Prescription Glasses
I am plagued with poor eyesight and have worn glasses since childhood. My insurance only pays for a pair every two years. About six months ago I had an eye exam and received a pair of bifocals. They told me I would get used to them and I did for the most part but they drive me crazy when I drive or shoot. When I glance down to look at the gauges in my van they are all out of focus and when I shoot the line on the bifocal is right in the way. So one night I started looking around on the Internet and found a place that advertised a complete pair of prescription eyeglasses for $8.99 plus $4.99 shipping.
The first thing I thought was, “Yeah right, like they can make a pair of glasses for that!” But it kept nagging me every time I drove anywhere so I decided to try a pair since they weren’t that much. It was a real pain to get my prescription from the local eye doctor. They made me sign a release form absolving them of any liability but I finally got it. I went to the website, picked out a frame, sent my prescription via email, paid and waited for two weeks until my new glasses came in the mail. I tried them on and was shocked, I mean literally shocked at how well I could see through them. I inspected the $4.99 frames and was surprised to see they were almost exactly like the ones that cost $89.99 ( the cheapest they had) at my optometrist! There must be one hell of a markup on eyeglasses is all I can figure. I still can’t believe I got a pair of prescription glasses for less than $14 shipped to my door.
Now these were single vision glasses, not bifocals but I soon found myself wearing them exclusively except when reading or on the computer. When I was ordering my first pair I noticed the place offered free tinting in three different intensities. So I ordered a pair of glasses with a light yellow tint for shooting. Best $14 dollars I think I ever spent. I am even thinking of ordering a pair of progressive, or what they call no line bifocals, to see if they are more tolerable than regular bifocals. The cost of an entire pair on the Internet, complete with scratch resistant coating, is less than a single lens at my local optometrist.
So if you wear eyeglasses and want a cheap pair of shooting glasses, the Internet is the place to get them. I am really pleased with my purchases.
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Good points and you’re right Revwarnut! I imagine ordering progressive lenses would be more risky than single vision glasses. Your prescription should have the Pupil Distance or PD measurement on it, mine did. It is very important for bifocals or progressives that you get this distance right. If you are in doubt you should not order glasses online. Another thing I noticed is that the online places use the total PD, not each side. If you have a right and left PD on your prescription that are different in value, I wouldn’t order glasses online.
Another thing you have to pay close attention to is the length of the temples on the frames.
I haven’t ordered a set of progressive eyeglasses online so I haven’t had any problems with my PD measurements. That is something that must be considered very carefully. Thanks Revwarnut for pointing that out.
One issue I can see with ordering prescription glasses online is getting the focal point of the lenses in the right location in the frame.
Normally when fitting frames at the walk-in stores, they measure the distance between your pupils and with the frames on, where they are from the top of the frame.
The frames vary in width of course, so keep that in mind and have your optometrist measure all that for you.
That way the center of the lens is centered on your eyes. This is not always in the exact center of the frame.
This becomes critical with the bifocals.
I have the bifocals with no lines and love them. They are actually variable focus, so the farther I look down through the lens, the closer the focus is for close up work. I love that feature.
I have a fairly strong prescription and have the high-index plastic, which makes them quite a bit thinner and lighter. I also had the edges beveled and polished so they look better.
Work insurance paid a better part of it than most plans do, but I still shelled out $400!!!! 👿 👿 👿
Revwarnut
No problem sir, hope your groups shrink like mine did.
Have you ever used one of those diopter things that have a suction cup to attach to your glasses? They are supposed to trick your eye in to focusing better when using iron sights. They are made of black plastic and have a little peep hole in the middle that you look through. I had one given to me by a guy last week who said it didn’t work but then I read where they were only for iron sights and this guy was trying to use it with a scope. I haven’t tried it yet.
Well Whistler I made an appointment for an eye exam, my last one was 1999.
Thanks for kicking my ass into gear buddy! 😉
I think i’m going to splurge and get a $50 pair… 😆 Last pair of glasses I bought were $300 in ’99 now they are like $500… Fuck that.
Excellent links. You da man, man. :thumb:
They now make bi focal contacts 🙄
Ha, I tried them and are pretty good, basically
there are a series of rings with the two diff magnifications
I takes q week or so to get used to them, somehow your brain learns
how to process what the fuck you are looking at 🙄
Modern day medicine at its finest
SAW
Sorry about that, I thought it was in my post somewhere.
There is another place that someone later recommended to me as well. If someone depends on their glasses like I do, it is good to have a spare at hand. I recall breaking a pair of glasses two years ago and driving 20 miles with one eye closed to one of those 1 hour places.
Zenni sells prescription eyeglasses with scratch resistant coating for $6.95 plus $4.95 but tinting is extra. I think when it comes down to it they are about the same price when you add it all up. But if you just want a pair of clear single vision glasses you can get them at Zenni for $11.90 shipped to your door. I just wonder what the mark up is for my local eye doctor, 2000%?
You got a link or are you just going to tease me some more…? 😆 😆 😆
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This thread inspired me to get online prescription eyeglasses. I have two PDs, 32 for right and 34 for left, so I emailed Zenni to consult this issue. The email customer service representative responded to me promptly. He / She said “You may leave a note in “Customer Notes” when placing the order and we will process the glasses according to your mono PDs 32/34”. I did so and received the glasses yesterday, just eight days after I placed the order. Now my vision is clear, I believe that they did process my glasses with the information I provided. Extremely satisfied with the glasses and customer service.