I need new glasses. The only insurance-approved place I can shop online will cost $250 with my needs. I went to a "cheap" glasses website that doesn't accept insurance: $250. Yay, America.

Submitted ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨FlyingSquid@lemmy.world⁩ to ⁨mildlyinfuriating@lemmy.world⁩

The optometrist recommended seamless bifocals. I have a very painful nerve condition in my face (atypical trigeminal neuralgia), so this is what I need with glasses: the lightest weight frames possible- known as ultra light- with the lightest weight lenses possible and automatically darkening lenses so I don’t need the weight of sunglasses. The cheapest frames brought the total to $250 on the site the insurance worked with.

The frames are $20 on the cheap site. Everything else in the cost is the lenses.

As for why I have to buy them online- I don’t want anyone touching my face unless it’s absolutely necessary. The exam was painful enough.

American for-profit healthcare is fucking awesome.

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Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Zennioptical.com

I got mine for $30, they can make them mute expensive, but for just glasses, it’s perfect.

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- CM400@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I got mine with their HD lenses, no-line bifocals with antiglare coating, and the total came to $135 shipped.
  
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  - Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    While my initial reaction to this was “wholly fuck that’s expensive” I realize that all those modifiers would make it close to a grand at a glasses shop.
    
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- Nougat@fedia.io ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I have had less than stellar results with Zenni, ymmv
  
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  - dditty@lemm.ee ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    I bought one pair from them and they were pretty crumby. Also getting the pupillary distance is tricky.
    
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- JimmyBigSausage@lemm.ee ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I have bought at least 10 pair from Zenni optical and they were just fine.
  
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- shalafi@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I second this, but OP says they have special lens needs. That’s what stacks the price.
  
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- henfredemars@infosec.pub ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I used them and they were great good-enough glasses.
  
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- Vex_Detrause@lemmy.ca ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  So far my $30 glasses is going strong for 5 years now.
  
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- poweruser@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  When I got LASIK I wasn’t allowed to wear contacts for a few weeks before the surgery. I bought the cheapest pair of glasses from Zenni. I had new glasses for $17 + $10 shipping.
  
  If I had to do it again I would have my IPD measured by a proper optometrist first. I just guessed at it and got ones a little too small, so they had a kind of fisheye effect.
  
  Still, for <$30 it was a great bargain
  
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SadSadSatellite@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I’m an ABOA advanced optician, I’ve helped with lens designs, I’ve made my own line of frames, worked with every insurance company, and know the technical details of virtually every product on the market.

If it’s going to cost the same either way, do not get the online glasses. The 250 in store is discounted from probably 1200$, and the difference is immediately noticable.

The online glasses will not be measured to fit you properly, the focal point will be a best guess, which makes progressives have a ton of distortion, the frame won’t be adjusted and have no standards of material and shitty spring hinges, the transitions will be an old off brand composited lens that will delaminate after some time, the antireflective will be the cheapest, smudging crap possible, and the lenses will be thicker and heavier.

Go to a local optical, not any chain you’ve ever heard of. No corporate execs to pay means actual paid professionals helping you see better, as opposed to collision salesman trying to rip you off.

Online glasses are for single vision rx’s for children, not anybody who really needs glasses.

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- DarkSirrush@lemmy.ca ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Man, I wish this was always true.
  
  Here in BC/Canada, our healthcare doesn’t cover glasses, and our 3rd party providers only cover $2-300 every 2 years for glasses.
  
  My last job had a $500 yearly flex-spend coverage, which I used to buy $600 glasses (mainly lenses cost-wise) with all the options/coatings/transitions/blue light filter/etc from the local eye clinic, and honestly the lenses are not great, and after less than 3 years the coating is bubbling in horizontal lines across the entire lens.
  
  Honestly though, been regretting getting glasses with the blue light filter for the past 2 years anyways, nothing feels vibrant anymore and i swear it has been negatively affecting my mood, and i have noticed zero difference in eye strain levels.
  
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  - SadSadSatellite@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Blue light filters have a purpose, but it isn’t eye strain. That’s just marketing bullshit from people who don’t know it’s purpose or can’t be bothered to translate it to laymen.
    
    It’s purpose is to protect your retina from damage that accumulates throughout your life. It’s to protect you from developing macular degeneration. It does nothing anyone will notice, it’s more like sunblock, except you can’t feel the burn.
    
    Also if someone sells you shit products, go to someone better if possible. But avoid chains at all costs.
    
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- gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  
  the frame won’t be adjusted and have no standards of material and shitty spring hinges
  
  They’re the same frames sold in physical stores, though
  
  the transitions will be an old off brand composited lens that will delaminate after some time the antireflective will be the cheapest, smudging crap possible, and the lenses will be thicker and heavier.
  
  My old glasses that I don’t even wear anymore are 7 years old and never had issues and still aren’t delaminated at all, never had issues with smudging or glare
  
  Go to a local optical, not any chain you’ve ever heard of. No corporate execs to pay means actual paid professionals helping you see better, as opposed to collision salesman trying to rip you off.
  
  And yet you still spend way more than you would at somewhere like Zenni. So you’re getting ripped off for someone lower down the ladders benefit… Yay?
  
  Online glasses are for single vision rx’s for children, not anybody who really needs glasses.
  
  Complete bullshit. Not surprised that someone “with their own line of frames” would encourage people to go the pricier route, though.
  
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  - SadSadSatellite@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    I don’t feel like quoting or typing out responses, so I’ll just hit your points.
    
    No they’re fucking not. Not even close. There’s 200+ different manufacturers, and even individual lines from the same companies have wildly different qualities. I would know, since I work with them every day, go to several trade shows every year and didn’t get my info from Google.
    
    Survivorship bias, and you just noted you don’t wear them.
    
    This point is attempting to imply there is no difference in products, which there absolutely is.
    
    My line of frames is not a “big name”, and was only sold in 54 offices in 4 countries when I had them manufactured in 2021. There is no benefit to me for anyone to go to any store other than the two I own, you’ll never bump into my line, which I don’t make money from anyway.
    
    I’m glad you watched a video once, but this is my profession and I know better than you.
    
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Zeke@fedia.io ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Have you tried Zenni?

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- enbyecho@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I’ve had good luck with them over 3 pairs. I get the exam at Costco and then buy from Zenni. The most expensive pair so far has been $108 for progressives with anti-glare etc although that was during a sale. They are better quality and have lasted longer than almost anything I’ve got from the traditional optometrists places, even when I’ve gone higher end. Even better, you can select the distance for computer, mid or distance - I wear one of 4 pairs depending on what I’m doing - AND they don’t check your prescription so you can use an old one if you know that works for you.
  
  Ain’t never going back.
  
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- FlyingSquid@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I have not. I’ll chedk them out. Thanks.
  
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  - Zeke@fedia.io ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    No problem. I've been using their glasses for years now and haven't had any problems with them. I only really replace them when I get a new script with changes in my vision.
    
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Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I’m honestly not sure which frustrates me more. That teeth and eyes are not considered important enough aspects of health to be covered under normal health insurance. Or the shit insurance that’s available even when you pay for additional policies to cover them.

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- Veedem@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  The lack of coverage of teeth and eyes in standard health insurance is because of dentists and optometrists opting out when insurance was becoming a thing.
  
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- BorgDrone@lemmy.one ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  IIRC it’s because there isn’t really much of a point to add those to insurance. With health insurance some people will need very expensive treatments but lots of people don’t. It works because you spread the risk over many people. The people who don’t need expensive treatments pay more than they would without insurance, the ones that do need those treatments pay a lot less. Since you don’t know which one of those you will be insurance is a good idea.
  
  With dental and glasses this is not the case. There isn’t too much variation in how much a person will need to spend on those during their lifetime.
  
  If you get additional insurance for either you’ll see that the maximum payouts are pretty much the same as what you pay extra during the same period. You might as well just put the money in a savings account.
  
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  - Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    
    There isn’t too much variation in how much a person will need to spend on those during their lifetime.
    
    Presbyopia literally means “old eyes” and the risks of periodontal disease increases roughly linearly with age and closer to exponentially if your a long term nicotine user; to name but one example for each.
    
    They eyes are also often the first place to (outside of specific blood tests that are not routinely run) see signs of diabetes, thyroid disease, and certain types of brain tumors. The mouth is the leading cause of sepsis. So both are important for people of all ages from a preventative medicine standpoint.
    
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Reverendender@sh.itjust.works ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Seamless bifocals=Progressives. I got mine at Zenni Optical for like $145 all in.

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- FlyingSquid@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Yeah, sorry, that’s what I meant. They used to be called ‘seamless bifocals’ back in the 90s and I still think of them that way.
  
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skyspydude1@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Okay, I’m going to go against the grain here and say “Don’t go with the really cheap online glasses”.

I used eyebuydirect, Zenni, and a couple of others for many years, and was pretty happy with them, especially for the price. However, one thing I’d always noticed is that they’d wind up being pretty beat up with some large scratches in the coatings, or they’d just fail and start flaking off by around the 1 year mark (I’m pretty hard on my glasses, tbf) and I absolutely had to get new ones. I just kind of accepted that I was very hard on my glasses, and that’s what happens.

However, I started going to Costco just because my insurance wouldn’t cover any of the online places, and the quality of the lenses and coatings are absolutely night and day. I’ve had 10 pairs now (sunglasses and normal lenses), and only had one with a single scratch in the lenses, after having them go flying across a cement floor due to me doing something quite stupid.

I don’t think you need a membership for their optical center either, but I’m not 100% sure.

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- Ookami38@sh.itjust.works ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I’ve had the exact opposite experience. Last time trying glasses at a local place, they hurt my eyes and couldn’t figure out how to adjust them properly. Every pair I’ve purchased on Zenni has lasted multiple years of me sleeping in them or doing contact sports in them. I still have multiple pairs kicking around my house or car as spares.
  
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  - electric@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    …you sleep with them on? How?
    
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corgi@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
If you have Costco membership, their optical department is pretty affordable. Frames are $50-80. Lenses another $80 or so, but depends on complexity and of you get transitions and whatnot.

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- KoalaUnknown@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  It’s the same for Sam’s Club. My eye doctor said glasses would be $800 AFTER insurance. I went to Sam’s Club and two pairs for $200.
  
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- thedirtyknapkin@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  from the op description they are in fact a very complicated seamless bifocal. likely some of the most expensive lenses to make. idk, to a certain extent op is looking for a modern luxury item and mad that it’s expensive. like they don’t NEED seamless bifocals, it’s just Better for their condition. they could spend less on thicker cheaper bifocals, they just wouldn’t be as nice.
  
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- HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  also, costco takes the shitty eye insurance so you may not be paying much on top of not paying much already. felt good that year.
  
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- TheRealKuni@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  And if you don’t have a membership, one costs $60. So frames lenses and membership could end up less than $250.
  
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BearOfaTime@lemm.ee ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Yah the conglomerate that owns glasses production and distribution.

It’s not just the US, Essilor is a virtual monopoly.

That said, my glasses are 50% less online than at a local shop.

Also, thank insurance companies for inflating prices

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- cerement@slrpnk.net ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Essilor monopolizes lenses, Safilo monopolizes frames – neither offer direct sale
  
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  - teamevil@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Why is it always luxottica
    
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BorgDrone@lemmy.one ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
$250 for glasses like that is very cheap. I also have bifocals, not the thinnest lenses either, IIRC they were one step up from the standard ones. A light frame but nothing special, the frame was like €100, the entire set of glasses was around €650. The lenses only have a cylinder in them; no prisms or anything like that. If you need more complicated or stronger/thin lenses they can easily go over €1000.

Even if you have the optional insurance for it, that doesn’t really help you. The amount they cover is basically the same amount you pay for the additional coverage. You’re better off putting the money in a savings account earmarked for your next set of glasses.

Also, if you need anything but the most basic single focus lenses without any cylinders or prisms, get them at a real optician. The online store can’t properly measure where to place the lenses in the frame (they need to be properly centered in front of your pupils).

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AlexWIWA@lemmy.ml ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
eyebuydirect

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pelletbucket@lemm.ee ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
eyebuydirect. I got my first pair from them for $11, shipped, just to test if they could get my weird prescription right. if you want all the bells and whistles, you can get one up to about 150, but I basically got a dozen pairs for what Target wanted for a single pair.

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corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Canada doesn’t win here. Our opto care is embarrassing, it’s mercenary, it’s predatory.

I have decent insurance, so my c$1300 single pair was only $400.

Woo.

I feel ya.

We’re fixing dental care, slowly, but opto’s gonna be forever.

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- bookcrawler@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  None of the online places even accepted my prescription last time I looked. Mine are about $800 for the lenses during a sale. They generally give me the frames for free when they see the cost of the lenses.
  
  Insurance covers $200 every 2 years.
  
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TotallyNotSpezUpload@startrek.website ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I understand your frustration. This sucks major league. I know a fairly cheep German glasses company who ship worldwide (production for most glasses worldwide is Thailand, that’s where the company gets their products as well). They’ve got a very generous refund policy as well. If you want to, I can pm you their website.

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- EleventhHour@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Can you please post that here publicly so everyone can benefit?
  
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- TotallyNotSpezUpload@startrek.website ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Brille24.de
  
  Unless they hiked up their prices or went out of business in the past 2 years, the link should be grand.
  
  If you need help regarding navigation around the website or how to put in the data for the glasses, please let me know.
  
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- FlyingSquid@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Please do, thank you.
  
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  - TotallyNotSpezUpload@startrek.website ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
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- Sirence@feddit.org ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Can you pm me the link as well?
  
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stoly@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
If you have a membership, check out Costco. They often have really good prices on this sort of thing.

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Ejh3k@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Comedian Kyle Ayers has Trigeminal Neuralgia as well. He’s about to do the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with his show (Hard to say) all about how he’s been dealing with it. I know that doesn’t help you with your glasses, but maybe his comedy can help alleviate some of the pain and worry.

Good luck.

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- FlyingSquid@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  That’s awesome! I’ll check him out! Thanks!
  
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Strider@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Just to give you a little something:

My glasses cost around 500€ to 700€ per glass (so so around 1200€ plus frame) and I have to pay them myself.

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werefreeatlast@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Get Kaiser Permanente!.. I got new $150 for my $20 copay, which I was told I didn’t need to pay!

Weeks later they started sending me daily reminders to pay my copay and the extra 100 I owed on the frame!

Surely I don’t understand healthcare.

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- FlyingSquid@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Unfortunately, my wife, who’s insurance I am on, doesn’t get to choose policies. Also, nothing is in-network for Kaiser around here. We did have it when we lived in L.A. and my daughter was born in Providence St. Joseph in Burbank, which was a really nice hospital and they paid for it. But I’m in Indiana now. No Kaiser stuff here.
  
  Her vision plan is called VSP and it clearly sucks. But again, no choice.
  
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  - werefreeatlast@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Well then you don’t have to put up with the daily Kaiser pay 5 bucks please.
    
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aido@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
If you do buy them online, make sure to submit the receipt to your insurance- they should cover at least some of it.

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Kolanaki@yiffit.net ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Fucking Stanton and Warby Parker advertised $45 for 2 pairs… But you can only actually get that price if you don’t actually need lenses. These two (and probably all others advertising similar prices) are just fucking scams.

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- gh0stcassette@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Costco is pretty good, my glasses were like $105 or $110 and they’re perfectly fine for me
  
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LodeMike@lemmy.today ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Fub fact: they both cost $250

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- I_Clean_Here@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Very fub indeed
  
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fireweed@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I think Costco glasses are a good deal, even if you have to buy a one-year membership to get them. Don’t know if they’re available online, but don’t you want to try glasses on in person to make sure they fit and are comfortable?

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- FlyingSquid@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  No Costco around here unfortunately. I don’t want any glasses touching me unless they are the ultra lightweight ones. They weren’t available at the optometrist, which is who my insurance covered.
  
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  - gh0stcassette@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Just checked, it looks like you can buy Costco frames online, I got my glasses in the physical store and they were super cheap (like ~$60 for the lenses and ~$40 for the frames), it came out a bit over $100, I highly recommend.
    
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PenisDuckCuck9001@lemmynsfw.com ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I bought glasses out of insurance from a company that now only does insurance glasses. But it cost like $120, all I had to do was find my old prescription numbers then increase them by like 1 increment. Saved tons of money. Your eye doctor will refuse to tell you your prescription numbers if it’s been more than 1 year since your last appointment but there are ways to measure the lens curvature using light and shadows.

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Nougat@fedia.io ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I tried bifocals, and they are just not for me. I work on a computer all day, and having to jog my head around in order to have appropriate focus sucks.

So ... when I go to get an eye exam, I have them give me two prescriptions. One for distance (driving, movies, whatever), and another for about six inches past arm's length - how far away my main monitor is. Then I get two pair of glasses online for ~$40 each, and a pair of distance sunglasses for $50.

I like the distance sunglasses better than transitions lenses, because they're darker than the transitions would ever get. Adding other fancy coatings will certainly increase the price of the lenses, but I think I only did scratch resistant on my regular distance pair, since I'm not doing somersaults while on the computer.

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- DevCat@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  This is what I did through Zenni as well. Only, I intend to get a third pair of glasses. The distance at which you read a computer screen compared to a physical book is very different.
  
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Sam_Bass@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
When i submitted the invoice for my saftey glasses at work -$750- they just blinked

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teamevil@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Zenioptical it’s like 75 for every option and I wear them more than the glasses I paid hundreds for

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Mango@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Meanwhile absurd fashion retailer has this: www.ssense.com/en-us/men/product/nike/…/11507631

Also this! mavigadget.com/…/pure-titanium-magnetic-clip-on-g…

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cordlesslamp@lemmy.today ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
$250 for a subscription glasses? WTF, are y’all all Midas down there or something?

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dis_honestfamiliar@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
My issue is getting the examination. Let me know how to get that without insurance.

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