GlassesUSA. I bought a pair there cheaply and they are my favorites. The expensive pair sits in a drawer as emergency backup. Make sure you have your PD number on your prescription and the size of your frame.

I got a new pair last August and don't like them for several reasons; I'm not even sure where they are at the moment. I much prefer the dollar store cheaters; they work better, come in all sorts of colors and patterns and at $6 a pair I can have several pairs scattered around the house.

I was going to recommend the same thing as Lucille. Zenni is pretty inexpensive. The frames are not as sturdy as some I have had in the past, but my kids fall asleep in their glasses and leave them in places where they get smashed. I can replace them fairly inexpensively. I often buy them a backup pair for them from Zenni and keep the old pairs for spare

parts.

Yep. I agree. Go to an online retailer, because.... what do you have to lose? And everything to gain.

Thanks for the suggestion. I've been tempted by the online stores before, but I have a really tricky prescription and wonder if they'd get it right. I do like that they let you try frames at home. And they are so much more reasonable, the pair I dislike cost almost $500 which is insane.

We've consistently used 39dollarglass and been happy with them. Mentioning this because when DH was shopping for his first pair of RX glasses last year, he visited all the sites trying to find the right frames and found the selections to be quite different. So that's another place to try if you are looking to find right frames/right price.

give into temptation. Why wouldn't they get it right? ;)

I agree with rob and if you're not sure, send it to them and ask if there are any issues. And if you don't have your prescription in hand, ask for a copy. You have the right to do so.

I personally haven't had success with internet or lower cost (like Costco) frames because I have a large head (no comments, please) and these sources have frames that are usually too small for me to wear comfortably. To get a size that fits has required either expensive frames or a special order, and sometimes those don't work.

I can absolutely understand how you feel! I've had this exact same thing happen to me, twice. It's really disappointing when it happens, because you've just paid a bunch of money for something you now regret getting. I ended up wearing the glasses the first time, and I did just get used to them, though I never really liked them. Sometimes, it's just unsettling when you see a change in the mirror due to me glasses. The second time, they really did just look so bad on me that I just couldn't make myself wear them. They were also uncomfortable, which made the decision to just replace them easier.

At the other extreme, my husband paid for some really expensive glasses, with frames that looked great on him, a couple of months ago. Then, he promptly lost them. He's not happy, to say the least.

Try Costco, if you really don't like your new glasses and want to replace them.

Okay, all of you have talked me into it. :) I do have a copy of the prescription (asked for it when I picked them up and was actually able to see what they look like :) but it just has sphere, cylinder and axis. There are fields for Add, horizontal prism, vertical prism, dist PD and near PD that are blank. Hope what I do have is enough info.

I was worried about quality too, with my first online pair. A lot of the places seem to have satisfaction guarantees, so you could see what their policy is and find a seller that you feel comfortable with. If in doubt, you can call and ask too- the ones we've called have been very helpful- they want to sell you some glasses after all!

Veggiegardnr, that stinks. Maybe he just misplaced them and they are in your house or car?

I didn't love my previous pair either, but I got used to them and they were less distinctive, just silver frames that kind of disappeared on the face. These are really distinctive. Strangely, my husband loves them and says they look great. Go figure.

I wish Costco would be an option, but they are a 2.5 hour round trip for us.

Kadefil, several of the online companies have instructions/videos showing you how to measure your PD which you will need for your order.

kadefol - you mentioned that you have a tricky prescription. So does my husband - he has to have small frames to accommodate the high density lenses (if I have that right - I know he needs small frames). Way back when before such lenses were available, we picked out a new frame but when we went to pick up the glasses I was 100% certain that the optometrist had ordered the wrong frames. The optometrist quickly realized the issue - Coke bottle lenses. The frames were right.

My now buys his glasses from the optometrist that I have always gone to. He does have to see his ophthalmologist twice a year but he no longer writes prescriptions so he has to visit her next. He has 2 pairs ordered - the second as a backup otherwise he wouldn't be able to see without glasses.

In Toronto he had to pay $800 for EACH pair (they come with sun glass clips). And, no, we do not have eye care coverage! She does carry a nice but limited supply of glasses but more importantly she is completely honest. If she doesn't like the glasses on you then she will keep looking.

You are right in that the optometrist won't do anything for you. I would do as Rob and Elmer suggested - send your prescription to the on-line store and ask if they would have any issues in filling your prescription but always be aware that the final product may not be right.

I have reading glasses, but they are prescription. Readers really don't work for me.

Hope you find something you like - and that in the future since you can't see without your glasses that either someone you trust goes with you or that you buy them from someone who is honest (and perhaps has the same taste as you).

Lucille, I just looked that up, thank you. I think I will get hubby to help me instead of trying to do it myself in front of a mirror which I would probably mess up.

Thanks, eccentric. Same here, no eyeglass coverage, just the exam minus $30 co-pay is covered. It does get very expensive. I do need high index lenses, especially with the larger frames I ordered which are still pretty thick, even with HI lenses. Way back when, I had one side much thicker than the other, that was NOT an attractive look and caused me to switch to contacts for quite a few years.

You would think the optical shop people would be trained to steer you away from bad frame choices, but I guess not.

kadefol - we have salespeople who will sell a person anything here as well. Do they really think it will result in repeat business?

My husband wore contacts (hard ones) for a few years but one had to be thicker than the other and was always falling out. You would think that when I clearly told him NOT TO MOVE that he wouldn't as it would have been much easier to find the missing contact had he not been on his hands and knees trying to find it. Many people though have to switch out contacts/glasses during the day due to dryness.

Would it be possible for you to try a smaller frame to accommodate your high index lenses? It has definitely made a difference for my husband. He has had a Vitrectomy (you don't want that done) and has some glaucoma in one eye.

I agree vision coverage would be great. We do not even have the $30 co-pay. I had to laugh when we were in the U.S. and were told that we have "free" healthcare which includes dental and vision care. Health care is one thing - but we do pay for it through very high taxes, but it does not cover dental or vision care (except for once a year visits to the optometrist now that we are "old")!. I was told that I was wrong - well, who would likely know? Due to my husband's eye condition the cost of a visit to his eye specialist is covered but not the eye tests that he administers (or rather that a tech does).

I was 64 before I needed anything which was kind of a surprise since my entire family wore glasses. But then suddenly I needed them - my vision deteriorated within 6 months of my last checkup. Bound to happen of course but I am still grateful for the years that I had. I always did wear sunglasses but hate wearing the readers.

I hope your husband can help. Frankly, if my husband said he liked something I would be looking for another opinion! But some men have excellent taste, hopefully yours is one of them.

Yes, small frames/lenses definitely work better for high index, my previous ones are quite a bit smaller and the lenses are much thinner.

I have worn glasses or contacts most of my life, but got tired of dealing with contacts. Glasses, to me, are so much easier and more convenient.

I do think my husband has good taste and we usually agree on what is flattering and what isn't. Maybe it will just take me a while to get used to them and then I'll like them too, who knows. It's just startling to see bold frames when looking in the mirror and I am definitely going to order something from one of the online stores, if just to try them out. Much more affordable than what I just paid and, if it turns out they can get my prescription right, major savings in the future!

You could also ask your eye doctor how much it would cost for him to put new lenses in frames that you buy online. That way you could get frames that you like and be assured that the prescription would be right.

Also, there's a possibility that the lenses in the frames that you don't like could be cut to fit the new frames that you buy online, Your current doctor's office would have to do that for you.

Great suggestion, but they only fit their own frames. I already checked a couple years ago when I was hoping to keep my existing prescription sunglasses frames and just replace the lenses. I was told since they include an automatic one year warranty against defects and frame breakage, they are not comfortable to extend that warranty to frames they don't/didn't sell. I think my best bet at this point is to try out one of the online places and, if that doesn't work, maybe try to get used to the glasses and find another brick and mortar optical shop for next time. There are several others I haven't tried.

You will need that PD number to order online. They have to know the distance between your pupils to get the lenses on center. Frames come in many sizes too. Look for the measurements of your frame in printing on the arm.

Elmer, you actually said you have a big head. Here. How can you not expect us to run with that. LOL :-)

Yes, I noticed that at the online shops. I wish they had a way to input your frame measurements and search by that criteria because I noticed many of the ones I like aren't available in my size. They had to special-order my frames because I needed a 51 (?) and they only had a 53.

The PD seems possible to determine at home, as long as you have someone else do it. I wish I had asked when she did the measurement.

I'm going to suggest that you may adjust to their appearance given a little time.

Kadefol -- you have every right to the full information for your prescription, which would include the PD. Why don't you just call the optician's office and ask for that information?

ElizabethA, I could have just said I'm hard to fit size wise but I deliberately stuck in the truth (always a good approach anyway) to amuse those who would read it and have something else come to mind.

I understand how you are feeling -- last year when I finally had to give in and start with prescription lenses (instead of just magnifiers) I searched and searched for frames that I thought were flattering - and finally bought a pair at the ophthalmologist's out of exhaustion! (and even with insurance, good insurance, they cost me $155 out of pocket!) Once I got them I really didn't like the way they looked either, even though when I ordered them I thought they were okay. Plus, the progressive lenses just didn't work for me -- the reading portion was just the smallest sliver at the very bottom, and I had to tilt my head so uncomfortably to read with them that I finally went to a budget optician (2 pair for $39) and had the prescription separated into a reading pair and a distance pair. (I intended to take the first pair back to be remade but just never did since I disliked the frame).

I actually loved, and still love, the frames that I got at the budget shop. Unfortunately, I really do need a pair either bifocal or progressive when I am out running errands or driving a distance, and the frames that I love don't really have enough height for progressives. So, I went back to the budget shop (Eyemart Express), picked a frame that once again I thought were pretty flattering, but today when I picked them up not so much. Sigh! But at least the lenses are perfect!

kadefol - just a thought.....maybe your dh is right and the new glasses really do look good on you. Since your other ones were more subdued, it just may take a bit of time to get used to the change and a bolder look. At the same time, you are the one wearing them, so you have to feel comfortable in them.

Did you actually ask? I had the same issue, I didn’t like the frames at all. I was so upset,$650 down the tubes. I called and told them and they said no problem, come pick out new ones and it wouldn’t cost any extra (assuming comparable price in frames) and I just wouldn’t have the replacement insurance since they’d consider the switch to be my replacement. I was so glad!

Yes, I asked and only frame and lenses defects are covered, not buyer's remorse. So you are really lucky they were happy to exchange them.

Between my husband and I, we have now bought 5 pairs of glasses from Costco. We have been very happy with them. I thought about ordering from a cheap online place like Zenni, but once you add progressives and high index lenses, they aren't that inexpensive anymore. And with Costco I have somewhere to measure where things should be with progressives (I am not sure of the correct wording here). My understanding is that Zenni has a computer pick the spot for you, so there is no customization.

I know how you feel. It sucks. Here is my experience:

My last pair of new glasses were worn only about 3 weeks. I kept taking them back, cause the line for the bifocals was way to high, the fit sucked, and I just could not see good out of them. I finally gave up, and wore my old glasses for another two years.

Then I bought some at SAMS. Well, they were cheaper, but I can only get them serviced at SAMS, and in Oklahoma SAMS and costco can't do glasses, and I have to gt them checked and bent to fit right again, whenever I am visiting my daughter. I wish, Oklahoma would get on the ball and let SAMS and costco sell glasses.

Moni

At the online sites, which I use, the rx is in the frame and also a case. I have nine pairs of sun glasses with my rx in them. I didn't pay more that 40.00 and as low as 20.00 when they have sales. Prior to that I would buy designer sun glasses, bring them with me for my exam and ask them to put the lens in the glasses I bought. They always did it for me.

I got my newest pair at Sams, saved $100 over my last place. However, I’m not 100% pleased because the 2 lenses don’t seat evenly in the frames. If I pinch the left lens at the bottom, I feel frame in the front, but not on the right one. That just bugs me. They should have cut the groove further back like they did on the other one. I grumbled about it but they said there was nothing they could do. I don’t believe that. But that’s what I get for cheaping out.

My last pair of glasses was unflattering, and I regret wearing them as long as I did. I sometimes toyed with the idea of trying to paint the frames with acrylic paint.

Graywings, that's what I thought about doing! Just to tone the black down a bit. But I really don't know what color to pick, ha. And Id likely mess it up.

I have also thought about using nail polish, or auto touch up paint pens, to change the color of frames, especially when I found a frame that I liked but hate the color (ie so many frames that look like potentials as to shape only come in tortoiseshell, which is not flattering on me). I don't think it would be that hard!

In fact, my new frames are burgundy, which is flattering, but they just seem too dark for summer... so maybe I will repaint them in pale blue.

raee, I've known people who have different glasses for daytime, evening, special occasions. That would cost a small fortune! Someone should come out with frame overlays so we could change frame color (and maybe even look) easily and affordably.

Nail polish! Why didn't I think of that!

I felt the same about mine when I first got them. Then they grew on me. Then I got a few compliments from customers where I work. What I love about mine (and have from day 1) is that I have magnetic sunglasses that fit right on the lens. I don't have to put a pair of sunglasses over top. The transitional lenses don't work inside a vehicle. I really wanted transitional lenses but what's the point if I can't drive with them on?

^^ I used to have transitional lenses and they weren't worth the money. Of course, they might have improved a lot since, that was well over a decade ago.

Husband has the magnetic sunglasses and loves them. I looked for frames with them as well, but they had a very small selection. My new prescription is just slightly stronger than the old so in the meantime I can still wear my prescription sunglasses.

I noticed the online places have frames with magnetic sunglasses so I'll probably go that route when I try them out.

Kadefol, I got my last two pair with the magnetic sunglasses at Costco. Their selection is small, but the prices were good. :) I've looked online for RX glasses, but because I have 2 rx per lens, I didn't find them any cheaper than Costco, so I just got them there.

^^ 2 rx per lens, and here I thought my prescription was tricky! :)

When I last got new glasses, I decided to buy Transitions and figured it would not be a problem in the car. Well, they are. I really dislike them and have bought a pair of prescription sunglasses to wear during daytime instead of the transitions. I've also had several pairs off the magnetic sunglasses, but I found that I don’t like where the magnets are on some of them. My eyeglass place has a source which will make magnetic sunglasses for any of their frames. I can even get a rhinestone on the outside magnets. I’m due for another eye checkup and probably will get another pair of the magnetic ones.

I like my glasses now but do not like the fit of my spare pair as much. I can see better and at the correct angles out of my main pair. Correct Measurements are the key for me anyway.

I use the clip on sunglasses that I buy in Shoppers drugmart. They work with a spring in the center. They come in different sizes and shapes. Not fancy but they work for me.