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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

#601

Post by ConceptJunkie »

samatman wrote: post #449
sitharus wrote: post #396

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Post-consumer paper can be recycled in to some forms of low-density card that doesn't require high quality pulp. Egg cartons come to mind, and as a percentage in some packaging, newsprint and sanitary papers. Post-consumer paper cannot easily be recycled in to anything resembling printer paper due to the contaminants. Pre-consumer paper is recycled heavily as it's of known quality. I'm not aware of any plastics that…

Glass bottles used to be reused, which is the responsible thing to do. Consumers didn’t like it because scratches accumulate on the outside of the bottles.

I always thought it was a shame that we stopped doing that, but plastic has taken over pretty much for all the glass bottles that used to be recycled.

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

#602

Post by acomjean »

wwasilev wrote: post #478
acomjean wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eye exams are important. I have a cordial astigmatism in my left eye, I would not have know about without it. The eye glass seller in longwood boston will measure your pupil distance, and check that your online glasses match the prescription when you get them. He charges a small fee for this.

Would that be Longwood Optical?

yeah. I like the glasses I got there but the owner was a little overbearing. Although I like it when they help curate the frames.

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

#603

Post by mancerayder »

riahi wrote: post #596
mancerayder wrote: post #453

Contacts are even worse. Did anyone notice that online vendors in the US like the 1-800 one were well cheaper, and now somehow they all have the same pricing? And that a special contact lens check is required, at a separate price, to get a prescription for contact lenses renewed, even if the script is the same for glasses and contacts, and you just did the glasses? And that while you can buy 100 years of contacts, th…

Your prescription cannot be the same for contacts as it includes additional parameters like curvature. The diopter may or may not be similar, true. The whole point of a separate contact lens exam is to assess lens fit and check for corneal complications usually related to over-wear.

Curvature doesn't change.

The UK has or at least had the ability to order online scriptless, it's not exactly anarchy over there.

Also as mentioned I can order 10 years of contacts with one 'valid one year' script.

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

#604

Post by thepangolino »

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…

I used to do accounting for several retailers. Markups are insane. Brand name frames retailing for €100+ would be purchased from suppliers at €15 or less.

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

#606

Post by johnnycab »

kazinator wrote: post #118
wenc wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is somewhat hard to get right. I did it with a marker and old glasses, and I still got it wrong (and couldn't return the glasses that I ordered).

Ah, but no it isn't! See kazinator's dead accurate, no-friend-required method here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13092902

Although some assistance may be required, I wonder if the iOS Measure app might be just as accurate in measuring PD?

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

#608

Post by GrzegorzWidla »

grenoire wrote: post #561
ggsp wrote: post #537

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know about Ace And Tate (NL), GlassesDirect (UK), and Quattrocento (IT) .

Got myself a pair of titanium ace & tate glasses, great quality and good service. Would recommend if you are looking for a pair in NL.

You don't have to be in NL - they ship them to all EU countries and have stores out of Holland too - in UK, Germany, Belgium, plus you can find them in some 3rd party stores now too.

I recommend them as well. Persol (obviously from Luxottica so no good if you don't went to support them but I just couldn't find as stylish, foldable sunglasses elsewhere) and Ace & Tate are my favorite brands but I don't need prescription lenses so that may vary.

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

#609

Post by Improvotter »

gambiting wrote: post #550
Improvotter wrote: post #336

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

That's insane. I've recently bought a pair of regular glasses as well as prescription sunglasses. Regular ones use Mont Blanc frames(considered expensive) + some pretty good lenses(best ones they offered anyway). Total cost: £400 for everything. Sunglasses: Ray-Ban frames + their own Ray-Ban G15 prescription lens(again, pretty expensive) - total cost £320 for everything. I just don't understand - how are those people…

These are specific types of lenses that are for both nearsightedness and farsightedness.

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

#610

Post by Solar19 »

cogman10 wrote: post #458
Solar19 wrote: post #454

Whenever we see an apparent monopoly or a confusingly high profit margin, we should immediately look for barriers to entry. Situations like this are usually explained by the existence of a racket with government-enforced barriers to entry. Optometry is a licensure racket with strong legal barriers to entry. The sale of glasses is ostensibly a separate business without the same barriers, but I suspect it rides on the…

I agree to an extent. Most people could do what your average pediatrician does at a normal checkup. The reason you want a licenced pediatrician is for the abnormal. While an optometrist isn't generally needed, they are sometimes. For example, they are generally the first ones to catch diabetes. I'm not an optometrist, just someone that has worn glasses their whole life.

Me too. The diabetes angle is interesting – I hadn't thought of that.
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