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

latimes.com

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

#41

Post by walrus01 »

wlesieutre wrote: post #31
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…

They also can’t require a membership to get an eye exam, so if you don’t want the pressure to buy glasses there, Costco is a safe bet. They’ll give you your prescription and literally wouldn’t sell me glasses even if I wanted them, since I wasn’t a store member. I did have to measure my own IPD though, which I did with a ruler and a mirror. EDIT: another reply notes that they did get their IPD at Costco, so this migh…

Fun costco fact, in Canada and in many US states you also don't need a membership to use their pharmacy. And also in many US states where they sell alcohol they legally can't require a membership to buy it.

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

#42

Post by munk-a »

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…

Canada is sadly also in the same boat as the US in terms of eye glass cost, so while the article is definitely American slanted it does effect more than just those folks.

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

#43

Post by wlesieutre »

walrus01 wrote: post #41
wlesieutre wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They also can’t require a membership to get an eye exam, so if you don’t want the pressure to buy glasses there, Costco is a safe bet. They’ll give you your prescription and literally wouldn’t sell me glasses even if I wanted them, since I wasn’t a store member. I did have to measure my own IPD though, which I did with a ruler and a mirror. EDIT: another reply notes that they did get their IPD at Costco, so this migh…

Fun costco fact, in Canada and in many US states you also don't need a membership to use their pharmacy. And also in many US states where they sell alcohol they legally can't require a membership to buy it.

I think that’s the case here in Connecticut for alcohol, though I’ve not gone and checked.

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

#44

Post by munk-a »

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…

Hearing aides are also insanely cheap to produce, they are not complicated devices and that market is only surviving due to the medical device status of them causing a high barrier to entry.

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

#45

Post by themodelplumber »

fma wrote: post #27
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…

Did my vision exam last week at Costco. The Costco optometrist is independent from the eye glass department, which is owned by Costco and you need a member ID to buy from. The prescription had PD on there. When I used to do target or lens crafter... I had to ask.

I went to a local business a while back, where the optometrist was about 2-3 years away from retirement. I didn't want to offend them but politely and clearly stated that I would like to get my prescription. Still, they made a big act about parading me through their small collection of frames, and even suggested a few they thought I should try on. Just to humor them for a bit, I put on a pair and they made me look like I was wearing something from the Kim Jong Il lineup. The office assistant, who reminded me of the secretary from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, gave me VERY high compliments on them. I could barely hold in my mirth after looking in the mirror and had to pretend my wife was calling so I could dodge out of there and get the laughs out in my car.

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

#46

Post by dawhizkid »

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…

biggest scam is that glasses/contact prescriptions only last a year in the US

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

#47

Post by kilo_bravo_3 »

Glasses are not expensive.

Convenient glasses, or glasses with recognizable brand names, available in one hour at your local mall are expensive.

My glasses were $29 plus shipping.

The magical mystery superpower that I developed after being bitten by a radioactive wombat which enabled me to break through the chains of Luxxotica and do (according to people on the internet) the impossible and escape their "monopoly" was: using Google to find online eyewear retailers.

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

#48

Post by bunderbunder »

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.

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

#50

Post by traek »

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…

It's a US newspaper. Do you also ask the German media to specify Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel in every headline?
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