Lenses Created Equal???

Updated on July 15, 2011
J.M. asks from Antioch, IL
6 answers

I am searching for new glasses for my 6 year old daughter that has terrible sight (legally blind in one eye)
I noticed that I can get the SAME lenses??? from one place for $90 or $250 from another. Do all lenses get made the same way with the same quality??? Should I stay away from cheaper ones???
I don't know what to do...any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you

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C.H.

answers from Dallas on

I think you are supposed to get the glasses made, then return for the follow up check so the optomitrist can test and see if the glasses fixed her eyesight correctly. If not, you can take the note back and tell them to redo it I'll bet. Ask your optomitrist if your cost didn't cover a follow up like that.

Do get them to explain your options on lenses... I would get scratch resistent and non-reflective. Ask your optomitrist if there are any differences in quality. They are not supposed to press you to get it filled at the eye glass store they may be next to.

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M.B.

answers from Austin on

I've got horrible vision, but correct down just fine.

I've been getting my glasses through Eyemasters...... 2 pair for $99 ($149 for bifocals).....

There will be different things they will try to sell you... not sure what to suggest, since your daughter is just 6, so you might want to be sure you get the "flex" frames... you can literally twist them!

Also, there is an additional charge for different coatings....

I was able to get 2 pair of no-line bifocals (one for my hubby, one for myself) for $99 through a special (expires July 16) AND an online coupon for an additional $10 off, for a total cost of $89. We didn't get any extra coatings, though.... just not in the budget for now. (This price is for frames up to $69.95, costs more if you get more expensive frames.)

Worth checking out!

M.L.

answers from Chicago on

This is something I've struggled with for years. I have inherited awful sight from my dads side - how bad? I have +8.0 on one side and +10.5 on the other - thick/magnified glasses since I was 2........anyway - it seems my lenses are expensive no matter where you get them but over the years I've found that if I go to a franchise sort of place I can find them for less than I do if I go to the opthamologist 'store' - in the past I'll go to the opthamologist for the checkup and glasses/contacts prescription, order contacts online and go to Pearl Vision (not necessarily the cheapest but haven't done too much searching) for the glasses........

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M.J.

answers from Sacramento on

I saw a news story recently that rated Costco's glasses as most accurate in the prescription. So, more expensive doesn't always equal best quality.

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C.M.

answers from St. Louis on

my two daughters (7 & 5) have astigmatism in only their right eye. One lens of their glasses has correction and the other lens is just plastic. Our ophthamalogist recommends the higher quality lenses because they eliminate the distortion between the two eyes. With the cheaper lenses the one eye that has the correction would look larger while the other eye would look normal.
They just got new glasses a few months ago and the lenses were $121 for each girl. It was the frames that were even more expensive. Fortunately, my girls take good care of their glasses and they last about 2 years.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

Lenses are the same everywhere. Except there will be different options, such as scratch protection or tinting for glare reduction, etc. You'll want to ask about these types of extras.

Try www.zennioptical.com for truly inexpensive glasses.

I had terrible eyesight from age 10 until 42 when I had Lasik surgery. I was legally blind in both eyes. Lasik left me with 20/30 vision! I only had one bad experience with eyeglasses that were made wrong. They gave me terrible headaches and it took the place three times to get them right. I don't think it was because I was at a cheaper place, it was the work quality that was lacking. I also had a very unusual prescription (astigmatism that was totally opposite in each eye) so that the people reading it got it wrong.

So, if your daughter ever complains about being dizzy or having a headache after a day or two with new lenses (because there is a short adjustment period each time a prescription changes) please take her seriously and get the glasses checked out.

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