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.
eyebuydirect. You’ll need to measure your pupillary distance if your prescription from the doctor doesn’t list it.
I bought glasses out of insurance from a company that I don’t think sells out of insurance glasses anymore. But it cost like $120 (getting glasses the normal way would’ve probably been a 4 digit number, so I consider $120 cheap for glassss), 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. You can’t get them any cheaper without becoming a glass blowing expert and doing it yourself, and you’d have to diy a lot of other far fetched stuff while you’re at it, so good luck with that
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?
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.
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.
Thanks.
I recently went for glasses and eye exam. Near sighted with astigmatism, and now I need bifocals on top of it. Bifocals with line aren’t common now so doctor suggested progressives. I’m fine with that.
I’m also a special kid who can’t wear polycarbonate lenses because I’m hypersensitive to chromatic aberration. So need Trivex lenses as well. Throw in an anti-glare coating and my cost (with insurance) is like $460.
The sad part is given my needs and how few carry Trivex in my area, I consider it a decent deal.
That’s insane. I’m really sorry to hear it.
Don’t be. I’m fortunate to be able to afford it comfortably, and it’s just part of the cost of living to me. In my 40s now and been wearing glasses since I was 10yo.
I’m just happy I’ll be able to read fine print and see stuff close again without needing to take off my glasses.
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.
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.
Have you tried Zenni?
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.
I have not. I’ll chedk them out. Thanks.
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.
I always go for sprung hinges with Zenni. I’ve never need to tighten the screws with those.
Used them for years with no issue and get lots of pairs for distance, reading, daytime driving (polarized sunglasses bifocals so no glare and I can see the instruments), etc.
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I buy from glassesshop, I think the cheapest pair is $50 for frame and lenses. I went all in on the thinnest lenses and transitions, I think it was $150.
Target optical does vision tests for $75 IIRC, and I go there to get a prescription that I give to glassesshop and pick up a cheap pair and a nicer pair. Still not free.99, but much cheaper than other routes without insurance.
If you have a membership, check out Costco. They often have really good prices on this sort of thing.
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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.
And if you don’t have a membership, one costs $60. So frames lenses and membership could end up less than $250.
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.
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.
like it sucks that most glasses are uncomfortable for them, but sadly this has simply resulted in them needing expensive glasses if they get this spec. it’s kind of like someone saying they need a car that’s fast, fuel efficient, rides great, looks cool, is safe, and has lots of storage but are confused why they can’t find a good deal on that.
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 got two pairs for $200.
I am from cheap part of Europe. While you can get glasses for 20 Euros, with those kind of requrements 250 sounds about the same.
I guess some countries might get prescription, but I doubt “light frame and light lenses with darkening” would qualify.
Basically, what I have found out since I posted this is that glasses need to be cheaper everywhere.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
That’s awesome! I’ll check him out! Thanks!
My issue is getting the examination. Let me know how to get that without insurance.
I wish I could. That was the one thing the insurance actually helped with.
I get mine at the vision center in Walmart every two years for around $110-150 without any insurance which gets me an eye exam, contact lens prescription, glasses prescription, and one trial pair of contacts. I believe they are all third party, optometrist-owned practices that just rent space in the buildings so YMMV.
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.
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.
Well then you don’t have to put up with the daily Kaiser pay 5 bucks please.
