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  1. #1
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    Question Buying glasses or contacts?

    I'm scheduled to go to an optometrist tomorrow for the first time in more than 10 years.

    Pretty sure I need glasses or contacts now. What should I know about buying contacts/glasses? I hear buying them online is the way to go. Anyone have any recommendations for online retailers?

  2. #2
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    Consider Lasik if you need distance vision. It will make your reading vision worse though.

  3. #3
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    Once you get your prescription from the optometrist, check out these guys for excellent prices on glasses.


    https://www.zennioptical.com/

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by 4matic View Post
    Consider Lasik if you need distance vision. It will make your reading vision worse though.
    Unfortunately I have an uncorrectable corneal dystrophy that makes me a less than ideal candidate for Lakik, or so I was told years ago. Will ask about it tomorrow.

  5. #5
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    If you don't care how they fit or look then buy glasses online. Otherwise buy them from the optometrist where you can actually try on the frames and make sure they work for you.

    Same thing with contacts - if you want them to fit and be comfortable, buy them from the optometrist. They'll order you trial lenses in several different brands and work with you to check the fit and vision accuracy with each one to find the ones that actually work for you.

    I buy all my contacts and glasses from my optometrist. Once I find a good one, I want them to stay in business and buying online doesn't really save me that much money.

  6. #6
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    It's glasses or glasses and contacts in my experience. There'll always be some situation where you don't want to wear contacts/need a backup so you'll end up buying glasses which imo are best bought in person. If you like outdoor sports glasses suck & end up being very expensive to get customized for every situation imo sunglasses/polarizedsunglasses/goggles/etc, contacts are much better. My Optometrist gave me a free trial pair of contacts & a prescription last change. Way cheaper to buy the contacts online than from him.

  7. #7
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    You can try Costco or https://www.warbyparker.com/ for budget pricing. Warby Parker has stores in some cities that can do adjustments on your frames. Fuck buying them at the Optometrist, that's like buying luggage at the Airport.

  8. #8
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    Yeah, you'll want both glasses and contacts, most likely.

    If you're not a candidate for lasik, consider asking around to find someone experienced with implantable collamer lenses. They're basically contact lenses implanted between your natural lens and your iris. It's a newer procedure that's been approved in Europe for quite a while but was approved in the US more recently. My vision is too terrible and my corneas too thin for LASIK (or anything similar), but I was an ICL candidate and got the implants 5 or so years ago. Best thing I've ever spent money on. No side effects (for me, anyway), and it's reversible/tweakable if need be in the future.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cravenmorhead View Post
    If you're not a candidate for lasik, consider asking around to find someone experienced with implantable collamer lenses. They're basically contact lenses implanted between your natural lens and your iris. It's a newer procedure that's been approved in Europe for quite a while but was approved in the US more recently. My vision is too terrible and my corneas too thin for LASIK (or anything similar), but I was an ICL candidate and got the implants 5 or so years ago. Best thing I've ever spent money on. No side effects (for me, anyway), and it's reversible/tweakable if need be in the future.
    Thanks for this, I have the same limitations re: LASIK so I'll look into this.

  10. #10
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    I buy glasses from: www.ezcontacts.com , and contacts from http://www.saveonlens.com

    I use my optometrist for exams, prescriptions, and if I happen to get a shard of glass stuck in my eye. He's a good friend of mine, but I would never buy products from him. He's cool with it.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by adrenalated View Post
    If you don't care how they fit or look then buy glasses online. Otherwise buy them from the optometrist where you can actually try on the frames and make sure they work for you.

    Same thing with contacts - if you want them to fit and be comfortable, buy them from the optometrist. They'll order you trial lenses in several different brands and work with you to check the fit and vision accuracy with each one to find the ones that actually work for you.

    I buy all my contacts and glasses from my optometrist. Once I find a good one, I want them to stay in business and buying online doesn't really save me that much money.


    seriously dude? mount your own fuckin glasses..... ain’t that hard.

  12. #12
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    I always had good vision and about age 55 I found I needed glasses if light was not good. Now I wear readers all the time and while they help a lot I will never get used to the fing things. Add to the fact that I look like even more of a dork and they make me feel old as hell and are very annoying. Oops, wrong thread.

  13. #13
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    If you want a limited selection at 3X the price, go to your local optometrist.

    If you want more interesting frame selection and 1/3 the price go with one of the online companies that will send you 3-5 frames you chose, for free, so you can choose what works best. warbyparker, felix+iris, etc. google is your friend.
    Know of a pair of Fischer Ranger 107Ti 189s (new or used) for sale? PM me.

  14. #14
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    Have you considered buying your glasses in Costa Rica?
    Quote Originally Posted by Downbound Train View Post
    And there will come a day when our ancestors look back...........

  15. #15
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    Another option is the really cheap online places like zenni and 39dollarglasses.com. Price with prescription lenses is so low that you can just buy on a whim & if they don’t look quite right just keep them as spares.

    $39 << $400 is my point here.

    The $100-120 range online is where you get decent Italian build quality and the zero risk aspect of getting 5 frames to try on at home.
    Know of a pair of Fischer Ranger 107Ti 189s (new or used) for sale? PM me.

  16. #16
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    If the price is reasonable, you might want to get your first pair of glasses from a brick and mortar that actually know what they're doing (so not lenscrapters). Then get subsequent pairs online once you know your PD and preferred segment height (if progressives). Plus you'll have a better idea of fit.

    I'm nearsighted (with progressives back to plano) and have used...
    replacealens.com who are also a brick and mortar in Denver (perfect in every way - highly recommended)
    select specs (perfect, but took a long time - and lots of dissatisfied customer reviews on the net so ymmv)
    warby parker (rx not perfect, but close enough - otherwise pretty nice, and the price is right)
    ezcontacts (rx good, anti-glare not so much) - they often have good deals on sunglasses too.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cravenmorhead View Post
    Yeah, you'll want both glasses and contacts, most likely.

    If you're not a candidate for lasik, consider asking around to find someone experienced with implantable collamer lenses. They're basically contact lenses implanted between your natural lens and your iris. It's a newer procedure that's been approved in Europe for quite a while but was approved in the US more recently. My vision is too terrible and my corneas too thin for LASIK (or anything similar), but I was an ICL candidate and got the implants 5 or so years ago. Best thing I've ever spent money on. No side effects (for me, anyway), and it's reversible/tweakable if need be in the future.
    Never heard of them until now. News you can use.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ted Striker View Post
    .

    I'm nearsighted (with progressives back to plano)
    huh. me too. even at my advanced age my near vision is perfect, my progressives made like that are nice.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by m2711c View Post
    seriously dude? mount your own fuckin glasses..... ain’t that hard.
    Excellent. Full points.

  20. #20
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    Please just get contacts, we don’t need any more nerds around here.

  21. #21
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    I'm way too spastic for contacts. I tried. Plus I can't tell you how much shit has bounced off my glasses over the years. I think of them as protective eyewear.

  22. #22
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  23. #23
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    I've been going to Costco for over 15 years. About $450 for eye and contact exam, glasses and contacts.

  24. #24
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    Kind of surprised no one has asked if you have vision coverage in your health insurance.

    Buying them at an optometrist will give you, most likely, a better, higher quality product and provide better service and fine tuning after deliver as well as a decent return policy if they don't work right. The other outfits work well too, but less service and lower quality.

    You don't have to buy them at your optometrist's. Mine is in a super high-end shop that's expensive as fuck. She sent me to another opto to have my scrip filled for less which worked great.

    If you have coverage spend more, get better stuff and service. If not it's a different question.

    I just got a pair of bargain prescription (progressive lens) sunglasses through opticsplanet.com. They do clear lenses too. They're quite decent for the price, but the lenses are nowhere near as good as the ones the optometrists office did in terms of exactly where the focal length changes in each eye, but they're just shades so that's fine.
    Quote Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles View Post
    If I lived in WA, Oft would be my realtor. Seriously.

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by oftpiste View Post
    Kind of surprised no one has asked if you have vision coverage in your health insurance.

    Buying them at an optometrist will give you, most likely, a better, higher quality product and provide better service and fine tuning after deliver as well as a decent return policy if they don't work right. The other outfits work well too, but less service and lower quality.

    You don't have to buy them at your optometrist's. Mine is in a super high-end shop that's expensive as fuck. She sent me to another opto to have my scrip filled for less which worked great.

    If you have coverage spend more, get better stuff and service. If not it's a different question.

    I just got a pair of bargain prescription (progressive lens) sunglasses through opticsplanet.com. They do clear lenses too. They're quite decent for the price, but the lenses are nowhere near as good as the ones the optometrists office did in terms of exactly where the focal length changes in each eye, but they're just shades so that's fine.
    Pretty much this. Been wearing glasses for 25 years and contacts for 20. If I have decent vision coverage I'll get everything at an optometrist, because it will usually be cheaper. If I have nothing I will usually go to Costco. Pro-tip: They can put clear prescription lenses in their sunglasses, too. Cheap, durable plastic frames FTW.

    Tried Warby Parker, but didn't find any that fit my face very well. The service was easy, though and would recommend them to others.

    I currently have Smith prescription glasses and I really like them. Took my script from the eye doc and ordered online. I wear their sunnies so I had a good idea of their fit ahead of time. Lots of optometrists have Smith or Oakley which I think are generally better for being active in than whatever Hugo Boss bullshit you find most of the time.

    I find that if I cheap out on lenses or don't get the anti-glare coatings then my eyes get really tired by the end of the day. It's worth the extra money to get quality glass.

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