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Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

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Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#11

Post by olliej »

bityard wrote: post #7

Same reason medical care is so expensive in the US: Insurance and the art of the upsell. The provider gets to charge high prices because the bulk of the cost is covered by insurance and thus "hidden" from consumers. The insurance company gets a non-trivial cut of the pie, which pads the bill further. And in my experience, when you go in with something wrong with you, most doctors will recommend (or perform without as…

I would suggest checking out other optometrists, most have a much better insurance wall than they had a couple of decades ago. Or go online (to order, not suggesting an eye exam over webcam :D ).

That said, I'm currently getting cataracts removed and IOL implants and insurance is like "correcting your astigmatism isn't needed so we won't cover the IOL that does that, just your distance vision". If correcting my vision isn't necessary then why cover any IOL at all??? :-/

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#12

Post by mixmastamyk »

olliej wrote: post #10

I thought it was fairly well established that optometrists make most of their income from the sale of the frames as they have little to no control over how much they get for the examination, and the lens price determined by the lens manufacturer. The frames are the only thing that the optometrists get any significant margin on. The moment you aren't buying the frame from the optometrist office the price craters, and…

Don't forget the lens and underbody coatings.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#13

Post by stjohnswarts »

don't buy your glasses from your optometrist, buy it from online sources. Most states require them to provide you with your prescription after an eye examination. I get mine for roughly 1/4-1/3 (I could probably get them cheaper if I wasn't sticking with a vendor that has been great for me) the price online and they're fine.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#14

Post by stjohnswarts »

yarg wrote: post #9
nullish_signal wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Should we tithe Industrial Zones for not dumping more chem waste? Tip our wait staff for not spitting in our food?

Clearly not (and you're replying to a sarcastic comment).

It was practically dripping wasn't it? :)

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#15

Post by dang »

Discussed at the time:

Why are glasses so expensive? The eyewear industry prefers to keep that blurry - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18980191 - Jan 2019 (588 comments)

Related:

Ask HN: Recommend sunglasses made in the west and independent of Luxotica - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28029206 - Aug 2021 (35 comments)

Making My Own Glasses - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21156637 - Oct 2019 (187 comments)

How badly are we being ripped off on eyewear? Former industry execs tell all - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19312499 - March 2019 (301 comments)

The spectacular power of Big Lens - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17061380 - May 2018 (43 comments)

The One Product You Should Buy Online: Eyeglasses - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16040924 - Dec 2017 (97 comments)

Vision Insurance Is Making Glasses More Expensive - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15736573 - Nov 2017 (86 comments)

A Closer Look at the $13B Premium Eyewear Market - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15429826 - Oct 2017 (135 comments)

One Dollar Glasses – Help for 150M people - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13091936 - Dec 2016 (114 comments)

Why are glasses so expensive? (2012) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9183464 - March 2015 (113 comments)

Sticker shock: Why are glasses so expensive? [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6718224 - Nov 2013 (48 comments)

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#16

Post by akira2501 »

bityard wrote: post #7

Same reason medical care is so expensive in the US: Insurance and the art of the upsell. The provider gets to charge high prices because the bulk of the cost is covered by insurance and thus "hidden" from consumers. The insurance company gets a non-trivial cut of the pie, which pads the bill further. And in my experience, when you go in with something wrong with you, most doctors will recommend (or perform without as…

It's healthcare monopolies, from supply to distribution, it's all wrapped up pretty tightly. There's also one large payer that covers most of the market already.

Zero people have effective choices in this system. So.. prices go up.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#17

Post by MichaelZuo »

rahimnathwani wrote: post #3

"Warby Parker recognized this as a business opportunity. I’m surprised others haven’t jumped in as well with reasonably priced eyewear." This author is uninformed. Others have jumped in. And Warby Parker wasn't even the first. 15 years ago I would buy my single-vision prescription glasses from optical4less.com. The cost was $58 for 2 pairs, including worldwide shipping. Today I buy my glasses from Zenni. Last month,…

I've heard a lot of the cheaper places cutback on the fancy multi-layer coatings, so that the quality of lens is not equivalent.

I know a lot of them advertise identical quality but did you ever confirm that to be the case?

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#18

Post by rahimnathwani »

MichaelZuo wrote: post #17
rahimnathwani wrote: post #3

"Warby Parker recognized this as a business opportunity. I’m surprised others haven’t jumped in as well with reasonably priced eyewear." This author is uninformed. Others have jumped in. And Warby Parker wasn't even the first. 15 years ago I would buy my single-vision prescription glasses from optical4less.com. The cost was $58 for 2 pairs, including worldwide shipping. Today I buy my glasses from Zenni. Last month,…

I've heard a lot of the cheaper places cutback on the fancy multi-layer coatings, so that the quality of lens is not equivalent. I know a lot of them advertise identical quality but did you ever confirm that to be the case?

  I've heard ...
Heard from whom?

  I know a lot of them advertise identical quality
  but did you ever confirm that to be the case?
You can choose what types of lenses you want. Zenni, for example, offers multiple lens options, some of which are from specific brands.

https://www.zennioptical.com/glasses-lenses

When you buy glasses from a bricks and mortar optician, you're getting whatever bog-standard lenses they sell, unless they specifically mention they're high index, or have some specific feature/coating, or are from some specific manufacturer.

Just like when you buy glasses online.

There are definitely differences in lens quality, but the available range is just as wide in retail stores as it is online.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#19

Post by petilon »

Glasses are expensive because there is no competition. One company - Luxottica - owns pretty much everything.

You go to LensCrafters and prices seem super expensive, so you go to Pearle Vision and that's expensive too, so you go to Target Optical and prices are still high and then you think maybe glasses are expensive, since you went to multiple stores and they all have similar prices. What you don't realize is that all those retail brands are owned by the same company - Luxottica [1]. They operate under several names, so there is an appearance of competition but there isn't.

But wait, it isn't just stores, they also own eyewear brands such as Ray-Ban, Chanel, Coach, Oakley, Prada, Tiffany, and so on. Yes, all of those brands are owned by Luxottica [2].

Wait, not done yet. They also own insurance. Luxottica owns the vision insurance company EyeMed. [3]

Still not done. Luxottica has merged with Essilor and now own multiple lens brands [4].

See 60 Minutes story on Luxottica if you're not outraged yet [5].

Where are the anti-trust enforcers in this country and other countries, and why are they not doing anything?

[1] https://www.luxottica.com/en/retail-brands

[2] https://www.luxottica.com/en/eyewear-brands

[3] https://eyemed.com/en-us/about-us

[4] https://www.essilorluxottica.com/brands

[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDdq2rIqAlM

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