Getting eyeglasses cheap – Locally!

My glasses are pitiful. Deep gashes in the lenses, discolored anti-reflective coating (from rubbing them with my shirt – hey they can’t get any worse, right?), flaking “titanium” paint, and one of the bridge thingies that sits on your nose fell off a few months ago. I was in need of new glasses.  I had read a bit about getting cheap eyeglasses online at http://glassyeyes.com/ and was set to do it.

I went to my local optometry clinic, got my exam ($5 copay), looked at all the way overpriced frames (anywhere from $102 to $300), and asked for my prescription, asking them to include my Pupillary Distance (needed for ordering glasses online). Just because I was curious, I asked if they had any bargain-basement frames that would be anywhere close to my covered insurance level. The nice lady said they had received a whole box of new Nike frames in bulk recently and that she would price them at my covered amount (all the other Nike frames on the shelf were $160 and up)

The frames I chose were priced at or below $85  (that’s my insurance coverage, so I had no out of pocket). Lenses will be $5 copay, and I *did* get the polycarbonate material ($50, but less than the ultra-high index at $115), but I figured the anti-reflective is a waste (108$) as it rubs off after a year, looks “green” and even though it has a 2 year warranty, who seriously warranties out their lenses? So for $55 I got glasses that I used to pay 2-300 dollars for just by asking for a deal. I’m still going to get a pair online for a backup, but thought it might be good information to share.