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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)

#101

Post by tikhonj »

smt88 wrote: post #98
chasil wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Glasses aren't that expensive. I buy them from https://zennioptical.com I don't think that I'd ever pay more than $100 for a frame again. The sunglasses that we buy in a drugstore can be had for paltry sums, why not prescription eyewear?

> I don't think that I'd ever pay more than $100 for a frame again. $100 sounds like it's ~10x what the price should actually be for simple plastic shapes, and it's probably more than 100x the actual cost to manufacture them.

I assume that's $100 including the lenses—seems like a reasonable price for something that requires custom high-precision manufacturing, although it would be great for the price to come down even further over time.

I have a moderately strong prescription (with slight differences for each eye) and I got the best glasses I've ever had from Zenni for $72.90 + tax. Could have been $60 without a presumably overpriced anti-reflective coating. I don't remember how much my glasses cost from traditional sources, but I think it was on the order of $200–$300 after insurance.

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

#103

Post by odysseus »

wyclif wrote: post #68
petilon wrote: post #19

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…

Check out Shuron. USA-made and not owned by Luxottica. Superior quality zyl frames and five-barrel hinges, unlike almost everything Luxottica sells. And they are full service and have top-notch customer service—they'll fill your prescription and also send you five different frames to try on and return: https://shop.shuron.com/

I wanted to like these, but these are some ugly frames compared to some of Lux's Italian-made frames. Same deal with a lot of discount frames (including some from Luxottica) - very old styling and cheap looking materials. But to each his own - I'm sure some people will like Shuron and maybe I'm not up on the latest trends.

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

#104

Post by seesaw »

paulmd wrote: post #94
newyankee wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, probably someone is actually selling them at very low margins and/or it is subsidised by some entity.

(not indian but this is my impression from what I've read) india has a very weird medical economy at times, geared to the costs necessary to deliver ultra-basic care to many people who are dirt-poor, utilizing generics (occasionally of questionable quality), the ultra-cheap cost of labor, etc. for example centchroman is an interesting case-study... the government basically paid to develop and take it through trials a…

I have used an Indian online site [1] to order a really good pair of glasses. It cost me $150, but I found the quality to be much better than what I could get in the US.

[1] https://www.titaneyeplus.com/

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

#105

Post by Maursault »

wrycoder wrote: post #81
epmaybe wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ophthalmologist or optometrist? Very different, and I think the difference needs to be overstated more and more.

I got it wrong the first time. He’s an MD ophthalmologist.

Unless there's need for specialized medical or surgical treatment, getting eye exams and eyeglass prescriptions from an ophthalmologist as opposed to a optometrist is like getting your teeth cleaned by an oral surgeon rather than a dentist. Astigmatism and/or myopia, refractive errors, corneal disease, amblyopia? Optometrist. Ptosis, proptosis, endophthalmitis, macular degeneration, excess tearing, detached retina or trauma? Ophthalmologist.

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

#106

Post by wyclif »

odysseus wrote: post #103
wyclif wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Check out Shuron. USA-made and not owned by Luxottica. Superior quality zyl frames and five-barrel hinges, unlike almost everything Luxottica sells. And they are full service and have top-notch customer service—they'll fill your prescription and also send you five different frames to try on and return: https://shop.shuron.com/

I wanted to like these, but these are some ugly frames compared to some of Lux's Italian-made frames. Same deal with a lot of discount frames (including some from Luxottica) - very old styling and cheap looking materials. But to each his own - I'm sure some people will like Shuron and maybe I'm not up on the latest trends.

It's true, Shurons are retro style frames. And some of them are...eccentric to say the least. But the zyl they use is pretty high quality compared to others. And the hinges...I haven't found a brand of frame with tougher hinges. My faves are either the Sidewinder or the Ronsir Zyl (the latter is the original "browline" style frame as worn by Malcolm X).

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

#107

Post by cozos »

I buy glasses (in the US) from this place called Jins. They are cheaper out-of-pocket than glasses being sold by my optometrist, even after insurance (I pay for Jins out of pocket). Not sure why and my optometrist can't explain how his glasses are betters either. I assume its some kind of price gouging.

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

#108

Post by 2Gkashmiri »

anshumankmr wrote: post #99
chasil wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Glasses aren't that expensive. I buy them from https://zennioptical.com I don't think that I'd ever pay more than $100 for a frame again. The sunglasses that we buy in a drugstore can be had for paltry sums, why not prescription eyewear?

Damn I bought mine for ₹ 5000 (~$60) and I think I overpaid.

why? lenskart gives you dirt cheap glasses

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

#110

Post by wyclif »

asicsp wrote: post #54
newyankee wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know, my family member bought a pair of cheap glasses for 2 $ in India. Granted it was probably not very powerful or may last long. But I am shocked at the definition of what is cheap. I am now skeptical if the glasses he bought actually work well enough for him.

Probably mass-produced? Glass lenses cost me Rs 1000 (about $12.5) a few months back (myopia, -5) - I'd say these were on the cheaper side, and no special coating (they cost as much as the lenses themselves!!). Frames on the cheaper end also cost around this much.

I also prefer glass lenses. The tradeoffs seem to be weight (glass weighs more) and durability (glass can be cleaned with cloth or a towel without scratching, plastic lenses need to be babied with a microcloth or else you get little swirly scratches that will eventually ruin the lenses).

I'd rather have my glasses weigh a bit more if the lenses are more durable.

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