Came across this interesting site today:
https://opticianworks.com/the-consumers-guide-10-11-15/
Some excerpts:
Quote
...I am a licensed optician who has worked for a mall-based optical chain and two different independent doctors of optometry, both with large retail sales. I have more than twenty-five years "in the business." I know exactly what optical products cost and how they are marked up. You are not going to read any "industry insider information" here, because none exists......What I can share with you are some common-sense guidelines...
...Frame pricing is consistent throughout the industry. Almost all optical retailers mark up frames along similar guidelines....So, rule number one is: You will pay more for a frame with a designer name...Just because a frame has a designer name does not mean it is a better product. In fact, it was most likely made on the very same assembly line and from the very same materials as the company's house brand....Like lenses, most frames are made by the millions, in huge factories located all over the globe....
...Unlike frames, lens pricing is very inconsistent throughout the industry. Almost all optical retailers will mark up lenses to what the local market will bear. Of course, there are exceptions, and it is up to you to shop around and be sure you are not overpaying for a specific lens...
...Not all progressive lenses are created equal......To some degree you really do get what you pay for. Is $400.00 a heck of a lot of money for some pieces of plastic? Yes it is. But, that is the way it is…Beware of buying the progressive lens that, "just came out". Advertising is a powerful medium, and lens companies spend millions of dollars promoting new lenses...
...Realize that if you are presbyopic (meaning that you need an add power, and wear a multi-focal or progressive) and that if you have a change in prescription that one area of your vision will be better and one will be worse! Stop torturing your doctor, optician or ECP! It is a simple fact that you cannot have perfect vision in all ranges. You are o-l-d. Get over it. If the doctor's prescription provides you with crisp distance vision, chances are that you will lose some of the clarity that you had with near vision in your old pair. The only way around this is having individual pairs of glasses for the different ranges you need.
Do buy a BIG frame if you want a progressive to work well. If you want a progressive to work well, it needs room to do it. Yes, the optician will probably tell you it will work just fine, and the lens company will probably tell you it will work, but guess what? It won't...
...As you age and your add power goes up, +1.25 to +1.50 to +1.75 to +2.00 the distortion in the rest of a progressive lens will increase. Sorry, that is just the way it is - you cannot overcome physics. Add powers over +2.00 are guaranteed to have some annoying distortion...
Expect to pay about this much for a complete pair of glasses (frame AND lenses):
Single vision glasses: Between $100 and $300.
Lined multi-focal glasses: Between $150 and $400.
Progressive glasses: Between $200 and $600.
AR or non-glare coatings: add $75 to $150.
Changeable tint lenses: add $75 to $150.
Online Eyeglass Shopping:
You cannot overlook a complete pair of glasses for $18.00 when similar or even identical products are selling for a hundred dollars more at the local shop. Online eyewear sales are a routine part of the business.
It is possible to purchase a pair of perfectly good glasses online. Heck, I would say that your chances of getting a great pair of glasses from a large online retailer are actually better than what you might get through several of the managed care plan companies offered through your doctor's office!
With that said, if you have a low prescription, you are looking for an inexpensive pair of glasses and you prefer to shop online then I would suggest going with one of the larger online retailers, Warby Parker and Zenni Optical seem to be the leaders.
PLEASE! If you are wearing progressive lenses and/or have a high prescription go and see a professional. DO NOT SHOP ONLINE for progressives or high prescriptions! The fit and measurements for progressives and higher prescriptions need to be made by a human.
https://opticianworks.com/the-consumers-guide-10-11-15/
Some excerpts:
Quote
...I am a licensed optician who has worked for a mall-based optical chain and two different independent doctors of optometry, both with large retail sales. I have more than twenty-five years "in the business." I know exactly what optical products cost and how they are marked up. You are not going to read any "industry insider information" here, because none exists......What I can share with you are some common-sense guidelines...
...Frame pricing is consistent throughout the industry. Almost all optical retailers mark up frames along similar guidelines....So, rule number one is: You will pay more for a frame with a designer name...Just because a frame has a designer name does not mean it is a better product. In fact, it was most likely made on the very same assembly line and from the very same materials as the company's house brand....Like lenses, most frames are made by the millions, in huge factories located all over the globe....
...Unlike frames, lens pricing is very inconsistent throughout the industry. Almost all optical retailers will mark up lenses to what the local market will bear. Of course, there are exceptions, and it is up to you to shop around and be sure you are not overpaying for a specific lens...
...Not all progressive lenses are created equal......To some degree you really do get what you pay for. Is $400.00 a heck of a lot of money for some pieces of plastic? Yes it is. But, that is the way it is…Beware of buying the progressive lens that, "just came out". Advertising is a powerful medium, and lens companies spend millions of dollars promoting new lenses...
...Realize that if you are presbyopic (meaning that you need an add power, and wear a multi-focal or progressive) and that if you have a change in prescription that one area of your vision will be better and one will be worse! Stop torturing your doctor, optician or ECP! It is a simple fact that you cannot have perfect vision in all ranges. You are o-l-d. Get over it. If the doctor's prescription provides you with crisp distance vision, chances are that you will lose some of the clarity that you had with near vision in your old pair. The only way around this is having individual pairs of glasses for the different ranges you need.
Do buy a BIG frame if you want a progressive to work well. If you want a progressive to work well, it needs room to do it. Yes, the optician will probably tell you it will work just fine, and the lens company will probably tell you it will work, but guess what? It won't...
...As you age and your add power goes up, +1.25 to +1.50 to +1.75 to +2.00 the distortion in the rest of a progressive lens will increase. Sorry, that is just the way it is - you cannot overcome physics. Add powers over +2.00 are guaranteed to have some annoying distortion...
Expect to pay about this much for a complete pair of glasses (frame AND lenses):
Single vision glasses: Between $100 and $300.
Lined multi-focal glasses: Between $150 and $400.
Progressive glasses: Between $200 and $600.
AR or non-glare coatings: add $75 to $150.
Changeable tint lenses: add $75 to $150.
Online Eyeglass Shopping:
You cannot overlook a complete pair of glasses for $18.00 when similar or even identical products are selling for a hundred dollars more at the local shop. Online eyewear sales are a routine part of the business.
It is possible to purchase a pair of perfectly good glasses online. Heck, I would say that your chances of getting a great pair of glasses from a large online retailer are actually better than what you might get through several of the managed care plan companies offered through your doctor's office!
With that said, if you have a low prescription, you are looking for an inexpensive pair of glasses and you prefer to shop online then I would suggest going with one of the larger online retailers, Warby Parker and Zenni Optical seem to be the leaders.
PLEASE! If you are wearing progressive lenses and/or have a high prescription go and see a professional. DO NOT SHOP ONLINE for progressives or high prescriptions! The fit and measurements for progressives and higher prescriptions need to be made by a human.