Finding Eyeglasses At Discount Prices

(MarketWatch)  Mass-produced eyeglasses cost roughly $2 a pair to make, according to a 2005 MIT report, but Americans regularly shell out hundreds of dollars for a single fancy pair. What are we paying for exactly? Some of that money goes toward eye exams, of course, but a significant portion can be seen as a convenience tax.

With glasses, many of us are one-stop shoppers. We go to a single store, such as LensCrafters to get our eye exam, lenses and frames. These retailers often offer affordable eye exams, but they make a killing on marked-up frames and unnecessary high-tech lens options.

You'd be far better off buying lenses online and foregoing all the bells and whistles. You now can find everything from designer eyewear to bargain basement frames on the Web, and they'll cost you far less than you'd typically pay at a one-stop shop.

The sacrifice you make when you buy frames online is that you can't try them on, but there are ways around this problem. Eyeglasses.com and FramesDirect.com allow you to "virtually" try on frames by uploading a picture of yourself.

If you prefer the hands-on experience, try treating your local eyeglass store as a fitting room. Go in and try on various frame shapes. When you find one you like, write down the make and serial number and look for bargains online.

Most vision prescriptions can also be filled on the Web at a reduced cost. When you're choosing lenses, CR-39s offer the best bargain, says Consumer Reports. But they are less shatter-resistant than some of the more expensive lenses and can get thick when you have a strong prescription. Polycarbonate or high-index lenses are also a good choice because they come with scratch-resistant coating and UV protection built in.

If you're in a hurry, or this all sounds like too much work, try the optical department at your local Sam's Club or BJs, both of which offer all-in-one eye care at lower costs. Better yet, get a Costco membership; Costco is now the fifth-largest seller of eyewear in the U.S. and has a huge selection of styles.

If you've shopped around and still can't afford new glasses, you might want to try for aid from two nonprofit organizations, Sight for Students and New Eyes for The Needy.

By Marshall Loeb

[mistycee1]

To eyemart: those prices seem way <a href="http://doba.com">discounted</a>. Its amazing what you will learn about prices in the comment section.

[newoodchuck]

Thanks for exposing Lenscrafters for many of the many ways they rip off the their customers. It shows how deceptive and continuous advertising can pay off. Even more egregious is the fact that in some localities and malls they have virtually no competition. Their parent company, Luxottica, also owns the optical stores in Sears and Penneys, Pearl Vision stores, Sunglass Hut. You'd think that since Luxottica manufactures their own frame they could sell them a little cheaper. And why pay overhead for 4 stores in a mall when one will do? Because it keeps the competition out.

[lizardbate]

Ah! Suck it up eyemark!!! You are ripping people off too!!!!!!

[eyemart40]

as an EYEMART employee i am somewhat offended by a couple of things about this article. !st, placing us in the same section as lenscrafters is a serious misscarriage. ( i have worked for both) consider that eyemart charges $39.95 for single vision cr39 and lenscrafters charges aproximatley $120 for the same lenses is a good place to separate us right away. we have always had our 2/$98.61 which includes 2 decent frames and cr39 sv lenses. all our frames come with a 1 year breakage warranty. No one else in the industry does this and if they do, they charge extra for it. the frame mark up at lenscrafters is extremely high admittedly. but not at eyemart. yes there is mark up as we DO have to make money. but we sell a frame for $39.95 and LC has the same ones for $139.
All eyemart stores are staffed by professional, warm and friendly folks that go out of thier way to satisfy a customer. We teach our employees to treat customers the way they want to be treated when they go out shopping.
enough for now