Comments on: How to Buy Quality Eye Glasses Online & Save Hundreds

By: G.E. Miller

G.E. Miller — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:06:47 +0000

good advice, Dee!

By: Dee

Dee — Mon, 07 May 2012 02:32:35 +0000

I was scared to order online. My fear kept me needing glasses for almost 3 years. I did some research and was still scared after reading some negative reviews for a few companies. Then I decided after getting my new prescription, and found out my glasses would cost me around $450, to bite the bullet and order online. I paid $65 for the exam and didn’t have the $450.

I wanted an up to date frame and just be able to see again. Then I found Coastal.com with the first pair free. Well. nothing is free but I got my RX filled with designer frames, progressive durable air lens, scratch resistant, UV protection and anti-reflective coating for $104 which included shipping and insurance.

I am very happy! These glasses arrived in about 9 days and they are perfect. They will need adjusting but if the optical want to charge I could care less. After all. I have enough to pay for that.

I will never buy my glasses from an optical store again. I will buy online no matter what the scare mongers say. They can try but I know they are just feeling the pain of being ripped off. After all, they have been ripping eyeglass wearers off for years.

My glasses are so well made and light. I can see excellent with these progressive lens and I don’t care what country they came from. But Coastal.com says they have their own labs and do not outsource their work. I don’t really care if they are made this perfect.

I am so glad I put my fear aside. I can’t wait to order my next pair online. Only next time I will not be afraid. So, take the plunge and save a bundle and buy something nice with the money you save by buying your glasses online.

By: JRR

JRR — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:50:47 +0000

It’s possible that the plastic frames are not as good. I have not ever had plastic frames, always metal, and I don’t know anyone who has bought plastic frames from Zenni. I have numerous metal frames from them, the oldest is now about 4 years old and they’re still fine.

I think some people are much harder on glasses than other people too. The last time I broke a pair of glasses was 35 years ago when I was a teenager.

By: Kath

Kath — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:39:07 +0000

I received my new glasses (that I ordered through Coastal.com) about 6 wks ago. Single vision prescription, anti-glare, semi-cool frames for only $19, including shipping! Showed all my co-workers, wore them all the time, and just this morning – broken.Plastic is cracked. I took them to my old optician, just to see if there was anything he could do, but he could not. Apparently he used to carry this line of frames years ago, but after dealing with a junky line of frames, he dropped them. He also mentioned that the frames I got such a great deal on have been discontinued for at least 2 years now, so a regular store wouldn’t carry them because there would be no warranty. And, he specifically told me that when this happens, wholesalers sell the junk frames to anyone willing to buy them for pennies on the dollar. I asked him to put my lenses in a new frame, but when he put my lenses in his microscope, he told me he would not because the lenses had prism in them-due to improper manufacturing. I’m done with buying online. What a waste of $19.

By: JRR

JRR — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:20:05 +0000

DUDE. Capslock. There’s no need to YELL here.

I agree. If you’re bothering the optician about lens type and all that, you should buy from them.

I don’t. I just need my prescription checked and my annual eye health checks, and I’ll be out of there.

Personally my experience has been that opticians usually try to steer me into ridiculously expensive options that I do not need. I’m perfectly happy with simple $50 progressive lenses. The last time I was to the optician she tried to sell me some fancy computer-generated curve multistep bifocals with some crazy coatings and designer frames, the bill would have been close to $1000. I didn’t even ask for her opinion, she just started pushing this stuff. I went home and bought $50 glasses that I’ve been happy with for over a year now.

By: TCA

TCA — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:38:54 +0000

I UNDERSTAND THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE OKAY WITH PURCHASISNG THEIR EYEGLASSES ONLINE, AND THAT’S GREAT!! WHAT IS NOT GREAT IS THAT THEY COME INTO THE OPTICAL NOT ONLY FOR A PD, BUT WANTING TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF LENS IS RIGHT FOR THEIR NEEDS, WHAT SIZE, SHAPE, STYLE AND COLOR. THIS IS MY JOB AND I DONT THINK ITS FAIR FOR ME TO HELP THEM MAKE A DECISION AND THEN THEY TURN AROUND AND PURCHASE ONLINE. ALL OF THESE THINGS (INCLUDING DISCUSSING THEM) ARE PART OF FITTING SOMEONE WITH THE CORRECT EYEWEAR. BUY YOUR GLASSE ONLINE, JUST DONT WASTE OUR TIME TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO IT OR WHAT TO GET.

By: JRR

JRR — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:49:02 +0000

@1opp
That prescription looks custom-designed to be as illegible as
possible.
Anyway, some de-mystification:

dexter = right, sinister = left
OD = right eye, OS = left eye.

sphere = simple correction, near/farsightedness
cyl+axis = astigmatic correction

PL = flat(plano), no correction (0.00)

So yours is:
right eye:
sphere -2.50
cylinder -0.75
axis 19

left eye:
sphere 0.00
cylinder -0.75
axis 19

You will also need your PD – pupillary distance. This is simply the distance from the center of one pupil to the center of the other when you’re looking at something far away.

If you have gotten glasses before, call up the optometrist and ask for your PD. It does not change. They are required to provide you this information.

I have had good luck measuring this myself by standing at a window, holding a mm ruler with a thumbnail on “zero”, holding the ruler even with my eyes and sliding my other thumbnail along the ruler from the other side while looking at a far away tree until the two nails seem to touch in my vision, then look at the measurement. I came to within 1mm of my optometrist’s measurement. Anything within 2 or 3mm should be fine.

By: 1opp

1opp — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:21:53 +0000

Can someone please tell me what my prescription means…

Sphere CYL AXIS

OD -25 -075 019

OS PL -075 019

I am trying to order glasses online and all they as is what is the Left eye and what is the Right eye ( example.. 15.5 or 20.1)

Lost…please help!!

By: jridley

jridley — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:45:10 +0000

I agree about Transitions. They always show people hiking, at the beach, etc, but the reality is that the majority of the time that people want sunglasses it’s in the car. Transitions doesn’t work in the car because it triggers off of UV, and auto glass blocks UV. So you need sunglasses anyway. Luckily a pair of sunglasses in single vision (for driving) from Zenni costs about $25 at most, cheaper than non-prescription glasses.

By: JustKat

JustKat — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:37:40 +0000

Four months ago I paid $800 for a pair of glasses that I hate and feel like an idiot for doing so. Part of that cost was Transitions which do absolutely nothing unless standing in full direct sun. Complete waste of money.

I seriously wish I’d gone online to buy to begin with. I intend to purchase through Zinni and I’m glad I found this forum.