrade instead of $300.

Matt Haughey

@homerjay: This LH article is geared towards sunglasses, but may apply. Interestingly, it points to this other LH article about finding cheap glasses online!

Barron

Oh, and for those lacking Spanky's implausible beauty, I second (oops, third) using the measurements (and shape, why not?) of your existing specs makes for a pretty easy purchasing experience.

terceiro

We've ordered three pairs from Googles4U for the kids and they're great: the prescription was spot-on and the look was as good as you'll get with kid's glasses. When our nine-year-old invariably broke his glasses, it wasn't nearly the same ulcer-inducing trauma it would have been otherwise.

We had a real medical professional do the exam, and then searched online for the best looking pair for each kid.

What's the difference between the machine-made lenses at the mall and the machine-made lenses bought online? The only difference I can find is a bajillion percent mark-up.

terceiro

I wear contacts most of the time, but I needed a spare set of glasses. I ordered them through Zenni Optical as well and wow the glasses are great. I only paid $18 total, I verified the lens prescription, which ensured that they in fact used my correct prescription, I got the anti glare coating, the glasses were delivered in a week, they come with a really cheap case, but hey for $18 what can you expect (I rather have a cheap case than messed up eyeglasses), and they even give a free cleaning cloth. The whole ordering process was very easy. This surely beats going to one of the stores in the mall and paying $200 or so for eyeglasses that in considered to be in style. As far as the comment about not being able to try them, I used the measurements given from their web site and compared it with the eyeglasses I currently use. That is probably the best way to "try" the frames.

skadoo323

@homerjay: I just got glasses in about the same shape as ones I knew I liked, and figured that out of four pairs (one are sunglass tinted), if any of them looked funny, I'd use them for around the house or when I'm doing something stupid and bad, like using them as safety goggles.

They all ended up looking pretty good, though, because of how ridiculously and implausibly beautiful I am, I suppose.

spanky

I've purchased from Zennioptical.com before and had great results. I'm wearing a pair of their glasses right now in fact! Try it out. You can't go wrong for $8 or $12.

bhoppe

Only a rich elite or a hipster would spend $500 for glasses... am I right? I've gotten darn good eyewear for $125.

timmus

I just got new glasses pairs from zennioptical.com, and I'm happy so far. They fit well, the lenses seem right (storefront places messed up my last two prescriptions, I think), and they seem to be well constructed.

I was a little nervous because they start at $8 for the frames and lenses, but if there's a catch, I haven't found it. I got four pairs--3 of them $8 and one $12--and I'm liking all of them.

spanky

But how do you know they're going to look good on you unless they sell brands that Lenscrafters (or someone else you can go to) sells where you can go try them on and then buy from the online seller?

The ones I could find sell no-name brands.

homerjay

Excellent info. I always thought glasses were extremely overpriced. Once again, an industry gouging people because it's something they have to have.

radink

Count me in as another fan of Zenni Optical.

Ordered 3 pairs on 10/25 and received 11/03.

$89.60 shipped

The prescription is perfect, and frames are pretty good. If they had a better
(more fashionable) selection of frames, I'd be ordering more.

I was a little nervous since I didn't have my PD Distance measurement (wasn't on the prescription),
but my husband must have done well, since the glasses view just like my old glasses ($400 a pair) from LensCrafters.
Cases are crap, and the clip-on sunglasses are a waste of money, but otherwise, I am extremely happy with my purchase.

Subtotal: $84.65
Shipping cost: $4.95

Total: $89.60

gruffydd

I am picky about the way glasses look on me, and insist upon trying the frames on before I buy. I had been doing this an looking for the frames online, but ran into a set of gorgeous Prada frames at half off with no sales tax. I shipped them off to www.eyeglasses.com , who put lenses in them for me at less than half what I would have paid for polycarbonate lenses with an A/R coating at any local eyeglass store and I had them back a little over a week after shipping them off. While I did spend $260 in all, I got a $300 pair of frames and polycarbonate lenses with the above stated coating. The lenses alone would have run me $350-$400 at a local place.
I paid a little more than I would otherwise for the lenses had I been willing to order an entire set of glasses online, but I wanted frames that fit me properly and looked perfect. Many discount glasses places online are unwilling to let you ship them frames for lens install.

oneswellfoop

I've bought 4 glasses from Zenni optical and love each and every one of them. You can't beat $30 for glasses with magnetic shades

picantel

Back when titanium frames were a new thing, they were well worth the money because they didn't break. I have two now, and have been alternating prescription lenses between them for the last 10 years. The reduced weight is also much more comfortable compared to a normal lens.

I'm definitely going to have to think about using one of these places for a lens replacement next time though, and use my vision plan on an exam and some contacts.

msde

I just got my prescription today, and I'll probably be ordering from Zenni Optical tonight.

SexCpotatoes

Everyone seems to like Zenni optical... they say nothing about shipping to Canada.

Anyone know of a good Canadian company?

Binks

Sounds great! Does Zenni send stuff overseas?

da5id_nz

It's tempting, but I've found it takes a decent amount of one-on-one time with the optician to get my glasses fit properly. I wear lined bifocals, but I prefer the bottom lens to be lower than standard - even than the lower "normal" measure. Plus I have an astigmatism and I've always been barely cross-eyed, so the pupil measurements are kinda touchy, too.

On the other hand, if the shipping charges aren't outrageous, I just might give this a try for sunglasses. A cheap set of clip-ons is $15, so it might be worth it.

imajoebob

I've bought three pairs from 39dollarglasses.com - two for myself, and one for my wife. They're better than the ones we've gotten from the optometrist. Originally we got them as "backup" glasses for the car and camping, but they've become our primary pairs. My wife's prescription cost a third of what she'd paid in a brick-and-mortar (she has a high index prescription); mine literally cost a TENTH - and my vision plan even paid for part of it.

Retailmenot.com usually has a coupon or two so that "regular" index scrips can literally come out to $39 - with shipping. Added features (anti-glare, tint)cost extra, of course.

Steven S.

@timmus:
Eeeh. After two solid months of looking for a half-decent looking pair of glasses last year to replace my old ones, I finally stumbled into a more expensive place that was locally owned. When I walked in, they greeted me by name and the employees helped me find the perfect pair of glasses. They helped me pick out a frame that looked great and fit my needs perfectly.

When my glasses came in, they fitted them to my face and adjusted them so that my glasses wouldn't sit crooked on my face, like many pairs do. My insurance covered a majority of the expenses of them, but the cost without that would've been close to $400 for a single vision lens with all the extras.

A year later, my glasses are still looking awesome and I've not had to take them in for any adjustments or repairs since. Let's contrast that experience with another place I've been to, Sears.

My pair there wasn't expensive, $100 with lenses. But within a month of getting them, they broke. I took them in. They repaired it, but didn't bother refitting it to my face. The pair went another couple months before they broke again. After about a year, they broke again, so I took them to a completely different store about an hour away where they figured out that the screws didn't fit and then decided to replace the screws and then glue them in.

The conclusion? Plonking down $$$$ for glasses in a locally owned business is better than getting a cheap pair at some chain store. If you're desperate for new glasses and don't care about repairs or the best fit, then going online probably won't make any difference. You get what you pay for.

That being said, I may see about getting a pair of sunglasses from one of these places because I need a good pair.

sporks

Just got this reply from Zenni re: their shipping -

Dear Customer,

We ship worldwide and the shipping cost to New Zealand is $9.00 per order. You may include as many pairs as you wish in one order and we charge you only one shipping/handling fee.

Thank you for selecting Zenni Optical for your vision needs.

Zenni Optical Customer Service

So there you go - they ship worldwide :)

da5id_nz

I bought my current pair of glasses at Zennioptical last year. $50 for the nicest pair of glasses I have ever owned. I was able to get the works - glare reduction, light-sensitive tinting, etc. So far I have been very satisfied. Ironically, the doctor's appointment to get the prescription cost $170.
One trick to remember if you want to take your new glasses to the local optometrist to get them adjusted: Don't tell them where you got them, simply allow them to assume that you purchased them out of town. Ditto for going in to have your pupil distance measured: Don't tell them that you are planning to buy online. My Mother made the mistake of sharing her plans when she went in to get the measurements and was treated to rude service and a condescending lecture, despite the fact that she was paying a fee for the measurements. I went to the same place for my measurements and adjustments, kept my plans to myself, and received excellent, courteous service.

BookwormDragon

Based on your previous article on ordering eyeglasses online, I went with optical4less. I got some rimless bifocals, with polycarbonate lenses, scratch protection, anti-reflective coating, and the lens size and shape of my choice (instead of the pathetically limited styles available in brick-and-mortar optical dispensaries) for about $100 including the shipping from Hong Kong.

The glasses fit perfectly and the prescription was done better than I've gotten in years. I am sold on online eyeglass ordering and I really appreciated your previous article--never would have thought to try it otherwise.

infmom

I have a question: what is the difference between 1.57 and 1.67 in the lenses? I have a pair from Sears that I think were 1.67 but im not sure. Will it hurt my eyes to get 1.57?

courtneywoah

What type of glasses do you get that cost $500? I've been wearing glasses since I was 12 and I have never spent more than 350 for frames and lenses before. I know they're still expensive but 500 seems like an insane price for a pair of glasses.

Abor33

@courtneywoah: That number is the index of the lens - it will determine how thin the lens can be when you need a particular strength. The higher the number, the thinner the lens, with 1.50 being "standard". Info link here.

Chef

@William Mize: Ugh. Ira's site was painfully evangelical from what I last remember, though it seems to have changed into more of an information resource.

Chef

For People in the UK check out the following two sites:

1) [www.getlenses.co.uk]
2) [www.glassesdirect.co.uk]

andhapp

Courtney,

Depends on your prescription. There is a mid-range between the two indexes, a 1.60, that is available. Typically, if you have a prescription at about a -4.00, I'd fit you in a 1.57; a -5.00, I'd fit you in a 1.60, and a -6.50, I'd fit you in a 1.67. It won't hurt your eyes to get a 1.57, but if you have a higher prescription, your lenses may not be as thin as you'd like.

Bigd713

I've been working in optical for three years, and I cannot imagine how Zenni could sell glasses for so little! I feel like I know the trade fairly well...down to how much the lenses and frames cost to manufacture. Optical markups are high, but Zenni's prices are a little ridiculous! Are they making their own frames?

I think I'd feel comfortable ordering glasses online if I had a simple prescription, but anything over a -4.00 or a +3.00, I'd go to an optical. There are certain things to look for like how well your eyes center in the frames (which is very important for high prescriptions), and which lens is best for your prescription. There are more options than just polycarb!

Definitely, definitely, stay away from online ordering if you need a bifocal or progressive.

Bigd713

I work in this industry, and you can be sure that the $500 specs don't cost any more (to make) than the cheap ones you can get online. The Carl Zeiss lenses and the Italian designer frames are all made in China for pennies. CR39 lenses cost about 20 cents a pair to manufacture, and the high index 1.67 cost 2 or 3 dollars. The highest quality frames (including titanium) cost no more than $10 to buy direct from the manufacturers. Anti-reflective coatings which also include anti-static and hydrophobic components cost less than 50 cents to put on.

The biggest chunk of your money goes to the optician (who probably spent 40 or 50 dollars on your $500 specs), but there are several layers of middlemen to who take a smaller bite as well.

I believe the online stores buy directly (in bulk) from manufacturers in China or Korea, and this is where they save money. Most opticians place daily orders with distributors (who also buy from those same factories in Asia) so they don't have to hold any stock, which is why they pay more.

dahuk

I am an optometry student. My Dad is an optometrist, and I've had working experience in both commercial and private optometry. I really don't think the mark-up of eyeglass materials is any greater than most consumer products. When you get eyeglasses in the United States at a typical private practice, you are paying for the building, the employees, the doctor, a warranty, and hopefully, great customer service and a quality product that any respectable optical will stand behind. They expect to be paid more than a few pennies a day unlike their foreign counterparts somewhere in China. When you order direct from China, of course everything is going to be cheaper! Claims of price gouging are simply unfounded.

Chillnmemphis

I bought a set about a year ago at [www.39dollarglasses.com] I still wear them everyday. I would buy from them again without hesitation. It is not $39 for all glasses, it's more of a starting price. But many are not much more that that.

I also have bought quality glasses at Costco and Sam's Club for discounted prices.

JohnnyJ

I've ordered several pairs from Goggles4u - I'm wearing a pair of them right now. The first pair I ordered wasn't right - because I used the ghetto method of measuring my PD (in a mirror) and was off. I got the correct number from my optometrist - and the remaining pairs have been spot on.
My prescription is around -6.00 with bad astigmatism in one eye and my glasses are usually at least $350. So paying $30/pair for high-index lenses with all the coatings and frames with spring hinges has been fantastic.

kayehm

I've purchased a couple of pairs of glasses now online, thanks to the original blog now at [glassyeyes.blogspot.com]

Experience has been great, no issues.

One key is to shop around, some of the sites have the feature to upload a jpeg of yourself and overlay the various glasses to see how they look, nice!

Second thing to do is homework. Knowing your current pair's measurements makes finding similar frames easy.

mekael

As mentioned in his article, [glassyeyes.blogspot.com] is a very helpful site. I recently bought glasses for the first time and after posting questions on glassyeyes, I followed several recommendations that I NOT purchase glasses online since I had never worn progressives before. I ended up purchasing mine through Costco, still saving a lot of money, and even better, having the security of Costco's return policy. After wearing the glasses daily for three weeks, I ended up returning them to Costco because my eyes/brain never adapted to the progressive lenses. Instead, they are switching my lenses to bifocals at no additional charge (60 day return policy, money-back guarantee...Costco rocks!). But knowing I'm not cut out for progressive lenses will allow me to order online from now on, saving me even more $$.

achnss

I have ordered three pairs online and love them all. I found this blog back when it was still called something like "Eyeglass Stores are for Suckers". I ordered from Optical4Less and 39dollarglasses - both of which I have been impressed with both the quality and the speed.

How do you know what they will look like on you? Ummm, you guess. I have have had a lot of glasses in my day and I know what type I like. So I picked as close as I could and wasn't disappointed when they came. I think you have to realize that you are giving up the right to try them on in a store, for the sake of saving a ton of money. Of my three pairs I bought, I bought a pair of rimless, hingeless glasses, a pair of plastic "artsy" euro-trash and a pair of sunglasses all for under $150 including shipping.

The trick to making this work I think is that you have to 1) have somewhat of a regular head shape, 2) make sure you get the PD measurement as a part of your prescription and 3) be willing to take a risk. My last glasses were $300 - so I figured I could order up to $300 worth of glasses before I wouldn't come out ahead. That would be 6 pairs. 1 - 6 is odds good enough for me.

NoMorePay

My wife and I just went looking for new glasses. She wears hers part-time, I wear mine full-time (glasses-wearer since 8th grade). So far, I have 7 years of life in my current pair (Rx has remained unchanged). I paid a bit over $600 for them, so that's less than $100/year. We just left the optometrist last week with an estimate of $1,500 for two pairs of glasses. It seems insane, but it's the only place where we found frames that we like, and they have great service.

I simply cannot imagine buying frames that I have not first tried on my face. Even a small detail such as how a frame tapers at one end--differences of 1-2 millimeters--can make a *huge* impact on how glasses look on your face.

On one hand, it really bothers my to pay that much for glasses. But when I really think it through (from a life-cycle-cost perspective), it's not that much money, especially for full-time wearers. If people are willing to pay $156/year+ to play World of Warcraft, $180/year+ for Netflix, etc., why would one not elect for the highest assurance of quality and fit when purchasing something that amounts to no less than a prosthetic extension of one's own body?

onesix18

@timmus: sadly no. people with heavy duty prescriptions for themselves or their kids do.

ex: 10yr old - strongly near sighted & astigmatic in one eye & strongly far sighted in the other. just the script fill on the lens is $300. add a frame that can bear up under the stresses of an active 10 yr old & there's the other $200. tried going cheap on frame one year & wound up spending more alot more than $200 in repairs/replacements.

ex: darn near legally blind due to profound nearsightedness. crush face & break neck with cheap, heavy, old tech lenses + frames, or spend the $500 on something using current tech that can actually be worn comfortably.

sigh

the_wiggle

For those who wish to use their own frames (or frames bought at, for example, Costco) 30dollarglasses has a "use your own frame" option. I haven't tried it yet, but I might. For those who have asked about extremely strong lenses, yes, 39dollarglasses does make those outlier diopters that the national chains (and Costco, alas) do not stock. My bad eye is -12.75 and the "good" on is -9.25. With axis and nearsightedness thrown in, I need a new pair every year. Last year I spent $980 for a single pair at a very good optician. This year, with a new Rx, I have bought 2 pairs online, for a total under $400. The online discounters are definitely worth a look .

sinyet

I recently order from www.39dollarglasses.com and was very happy with the results. They weren't $39, though, they were around $105, but I got the super thin lenses with all the bells and whistles that probably would have cost around $300 otherwise and arrived in about 5 days.

alice_bunnie

Clark Howard has been mentioning theses options fora while now. Most recently he talked about a study (i believe it was consumer reports) where the accuracy of the lense ordered from Zenioptical, a traditional storefront (Lenscrafters) and another source were measured. The result: the Zenioptical lenses were exactly on the perscription where the other two varied. I recently purchased my first pair online (not from Zeni) I got a designer frame (retail Priced ~$200) and High Index lenses (Lenscrafters said ~$105) shipped to me in 5 business days for $200. I wanted these particular frames and am pretty sure i got the best deal on them, but i could have gotten something very similar at Zeni for $60.

ctwellman

@courtneywoah: They don't mention the downside of the "thinner" lenses- funny reflections and glare and killer distortion. Both in depth perception and chromatic aberration (that rainbow effect on the edges of things). I wear -6.50 in both eyes, and it's a trade off between big thick lenses or distorted vision. Thank Bob for soft contact lenses!

swalve

Thank you so much BIGD713 and CHEF for answering that for me! :)

courtneywoah

my betrothed sometimes gets drugstore sunglasses and has prescription lenses put in them. she's had pairs that lasted for years.

rhodius