Earlier quoted context omitted.
> anti-glare, anti-scratch, spectrum, blue light filter What does "spectrum" mean in this context? Thanks.
Sorry the word is "prism", not spectrum.
Thanks. Now I just need to learn what prism means in this context ))
Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)
291–300 of 326 posts
Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)
#292Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The economy is becoming an authoritarian power. Well, no. Monopolising a market with the economy, which is a tiny fraction of all decision-making power, is not authoritarian. The main thing to ask is: are there high barriers to entry for new players? If not, then competition will arise when it needs to. If there are, then we have a problem. If there are, and they're government/state regulations, then we have a comm…
Competition can arise but then it's bought out by the monopoly.
If it chooses to be. This is a voluntary arrangement. If the monopoly becomes destructive (e.g. it raises prices) then there will arise a competitor that sees they can make more money than the buyer can afford to pay by charging less and gaining a large chunk of the market.
Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)
#293Earlier quoted context omitted.
I bought my lone pair of glasses in 2009 and I've replaced the lenses once since then. I wear them every day. Now I'm wondering what everyone else is doing.
Mine generally last a two years or so, before they are scratched and fogged to the point that my vision is affected. The big culprit is dust - often metal dust, but also hardwood dust - in the shop. Even if you religiously use a non-scratching, micro-fiber wipe (which is hard), just dragging the stuff across the lenses damages them. Another culprit is glue, particularly CA (super) glue but also other types. You may n…
Rinse with water before wiping.
Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)
#294Earlier quoted context omitted.
I worked on the retail IT side of things at Luxottica. I don't even think that you've scratched the surface of just how prevalent Luxottica is: you've touched the retail side of things, but, you also haven't touched the manufacturing side of things (Lux has patents on the hinges used in glasses), the wholesaling side of things (Lux supplies generic and branded frames to your local optician on less-than-preferred term…
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?
Is that the same co as eyebuydirect.com? That’s who I’ve used
Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)
#295Archived: https://archive.ph/jhgdR
Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)
#296Reminds me of the time I found out that golf balls and eink screens are also a "secret monopoly" kept by highly litigatious patents.
> eink screens are also a "secret monopoly" kept by highly litigatious patents. Please share the evidence for this.
Search engines don't seem to work anymore to find controversial information so I could not dig up the info again. It was from several years back it might be starting to change now.
The golf balls are more interesting. Walmart/sams club actually had to give up on their own brand of golf balls due to the nonstop litigation from top flight, making it unprofitable to produce them.
Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)
#297Earlier quoted context omitted.
> eink screens are also a "secret monopoly" kept by highly litigatious patents. Please share the evidence for this.
Search engines don't seem to work anymore to find controversial information so I could not dig up the info again. It was from several years back it might be starting to change now. The golf balls are more interesting. Walmart/sams club actually had to give up on their own brand of golf balls due to the nonstop litigation from top flight, making it unprofitable to produce them.
> Search engines don't seem to work anymore to find controversial information so I could not dig up the info again. It was from several years back it might be starting to change now.
Hmmm.... not really a satisfying answer for me. I wouldn't make such claims unless I was confident about it.
> The golf balls are more interesting
I'm not interested in the golf balls part.
Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)
#298Earlier 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?
Indeed. I buy 5 pairs of glasses at a time (cheapest ones I can manage which look OK). 5 at a time is still cheaper than 1/3rd the price of low cost normal glasses. And each of those 5 pairs is half as durable. It is a similarly wild situation where eye exams at Walmart can be cheaper than at a regular eye doctor covered by my insurance.
Something I have noticed with eye "insurance"--mostly they pay $X for particular things but when you look at what's available it's something like $X *above* what we pay at Costco. In one case I was even able to confirm that the "insurance" isn't actually paying anything.
And the only time I've paid over $100 for frames is when I order the ones with a magnetic polarized clip-on that are hard to find. (And I wish I could find something like my old ones where the magnets were on top instead of on the bottom. It was more secure.)
Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)
#299Earlier quoted context omitted.
Indeed. I buy 5 pairs of glasses at a time (cheapest ones I can manage which look OK). 5 at a time is still cheaper than 1/3rd the price of low cost normal glasses. And each of those 5 pairs is half as durable. It is a similarly wild situation where eye exams at Walmart can be cheaper than at a regular eye doctor covered by my insurance.
I bought my lone pair of glasses in 2009 and I've replaced the lenses once since then. I wear them every day. Now I'm wondering what everyone else is doing.
Some of us have eyes that don't permit that. From the point I started needed glasses I have only once gone a year on the pair I use for the computer--nothing wrong with the glass, it's just my eyes drift enough that they start giving me headaches. I usually get 2-3 years out of my progressives before they're too far off and need replacement. With an adaptable lens my brain simply automatically compensates as my eyes change, I only need replacement when the infinity goes wrong or as my astigmatism changes too much.
Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)
#300Earlier quoted context omitted.
> It is a similarly wild situation where eye exams at Walmart can be cheaper than at a regular eye doctor covered by my insurance. I don't know the situation, but it's possible that Walmart doesn't make any money on that, or even loses money, to get you into a Walmart store.
Unless state law says otherwise the optician is an independent business. Check your local laws, some states don't allow that arrangement. I'm not sure what the business deal is, but it looks to me like the rent the space from walmart and wal-mart does the scheduling. That is the person who does the exam isn't a WalMart employee, but they use WalMart for services. If you watch close you will notice they use a differen…
Independent doesn't mean that there isn't a profit to Walmart in having it there. I go to one of those Walmart eye docs--she's independent of the store and has her own office staff, but her office has a second door that opens into Walmart's optical center.