I need glasses

[Kasey Chang]

With Zenni, I can get the frame, the lenses, and the shipping for the whole thing for under $50. I can't even get the frames for that from Gunnar. Besides, I have zero desire for blue blockers.

You need to wait for a sale. During Christmas they had a 2 pairs for $100 event, and sometimes they have refurbs for $45. I have 3 pairs (at least). prescription extra, of course.

[Baroquen]

I detest the progressive lens I got with my latest glasses earlier this year. And I'm so visual, it was really disappointing. It was so irritating, that after a couple of adjustments, they retrofitted the glasses back to a normal-type pair, and while tolerable, it's still annoying. Maybe bi-focals next time. But ugh.. angry just writing this. If not for the old pair falling apart, I'd go back and use them again.

[gbasden]

Hmm. I like my progressives. Of course, I've never had bifocals, so I don't know if I would prefer them or not.

[Madmarcus]

At some point I need to break down and get bifocals. The problem is that I have messed up all of my reading habits so badly over my life that I'm not sure how they will work out. I'm very near sighted but have always (since childhood) tended to read with the book/device closer and looking over my glasses.

Presbyopias effect is to make intermedia things worse. Distance vision is the same as it has been through my lenses, reading is just held close or adjusting the since on the computer screen but places where I can't adjust the distance or the size are starting to be impossible for me. We were at a museum last week and I found myself skipping things because I didn't want to strain to view the labels. I've always done some of that be it seemed worse.

[Kasey Chang]

With Zenni, I can get the frame, the lenses, and the shipping for the whole thing for under $50. I can't even get the frames for that from Gunnar. Besides, I have zero desire for blue blockers.

FWIW, Drop.com (formerly Massdrop) is seling Gunnar's for $40 each.

https://drop.com/buy/gunnar-gaming-glasses

[Blackhawk]

Thanks! In the end, I was able to bend the frames in such a way that they press evenly across the side of my head rather than taking all of the pressure from my headphones directly on the ridges behind my ears.

[Madmarcus]

I might be leaving this thread at some point.

I've started seriously thinking about getting surgery to improve my vision. I'm not a candidate for LASIK (or LASEK) but I'm looking into getting an IOL.

[em2nought]

I recently bought a pair of these sunglasses for wear over prescription glasses, and I'm surprised by how much I like them https://www.amazon.com/LensCovers-Sungl ... 184&sr=8-7

I don't think they look too horrid either.

[Kasey Chang]

FWIW, Woot has Gunnar "Trooper" computer glasses for $30. They don't look too good, but they have super-thin temples for headphone use.

https://computers.woot.com/offers/gunna ... cnt_wp_0_5

If you just need regular anti-blue-light glasses that's fashionable, Prive Reveux has them for $30 or $40. I think you can get 20% off with discount code KINJA20.

https://priverevaux.com/collections/blu ... ing-lenses

OTOH, I just ordered a pair of bifocals for my dad for $48 from Zenni with his prescription.

[Anonymous Bosch]

FWIW, Gamma Ray Optics provide decent quality blue light-blocking computer glasses at much more affordable prices than Gunnar.

[Kasey Chang]

FWIW, Gamma Ray Optics provide decent quality blue light-blocking computer glasses at much more affordable prices than Gunnar.

True, so does Ducco and a couple other Asian vendors on Amazon. But they don't always come with the thin temple arms.

[Jaymon]

In our recent trips to the optomitrist. Blue blocking coating on lenses is becoming pretty common for standard eyeglasses, and its even covered by my insurance. It might now be covered b yours as well.

[hepcat]

Just spent WAY too much at Lenscrafters on a new pair of glasses. They're progressive lenses and they charged me an arm and a leg for them. I was going to return them after a day and get single lenses because the progressive was driving me bonkers. But Saturday I was trying to read something in tiny print and the new lenses really popped for me in that regard. Now I'm debating exchanging them for single lens glasses.

[Zarathud]

Lenscrafters is really crazy lately with their prices. I am not spending $600 for kids glasses.

[hepcat]

Mine were about 500. But more than 300 of that was due to the progressive lenses.

I'm still torn on them. I hate the narrower field of vision that progressive lenses afford me, and I'm especially annoyed by the "intermediate" band across the middle of the glasses that make me lower my head all the time to see with the corrective part for my near sightedness, but the clarity I get with the lower portion for close up reading is fantastic. I honestly didn't think I had an issue with reading things close up until Saturday when I was trying to read a card for a board game and I didn't have to squint.

[Blackhawk]

That was why I got progressives. I had to choose when playing board games: read my cards (use my reading glasses), or see the board (use my regular glasses.) I couldn't do both. I have both the progressives and a pair of prescription reading glasses, as I progressives aren't practical for PC gaming. I think I paid $40 for my reading glasses and ~$75 for my progressives on Zenni without insurance.

90% of the cost of optometrist glasses is the name on the frames, or rather the fact that almost all brick-and-mortar frames are made by the same company, who chooses the prices or puts optometrists out of business by not letting them carry popular labels - I mean, brands.

[Kasey Chang]

FWIW, Gunnar is having a "sale"... 2 pairs for $109 if you use the code 2FOR109 at checkout.

[gbasden]

That was why I got progressives. I had to choose when playing board games: read my cards (use my reading glasses), or see the board (use my regular glasses.) I couldn't do both. I have both the progressives and a pair of prescription reading glasses, as I progressives aren't practical for PC gaming. I think I paid $40 for my reading glasses and ~$75 for my progressives on Zenni without insurance.

90% of the cost of optometrist glasses is the name on the frames, or rather the fact that almost all brick-and-mortar frames are made by the same company, who chooses the prices or puts optometrists out of business by not letting them carry popular labels - I mean, brands.

Yeah, I just got a pair of progressives from Zenni for just a bit over $100.

[morlac]

Just spent WAY too much at Lenscrafters on a new pair of glasses. They're progressive lenses and they charged me an arm and a leg for them. I was going to return them after a day and get single lenses because the progressive was driving me bonkers. But Saturday I was trying to read something in tiny print and the new lenses really popped for me in that regard. Now I'm debating exchanging them for single lens glasses.

Took me about a week or 2 to get used to my new progressives. Stick with them, I love them now. I did not get them for my new prescription sunglasses though as they were already getting expensive and I couldn't stomach another $100 for sunglasses. I have no problem spending top dollar on glasses as I want them to look and feel good. I'll spend $50 on a nice shirt I'll wear once or twice a month so I shouldn't skimp on something I have to wear every day all day. I am also a huge Sucker.

[Kraken]

Just spent WAY too much at Lenscrafters on a new pair of glasses. They're progressive lenses and they charged me an arm and a leg for them. I was going to return them after a day and get single lenses because the progressive was driving me bonkers. But Saturday I was trying to read something in tiny print and the new lenses really popped for me in that regard. Now I'm debating exchanging them for single lens glasses.

Took me about a week or 2 to get used to my new progressives. Stick with them, I love them now. I did not get them for my new prescription sunglasses though as they were already getting expensive and I couldn't stomach another $100 for sunglasses. I have no problem spending top dollar on glasses as I want them to look and feel good. I'll spend $50 on a nice shirt I'll wear once or twice a month so I shouldn't skimp on something I have to wear every day all day. I am also a huge Sucker.

It took me months to get used to progressives (I'm a lifelong bifocals guy), but I finally made peace with them. Talk about paying top dollar; the ophthalmology shop that we buy from is crazy expensive (like $600 for progressive lenses with all the options, plus designer frames), but after they apply our insurance they're just plain expensive ($250-300 range). They're top quality, and as you said I wear them every day, all day, so it's worth it to me. I went to Warby Parker for my last pair and they were scratched up within a year.

[Kasey Chang]

I gave my dad bifocals when he got his eyes checked. He almost gave it back and said the readers aren't strong enough. i told him I was just going by what the optometrist said. I forgot that he prefers +3.5 readers, not the weaker 2.x readers you can buy in stores. I should have put in 3.5 instead 2.0 on the bifocal bits. *sigh*

For my own use, I bought a pair of photochromatic yellow-tint glasses, so I can wear the same pair day or night. It's not prescription'ed.

[Blackhawk]

It took me about a week before the progressives stopped annoying me, then another week or two before they felt 'right', but the problems they solved made it worth the effort.

And at $75 on Zenni, I got glasses as good as anything for five times as much from a B&M store.

[hepcat]

Since I don't really need them for reading (yet) and was just doing that as a matter of convenience when watching tv and reading, progressive lenses weren't absolutely necessary for me. I was getting headaches and blurred vision even after 3 weeks of use, so I returned them for single lenses. I may revisit it someday, but it's probably best to wait until I need glasses full time before doing so.

[Holman]

I'm wondering about people's experience with Warby Parker.

I just got two new complicated prescriptions (one for moving around in the world and one for reading/computer use) from my regular optician, and I then went ahead and ordered (for free) five returnable Warby Parker frames to see if I like the fit. I do like two of them.

I have a local Warby Parker physical location where I can go and get the on-site optician to measure the frames and apply my prescriptions to them. I'd prefer to do this in person in order to get the distance between my pupils and the arm height set just right for these frames. I called and they say I can definitely bring in my own prescription without needing an in-house exam.

So it looks like I can use my trusted new prescription with affordable WP frames. Is there any reason not to do so? Has anyone had any bad experience with WB that would warn me off of them?

Thanks!

[malchior]

I've only had positive experiences with Warby Parker. I have bought 4 sets of glasses and a pair of Rx sunglasses from them. All were done quickly over the Internet (upload a photo of my Rx) and much less expensively than competing brands.

[Kraken]

I had one pair of Warbies. I liked the frames but the lenses were the worst I've ever had. Despite being the scratch-resistant polycarbonite (or whatever), they scratched quite easily, and the focal point was a little bit off-center (I did go into their store and get measured in person). I replaced them after a year.

Now I go to the optometry shop at my ophthalmologist office and pay a ridiculous price for top quality. Insurance and the AAA discount bring the price down to merely expensive. But I wear them daily and they'll last 2-3 years, so they're worth it.

I can't recommend Warby.

[Holman]

I had one pair of Warbies. I liked the frames but the lenses were the worst I've ever had. Despite being the scratch-resistant polycarbonite (or whatever), they scratched quite easily, and the focal point was a little bit off-center (I did go into their store and get measured in person). I replaced them after a year.

I'm super-paranoid about letting my glasses touch anything, so I don't worry so much about scratching, but the focal point issue is a concern.

I think I'm going to give them a chance, but I'll be extra careful in-shop about getting measured.

[Kraken]

I had one pair of Warbies. I liked the frames but the lenses were the worst I've ever had. Despite being the scratch-resistant polycarbonite (or whatever), they scratched quite easily, and the focal point was a little bit off-center (I did go into their store and get measured in person). I replaced them after a year.

I'm super-paranoid about letting my glasses touch anything, so I don't worry so much about scratching, but the focal point issue is a concern.

I think I'm going to give them a chance, but I'll be extra careful in-shop about getting measured.

I clean mine frequently -- I can't stand dirty glasses -- with soap and water and microfiber cloths and my current lenses are unscratched after two years. Those Warbies got the same treatment but they really didn't hold up.

I know WP has a lot of fans, so my experience was probably an outlier. They're certainly cheap and the frames were fine. I won't buy them again, though.

[Holman]

I had one pair of Warbies. I liked the frames but the lenses were the worst I've ever had. Despite being the scratch-resistant polycarbonite (or whatever), they scratched quite easily, and the focal point was a little bit off-center (I did go into their store and get measured in person). I replaced them after a year.

I'm super-paranoid about letting my glasses touch anything, so I don't worry so much about scratching, but the focal point issue is a concern.

I think I'm going to give them a chance, but I'll be extra careful in-shop about getting measured.

Both of my Warby Parker glasses arrived this week. (Due to the extreme and uneven fucked-upedness of my eyeballs, I require different glasses for driving/walking/teaching and for extended use of computers/books/grading even though both pairs are progressive bifocals.)

I'm very happy with them. They got the prescriptions right, and the transition from straight-ahead to closer viewing is seamless and good. They are also the first time I've opted for wide frames, which I wished I'd done years ago to accommodate my thick Scottish cranium. The glasses look and feel good.

One pair was under $400 and the other was just over. This is a little more expensive than I expected, but I know that each single pair would have been over $500 if I'd followed my normal route. I figure I saved almost $250 by going with Warby. There was also a discount for buying more than one frame at a time.

[Isgrimnur]

You either need to go National Treasure or Spy Kids.

[Holman]

Yeah, that's basically it.

I've got weird irregular astigmatisms in both eyes, and it's kind of hard/expensive to get a prescription that engages both eyeballs equally.

I got hit with a hockey puck in my right eye in 9th grade, and it seems to have done some damage. That my right eye was dominant, however, led to further complications. Due to the eyeball damage I've been on Glaucoma watch my whole life, but so far, so good.

[Jaymann]

One for each shed.

[YellowKing]

I only wear low-power reading glasses but I feel like I'm going to have to bump them up a notch or two. Going to wait until my eye doctor visit in a couple of weeks. It's probably not a good sign when you're squinting to read something *while* wearing your glasses.