<p>what sseamom said. I paid $7.95 for my favorite pair of glasses. I have several others that I wear that are more expensive… none more than $35. That is the biggest problem with Zenni. Glasses are so inexpensive you buy many pairs.</p>
<p>Eyeglasses DIYers should ask their eye doctor to measure and write PD distance on prescription…most won’t unless you ask them to do it. PD or pupillary distance is the distance between the pupils of the eyes, center to center, in millimeters. Having a friend try to measure the PD with a ruler at home in kitchen isn’t too reliable a choice. Most eye doctors won’t give you PD without you asking because many of them have their own optical stores and they don’t want you ordering the glasses online and skipping their optical shop. Someone like OP, with very high diopter getting progressive extra thin lens, is going to be better off though going to an optician to get properly fitted. Progressive bifocals need extra attention to be fitted properly and an experienced optician is best able to make sure one gets correctly fitted glasses. If the glasses’ lens are just off a little you risk getting giant headaches. Saving a couple of hundred dollars on glasses isn’t going to help if you can’t see out of 'em right.</p>
<p>My mom had the exact same problem and the place where she got her glasses told her they were scratched, and there was nothing that could be done, and replacement lenses would be VERY expensive. She went to Walmart and they told her that the scratch resistance had been improperly applied, it was a common problem, and the could replace her lenses for $50. She got her glasses back and they’re perfect now. Just saying.</p>
<p>Zenni’s website explains all the measurements, what they mean and how to reliably do them-that info is also out there on other online order sites. If you already have a good-fitting pair of glasses, that will help. Honestly, I will never again pay the outrageous markup prices for glasses the in-store people charge.</p>
<p>Thats great if you don’t have an odd prescription and are comfortable ordering online.
But considering their return policy, and considering I am very particular about my eyes, I think I am going to stick to dealing with local people.</p>
<p>I am tempted to order something from Warby Parker though.</p>
<p>Actually I have a VERY odd prescription-that’s why I was being sold three separate pair of $300+ glasses with insurance that barely covered half of one. I am legally blind in one eye, only the faintest of magnification needed in the other, with differing astigmatism in both, and a need for different distance and close vision prescriptions. Was told-only plastic frames due to thick right lens, special glass due to unusual thickness, yada yada. I needed neither, and Zenni can fill what I want-in metal frames if I so choose (and I have). And, if they don’t work, at $6 or even $9 a pair, I can donate them.</p>
<p>Turbo…if you PAID for the more expensive coating and have a receipt, this place that gave you the cheapie coating should be VERY willing to correct their mistake.</p>
<p>I have a pair of glasses with one of these coatings and it is pitted but I can see quite well with them. I just live with it as I don’t need to use these glasses that much but I’d never get one of these coatings again. Seems like something for a class-action suit.</p>
<p>I have no experience with Zenni but find it a bit unbelievable that decent custom prescription glasses can be made at reading glass prices… To paraphrase another poster’s sentiments, think whether you would buy $24.95 brakes for your car. </p>
<p>I am quite aware of how prescription glasses are priced but am just as skeptical of the low cost approach.</p>
<p>I went to place an order at Zenni but they didn’t have any frames in my temple-size that would work with my prescription. My guess is that they handle a lot of common cases where they have economies of scale and don’t service the outliers. I think that Costco provides inexpensive prescription glasses on the same model. So I was out of luck.</p>
<p>My wife got prescription glasses in Singapore several years ago for $40 (frames and all) and they worked just fine. We pay a lot more over here for glasses; insurance helps but the glasses, even with insurance, cost more here.</p>
<p>A lot more… My current glasses are 2 lenses and a frame and cost as much as my beloved Tokina 12-24 zoom DSLR lens which includes 14 lenses, a bunch of electronics, software, multiple coatings, focus motor, and a sturdy body. I’d like some insurance exec or eye care CEO to explain the why part one of those days.</p>
<p>Prices are high because people and insurance pay them.</p>
<p>My frames were $300 when they first came out. Last time I bought them they were $79. I just reuse my old frames and save the cost. My insurance covers the costs of lenses without most options. If I want the options, I have to pay myself. Vision places are really aggressive with up-sell on testing services, frames and lenses. Things that add minimal value are often very expensive. I usually just say no to everything.</p>
<p>I got the lenses with the special coating because I was having trouble driving at night. The proposed fix was 1/4 power less and a special coating. I’m absolutely sure that it’s the 1/4 power less that fixed the problem as I’ve used older glasses when I had the problem before. The coating was just $69 of profit (the charge was $70). Yes, I’m annoyed that I got taken in. Wish this thread had been around two years ago.</p>
<p>Zenni has been around for quite a while and there have been several posts about them and how happy people are with them. Consider the overhead an optometrist has for selling glasses and yes, someone online can sell them for a lot less.</p>
<p>Our insurance covers one visit every 2 years and a single pair of glasses for a total of $100, frames and lenses included, no extras. H goes to the same guy he’s been seeing since he was in college, gets his $100 frames whether he likes them or not, and reuses the frames if he does like them. He is leary of online ordering, and won’t buy like I do. This guy is not taking new customers, so I wasn’t able to see him-thus my trip to the rip-off artist. They carried not a single frame that didn’t have a designer name on them, and really, why should I care what celebrity endorsed them? Give me no-name ones for a tenth of the price, please.</p>
<p>You might ask if they have catalogs where you can order frames from a catalog that they don’t carry in the store. I did this many years ago because I have wide temples and none of the frames in the store fit. They might have low-priced options in their catalogs.</p>
<p>I have had eye problems too! Cataract was one of them. Regular visits to an optometrist is very important as the health of the eyes solely depends on that. I get my eyes checked frequently at Evergreen Eye Care, Vancouver. They are efficient and friendly!*</p>