Get Better Glasses!

From "Think Cheaply," a consumer blog:

Stop spending $300 for eyeglasses, order online.

I was sitting with a friend at lunch the other day, he was talking about his new eyeglasses, and how they were way overpriced. He had paid $300 for eyeglasses at the local shopping mall, and felt like he had been ripped off.

Now, I thought I was a step above him. I would buy my eyeglasses at an discount optical store called America's Best Contacts and Eyeglasses. When I was a kid, this was the place that my parents had dragged me to, and had me pick eyeglasses off the 49 dollar rack or whatever.

Continue reading at Think Cheaply...

From Monday through Wednesday (May 14, 2008), EyeBuyDirect.com is offering two pairs of prescription eyeglasses for the price of one. They last ran this special last November, so it doesn't come about too frequently and lasts a very short time. So if you need an eye exam, go get one ASAP. If you were going to order today, just wait one more day to take advantage of this great offer.

bestbuyeyeglass

Brick-and-Mortar optometrists have a problem: the rise of Web sites that sell eyewear at a steep discount.

A dozen or so Web-only companies including BestBuyEyeglasses.com and GlassesOnWeb.com now offer thousands of designer frames at prices as much as $75 less than conventional optometrists. While data on this still small sector are sparse, the sites say sales of eyeglasses online have grown steadily over the past few years...

continue reading the article publishedin the Wall Street Journal (direct PDF link)

Conclusions? Goggles4U is the cheapest. EyeBuyDirect nickles and dimes the price up but has the best selection. 39DollarGlasses and EyeBuyDirect are good options if you have very bad eyes because they don't charge for extras. Your mileage may vary depending particularly on the type of frame you choose. I always recommend titanium. Another note, I recently posted a link at fark and one user commented that his glasses from 39DollarGlasses were a little wonky, so I don't enthusiastically recommend that company at the moment.

Having spent a little too much time browsing the available frames at Goggles4U, EyeBuyDirect.com, and 39DollarGlasses.com, it has become apparent that there are only a few basic shapes of glasses:

From upper left to lower right: oval, round, square, butterfly, and angular. You'll find some variations on these shapes, but the basic premise stands. (All frames are clickable to their product page at Goggles4u.com)

And there are four basic face-shapes (see post #32, "Your face shape matters" ): square, round, oval, and angular (a.k.a. triangle or heart-shaped).

Matrix of Frame Shapes and Face Types

Click here to visit the yeBuyDirect homepage. They've redesigned everything and even added a few name brand frames (Calvin Klein, DKNY, others)

Looking for designer frames or sunglasses? BestBuyEyeglasses.com will give you 5% off plus free shipping from now through Mother's day (that is...uh...Saturday May 10...don't forget to call mom!). Simply use coupon "lcmomday" upon checkout.

Just click at the bottom of the entry or here to be taken to their website (will open in new window). Make sure to write down the coupon code "lcmomday" so you have it at checkout.

My pick for mom's day is the lovely Prada PR 72HV frame, shown below (click to go straight to that product page). $205 plus the cost of the lenses. Retail on this frame is about $360.

From Greenstew.com (recession inspired grocery shopping)

So I really have a special love for my glasses and contacts. I really believe that you should have an extra pair or two of glasses. But really who could afford that? Well now you can, here is a web site that offers very cheap glasses, starting at $9.00.

From Helmet of Mambrino (I have no idea what that title means)

Here are pictures of the glasses I got. I could take shots of me wearing them but I figure no one wants to see my fat mug.

These cost $8. I got them with dark blue on the inside. So they look almost completely black. I like these for their sheer nerdiness.

Designer eyewear is pricey. Though a pair of nice frames with lenses can cost well under $60 on sites like EyeBuyDirect.com or Goggles4u Eyeglasses, a pair of designer frames with lenses bought online will cost you three or four times this. In stores, designer frames with lenses tend to cost about twice what they cost online. Generally, someone shopping for designer frames isn't what might be called a bargain shopper. Despite this, why pay double for literally the exact same pair of glasses?

Choosing designer over regular eyewear gives you cutting-edge eyewear fashion. Or, if you bought designer frames in the past, you can probably find the exact same frame online for a portion of what you paid for the glasses you are wearing now. This is a good opportunity if your glasses have broken and you are looking for an identical replacement.

Here we have the Ray-Ban RX 5095 at BestBuyEyeglasses.com. An undeniably slick frame, this will cost $131 with basic lenses or $198 with polycarbonate lenses. $200 seems a lot for a pair of glasses, but this same frame runs well over $400 at any retail optometrist. It is available in three colors and in two frame sizes. The frame sizes are almost identical, though it can be configured with an extra two millimeters of width per lens. If you're confused about sizing your frame, check out this link.

Next up is a woman's frame, the Burberry BE 2001. A perfectly fashionable and lovely frame, fully configured it costs $174 with basic lenses or $242 with premium polycarbonate lenses. You can find it in two colors and two frame sizes. If you have a smaller face, go with the 52 - 17 - 31 - 135 sized frame, if you have a slightly larger face, go with the other. This frame is designed to have a large field of vision and is fairly large.

Happy surfing! If you find designer eyewear just isn't for you, or if you just can't afford it right now, check out EyeBuyDirect.com or Goggles4u to find great frames including lenses for well under $60, often for less than $30!