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Why are glasses so expensive? The eyewear industry prefers to keep that blurry

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Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The eyewear industry prefers to keep that blurry

#331

Post by soperj »

dwaltrip wrote: post #308
traek wrote: post #290

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They are so cheap there is no reason not to do it this way. Besides the environmental cost, maybe.

Relative to other things like travel, commuting, home energy usage, electronics, etc, I'm guessing the environmental cost of a pair of glasses is very, very low. It is important to focus on effective actions. For example, a lot of people think that somehow recycling affects climate change, which (AFAIK) is not true in any meaningful sense. That isn't to say one shouldn't recycle -- there are plenty of reasons to do s…

It helps the amount of garbage put into the environment, which is good regardless.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The eyewear industry prefers to keep that blurry

#332

Post by fwip »

dwaltrip wrote: post #308
traek wrote: post #290

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They are so cheap there is no reason not to do it this way. Besides the environmental cost, maybe.

Relative to other things like travel, commuting, home energy usage, electronics, etc, I'm guessing the environmental cost of a pair of glasses is very, very low. It is important to focus on effective actions. For example, a lot of people think that somehow recycling affects climate change, which (AFAIK) is not true in any meaningful sense. That isn't to say one shouldn't recycle -- there are plenty of reasons to do s…

I believe that recycling aluminum takes significantly less energy than smelting it in the first place.

I don't have any idea about plastics/papers.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The eyewear industry prefers to keep that blurry

#333

Post by danielbln »

yonifrandzel wrote: post #330

Ever wonder why you cannot get glasses made of glass anymore? (At least that’s the case in Israel). Glass used to be a lot cheaper than plastic, more durable and long lasting. You rarely needed to replace them every year or two like with plastic, unless you really smashed your lenses hard and got a nasty chip. All plastic lenses get scratched within a few years and your sight becomes gradually foggy until one day it…

What are you doing with your glasses? Use a microfibre cloth to clean them and there is no reason that they get scratched, and especially not every couple of years. I've had mine for 8 years and the only reason I've recently changed them is to get a different frame. Also, glass is really heavy, especially if you have to have them with a significant diopter, and it also prone to breaking if dropped onto a hard surface. Here in Germany you can still get regular glass if you so desire, so maybe it's just Israel.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The eyewear industry prefers to keep that blurry

#334

Post by poopchute »

bunderbunder wrote: post #48
jawns wrote: post #15

Reminder, if you're in the US, the FTC says your eye doctor must give you your prescription after your exam. If a doctor refuses to do so, they can face legal action and penalties. https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2016/05/buying-prescriptio... That said, I don't think the FTC stipulates what information must appear on the prescription. Many docs leave off your PD (pupillary distance), which is a necessary measuremen…

Nit: An optometrist is usually fine if all you need is a refraction. It's when you're dealing with something that requires medical intervention (glaucoma, pars planitis, etc.) that you need to shell out for an ophthalmologist. An optometrist can still catch that stuff, but will need to refer you for treatment.

Just echoing this, (Canada) my optometrist caught my glaucoma early using that machine that shoots a burst of air at your eye. He referred me to an opthalmologist who said there isn't any damage yet but gave me a prescription for some eye drops that reduce eye pressure. I'm only 27 and don't have any other medical issues, so it was a but of a surprise

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The eyewear industry prefers to keep that blurry

#335

Post by IWeldMelons »

sct202 wrote: post #281
teilo wrote: post #260

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right. Except that you have to buy eyeglasses if you want those numbers. The app will not tell them to you, and the frames alone are $349, not counting lenses. Total price starts at $600 and goes up. So, no thanks. I'll pass.

That's insane! $349 I could buy like 10 pairs at any other online store with the upgraded coating.

I live in ex-USSR in one of the poorest republics. My mom bought recently nice eyeglasses for $3.50. The procedure is this: you name the type of lenses (+2 + 3 etc) and they give a bunch of eyglasses with different ocular differences. You chose one that works for you and then choose the frame.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The eyewear industry prefers to keep that blurry

#336

Post by Improvotter »

interlocutor wrote: post #107

The reason glasses cost so much is because one company owns: (1) nearly all brand name frames including Ray-Ban, Oakley, Prada eyewear, Armani eyewear and so on, (2) nearly all retail stores such as LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sears Optical and Target Optical and (3) EyeMed, one of the largest vision insurance companies. See this eye-opening 60 Minutes story on Luxottica: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDdq2rIqAlM…

Why does that make the glasses so expensive though? The frames from my glasses were about 100 EUR and the glasses were a lot more expensive. If I ask my parents or other people, they are paying 1000 EUR or more for the glasses by themselves (not the frames). I'm about to get new glasses next month because my current glasses are 6 years old now, I'm looking forward to some new glasses.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The eyewear industry prefers to keep that blurry

#337

Post by FPGAhacker »

Jemaclus wrote: post #86
pugworthy wrote: post #19

You want to know what's outrageously expensive, yet equally important for basic ability to function in the workplace and other situations? Hearing aids. Hearing aids are glasses for your ears. But compared to them, glasses are unbelievably dirt cheap, and basically fully covered by a lot of decent company insurance plans. Hearing aids? Not the case. Imagine if glasses cost $2-3000 per lens. PER LENS. And your company…

Yes, this is true. I'm actually fortunate in that I'm completely deaf in one ear and "only" profoundly deaf in the other. That means I only have to spend $3000 instead of 2x that. It's ridiculous. My hearing aid is 6 years old and I'm sure it's about to fail, but I can't afford a new one right now. It's absolute insanity.

Go to Costco, if you are willing to pass up oticons.

I had a $6000 pair of hearing aids that were lost. I replaced them with $1600 pair from Costco. Most of the time I can’t tell the difference. When I can, I wouldn’t be able to say which is better, just that I notice they didn’t sound the same.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The eyewear industry prefers to keep that blurry

#338

Post by danielbln »

uf wrote: post #55
blackbrokkoli wrote: post #40

Title correction: Why are glasses so expensive in the US? The American eyewear industry prefers to keep that blurry. Please stop using the US as the "that's how it is"-standard. In Germany, you pay a very reasonable (from my layman perspective) price for the lenses, maybe about 40$ plus another 30$ if you want to have non-reflective glasses or product from big name producers and stuff like that. Like every fashion pr…

70$ for glasses in Germany? I have to pay about 200€ per glas. Maybe weaker glasses are cheap. After all you can buy glasses in the supermarket for a few bucks. Those modern glasses get scratches after just a few years of careful handling and cleaning only with „Mikrofaser“ in my experience. No fun having weak eyes in Germany.

I've recently got 1.67 thickness, de-glared, blue-filtered lenses for 149€ total, including the frame, and my diopter is -7. I think you may be paying too much.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The eyewear industry prefers to keep that blurry

#339

Post by renholder »

Is this only a states thing or generally all of North America thing? An eye-doctor's visit, prescription, and two pairs can be around 200 quid[0] (adjusting for currency conversion).

[0] - https://www.specsavers.se/glasogon/bag-sok#sort=field_frame_...

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The eyewear industry prefers to keep that blurry

#340

Post by cheeseomlit »

cryptonector wrote: post #212

One word: protectionism. Nothing else can explain it. The U.S. healthcare system is rife with protectionism, and it's disgusting. From how hard it is to become a doctor, to how hard it is to build a new hospital (you need a "certificate of need" in just about all States to build one), to FDA regulations on drug manufacturing being extremely expensive, to too many drugs not being over the counter (thus requiring a tri…

I think what you're describing is bureaucracy, red tape, over-regulation and crony capitalism. Protectionism as I understand it would be measures taken to reduce competition from outside the country, not within it
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