I've used Zenni for years with zero problems.

Is the quality of zenni really good chloe? Do they compare to expensive frames, if you've had those?

The quality is excellent. I've bought expensive frames locally, and have regretted it when I've realized Zenni has comparable styles and colors.

Good to know! Thanks. I am most assuredly shopping around. It might be worth it go a little bit more on the price.

Do I use a discount eyewear place--Definitely

But I will NOT use discount lenses and frames.

There's a huge difference between lenses manufactured in 3rd world countries with little or no quality control (discount houses) and a lens like Varilux.

The college where opticians train in my area has a dispensary--they sell quality eyewear at cost. I get Varilux lenses, Crizal non-glare coating in designer frames--for about $200-250 a pair. At a regular retail outlet my glasses would have been in the $1000 range. At dd's shop, with the family discount, they'd have run around $700.

There's a difference, in my book between getting cheap products, and getting high quality at a discounted price.

DD has even had to deal with patients who got discounted eyewear that damaged their vision and involved them having to have corrections that took months to achieve, and involved returning month after month for adjustments on their glasses. Personally? Wouldn't chance it. Cheap lenses are actually made and line up differently than higher end ones.

Na. I go to my local eye doc. They really don't gouge you on the prices. They have a lot of affordable frames and fantastic service.

Glasses are 100% guaranteed for a year. Doesn't matter if you run them through the lawn mower - they replace them for free in that first year.

They will work on them forever - if they can fix them, they will. Usually no charge. I have had them buff out some lenses that were several years old and very scratched. Looked like new when they were done.

Eye doc gave me his personal cell number. I can call him anytime if we have a problem or emergency.

He also donates to the school events and supports local groups.

If you don't support these guys - they don't support you.

Support them? That's why I left. I have yet to find one that does the prescription the same as the last guy, each as bad as the next. I've even tried with a month of each other. Good places. I won't say more as I'm not interested in libel. I can prove it, but why should I have to? My cousin is an optician/optometrist. I know what is good; he's retired, or I'd use him. Even if they replaced my $200 glasses twice in one year, it wouldn't make up the difference in price.

azzalea, I cannot imagine a basic prescription, a piece plastic in a piece of metal or plastic causing damage. What happened?

Go to Coastal.com and, for the first time buyer, you can get an Rx filled plus frame for 13.00. Make sure you use the coupon code for the free pair, you're only paying the shipping. I heard about it and tried and not only did I get very snazzy glasses but a beautiful hardcase with cleaning cloth and a wonderful tiny repair kit that can be put on your key chain. Follow the link on the page for "first pair free". If you want designer glasses you follow another link but you'll still get a 79.00 credit towards them. Free was perfect for me.

It's complicated, Rob.

Quality progressives are made so that the distance 'center' is a little further apart than the 'near' center (because as you focus closer, your eyes converge a bit--we all knew this as kids, because we could cross our eyes by looking at our finger and moving it closer, right?). The cheap lenses the poor guy got had the focal centers on a straight up and down line-cheap lens makers don't bother with little nuances like that, often (is this making any sense?). When he came to her shop, and ordered decent lenses, he couldn't see out of them--at all. The dr. and techs were totally flumoxed, because the glasses were right. Then they got DD (the optician) involved and she discovered that the problem was the difference in the alignment. The bad lenses had retrained his eyes and brain. It took him quite a while, working with dd, making small incremental changes for them to get his eyes back to focusing the way they should. That's really a simplistic explanation. But the bottom line is that cheaper lenses may not be lined up properly.

Maybe that's why I'm not all that concerned. I don't need progressive lenses. It is a simple prescription. I still see my provider every year, I just fill his prescription outside of the establishment-only at mainstream. My sympathies to the sufferer, that sucks.

I do have progressives- so having them fitted right is important. Plus, I can stop in when I am driving by and have them adjusted whenever I need. No appointment necessary.

DH got kicked in the face by a cow and, after a trip the ER for a few stitches, walked across the street and they repaired his glasses for free.

I live in a rural area - small town. Any discount place would be at least a two hour drive. I have thought about the online contacts, but I have had some trouble with contacts before. Doc had me come in on a weekend and looked at my eyes and got me in a different brand. Took the other back and ordered new ones without any charge.

DS had trouble getting the right contacts for his eyes, and they were so helpful getting what he needed.

For me - it is worth it. I also see the benefit to the community. Free eye exams for Kindergarten, etc. They always give money to support events at school and sports. Someone gets a finger in the eye at a basketball game and he is down on the floor giving it a look right away.

Get reading glasses at the Dollar store: $1.00, plus 13 cents harmonized (Federal and provincial) sales tax.

When I can get a decent pair of glasses for a DOllar ...

... there's gotta be some slave labour (or close to it) somewhere along the line!

ole joyful

I can't imagine getting "fitted" and buying progressive lenses online. Do people actually do that?

How do you buy them online without knowing how they will look on you???

I bought my first pair of progressives (not sure if they used that brand-but that type anyway) and I had no problem adjusting to them. My rx is for very 'bad' eyes, and glasses are a lot of money. Eye DR at the time (2-3 years ago) wanted $440 still after insurance, Target was $300-something plus I got almost $100 back from insurance afterwards (out of network -couldn't be applied instantly). Never a problem. I am ready to upgrade to my new rx (just paid $452 for contacts in Dec-grr) am I am going to buy from Target or BJ's. Their optical shops would be out of business if they all caused the problems mentioned above-but wow-I wonder how much the guy paid to fix things!!

I have tried on so many and owned so many, it's hard not to know what they'll look like. I also know I can only wear "small" frames. So I just select small frames and then pick from what typically looks good on me. People, unsolicited, will say, I like your new glasses! often. So it must be ok. However, they give you exact sizes (you can measure what you already own) and the new programs, allow you to try them on virtually (with your picture).

With prices as lows as $10 or $20, even if a pair didn't work, I wouldn't be out much. Never had that problem, so I'm glad. One time, I got four pairs for $30 total (including one pair of sunglasses), including shipping. At these prices, I've been known to step out of my comfort zone a bit. One pair is rose colored sunglasses--just for the fun of it.

:)

This post was edited by rob333 on Thu, Jan 24, 13 at 13:54

Definitely not. We live in Canada - Husband has bad eyes -has had a Vitrectomy, cataract surgery and now glaucoma in one eye so he can't risk frames/lenses being made heaven knows where. He needs to have thin lenses, hence small frames - or he would be wearing Coke bottles lenses (as he used to wear in the 1970s). His lenses are very expensive - plus the frames - and he needs to buy 2 pairs at a time just in case - usually running about $1,000. He also has a separate pair just for the computer - but he can't use them to see elsewhere. Our optometrist is fabulous and has caught things missed by eye specialists. Our Cdn. health insurance does not pay for vision care and neither does my husband's company plan - so we pay big $$$. I am going next month for my 2 year eye exam and maybe this time I will be getting something to help me when my eyes are tired (which seems to be always, but I can still see) - this is good since it is a miracle that I have made it to 62 1/2 without needing glasses - and I am from a family that all required them at a young age. I do have very good night vision - fortunately - since my husband has none. Even the dog has a corneal abscess. Our provincial health insurance used to pay for an eye exam (but not the glasses) every two years but they stopped doing that several years ago - around the time that I had my eyes tested the first time. I will basically need something for reading, but do not want to buy a basic drugstore .5 or 1 - not the same as professional glasses.

You can upload a photo of yourself and "try on" the virtual glasses. Exact measurements of all aspects of the frames are given (ear pieces, width/height of lenses, width of frame, space between lenses, etc.). It's not rocket science to figure out what will fit and what won't. :)

As long as you have your exact prescription - including pupil distance - it's fine. But I don't have progressives... Just plain glasses.

Thank you everyone for your input. I'll try to give zenni a try some time. It also sounds like it's fine for simple prescriptions (like me and chloe), but progressive prescriptions, not so much. I'll have to keep that in mind since I'll be going to that soon.

There is a long time running thread at Money Saving Tips Forum covering discount eyewear...see link below.

Zenni is recommended several times there.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Where can I get cheap eyeglasses?

we go to costco, both for exams and glasses..(going on 25 years)

was so shocked after the 60 minutes show and the french co who owns the "name brand dealers" and really socks it to you for lenses and frames....

My last pair of glasses (the ones sitting on my nose right now) cost $700. I do have progressive lenses and the frames are Calvin Klein. I still can't figure out what makes a pair of frames worth $200 or more. I recently went frames shopping with a friend. He needed sunglasses and balked at the very high price at our usual optician. We went to a discount place that has a good reputation. Their frames cost much less, although I could tell the difference in quality. Still, I don't see how the difference could account for a $150 price difference. I'd consider getting the frames online, but not the lenses.

I've gone to so many places over the years. I will not buy at our Dr.'s shop though. I can not afford 800 to 1000 for glasses. And my prescription changes ever year. I have purchased lately through Costco. Good prices. I have to try them on. 8 out of 10 glasses don't work. My nose is weird! lol And they fit too high. For that reason I haven't found a pair of ski goggles to fit! ever! lol I put them up on my nose to feel right, and the base of the goggles cuts across the bottom of my eyes. Lower the goggles so they are not cutting across my eyes and it covers my short nose! LOL And from one designer to the next, the width code number may be the same, but they don't fit this big fat head! lol
Mine is an easy prescription, each eye is different, and I use bifocals. I won't use progressive. Give me the line! lol

I have an extremely difficult prescription, I have major astigmatism and very high myopia,- 12 actually which is count fingers vision. I am legally blind with out correction. With that high myopia level I have to have a retina specialist examine my eyes and retinas a couple times a year. Tiny holes develop around the edge of the retina called lattice degeneration due to the very oblong or egg shape of the eyeball. So for me an I definitely go to top rated eye specialist and surgeons for the exams. They give me my very difficult prescription which now also include bifocals, I have had good luck with successful lenses from Walmart, Costco, and my current glasses from Sears. One thing I always do is immediately take my new glasses back to the doctors that wrote the prescription and have them check the lenses for correct strength and pupil distance, and bifocal height. If they are not spot on I take them back and give them the info from the doctor and they make new lenses free of course. These I got at Sears were spot on. And I love my frames, they had a special on I got Two pair for under $400 it would have been much less but my prescription upped the cost. My husband got the same two pair deal and his were about $200 total, one pair he got as sunglasses.

I will definitely use Sears again.
I would order frames from online, I know all my measurements, but no one online will even attempt my lenses and I don't want to risk it.

If I had a very basic simple single lens prescription that would be different.

Oh sears has a 2 pair for $99 sale on right now for anyone interested including no line bifocal

Here is a link that might be useful: sears optical

I just ordered a pair from zenni's yesterday. I recently bought from eyebuydirect and was happy with them too. Zenni's seems to have quite a bigger/more modern selection and good prices too.