Prescription Glasses Buying Guide:

No one wants to have to wear prescription glasses, but as we get older the odds of needing them to drive, read, or just improve your overall vision is almost inevitable. The first step is to go to your eye doctor and get an eye exam. We have written a complete review of an eye exam here. Once the optometrist has give you the vision test and looked at your eyes through a powerful lens. The typical eye chart is what most of think about when taking an eye exam, but that is only a small part of the exam. Much of it is now done with high powered machines. The phoropter is used during a refraction and this is how the eye doctor will determine what your prescription will be - if you need glasses. Other commons instruments include autorefractor or aberrometer. The eye exam may take up to 45 minutes and at that time you will know if a prescription is needed for lenses. I went to a local optometrist for the exam and found out that I needed reading glasses. My vision was fairly good, but my eyes would tire after about 20 minutes of reading so the prescription lenses are meant to help eye fatigue.

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The most important part of this article is that you understand that buying prescription lenses and glasses does not have to be done at the eye doctor. I had never been through the process before and essentially wasted lots of money after the exam itself. Once you have a prescription for eye glasses from your doctor, you can take it to any number of places that fill prescriptions for eyewear. Frames are much cheaper at retail outlets than at your eye doctor. I know I felt somewhat "misguided" by my doctor in that they never mentioned having my prescription filled outside of their facility. I chose my frames and had the lens prescription filled by them. The cost was really high compared to what others have paid. I check online and asked my friends only to realize I probably wasted $100's. You can just as easily go to places like LensCrafters. I was on their website and saw an offer for 30% off eyeglasses. FramesDirect.com is another online option and they have a lens pricing guide so you can quickly see which style of lens is best for your needs - plastic, polycarbonate, high index 1.67 and high index 1.74. They feature built in UV protection, are lightweight, have many are impact resistant and scratch resistant. Binyons and Pearle Vision are 2 others that come to mind - so remember to shop around once you get the prescription from your eye doctor. All of these stores also offer designer frames so you don't have to look like someone from the 1970's, unless you like that style. I went with the Flexon eyeglass frames - they are highly flexible and very durable. The "memory metal" helps them return to their original shape even when bent or twisted.

Prescription Glasses Cost:

There are 2 parts to filling your new vision prescription - you need to buy eyeglass frames and get lenses that will help your vision. The eyeglass frames should not be that expensive - if you go with a generic look and style, you can get them for $40 to $100. The designer eyewear frames can get a little more costly. We found an excellent selection on Amazon - view the best selling designer prescription eyewear online here. Choose from top brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Ray Ban, Fendi, Prada, Robert Cavalli, Tag Heuer, Versace, Christian Dior, Chloe and more. There are dozens of options and most are priced between $100 to $300. I looked into the Polo and Hugo Boss frames at my optometrist office, but thought that since I was only wearing the glasses for reading, why spend $100's on a product that no one would see me in. When it comes to features on your eyewear frames you will find they are made with plastic, metal, wood, gold, etc. Most are lightweight, metal are obviously stronger than plastic, the metal frames tend to be corrosion resistant. Some are hypoallergenic and many of the newer models are flexible (like the Flexon style I bought). The point being, you have a huge variety of styles, designs, colors, materials and other things to choose from. Go rimless, get special anti-glare coatings, etc.

Prescription Lenses Cost:

Generally speaking, eyeglass lenses will cost you between $100 and $200. Just to let you know I bought my pair of single vision lenses for $320, but I now know that I was overcharged by my optometrist and should have gone to an eyecare shop - someone like LensCrafters or Pearle Vision. In researching the prices online, I found that things like adding a scratch coat to the lenses or having a high index lens prescription could increase the price of lenses significantly. I'm hoping that my lenses and frames last a long time so that I get my money worth on them. I can't imagine changing the eyeglass frames anytime soon and as long as my eyes don't get worse, then I should be able to use these lenses for years. Shop around for lenses - take your prescription and get pricing from multiple sources. Don't listen to your trusted eye doctor or their staff as they are in it to make money and not offer you a deal. Another thing to consider is getting eye/vision insurance through your healthcare provider. My wife has vision insurance on her plan and she pays hardly anything for a yearly visit and a spending allowance on glasses. I, on the other hand, have health insurance, but nothing for vision and spent well over $600 for the eye exam, frames and lenses. It's certainly not something I want to do every year.

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