Cheap prescription glasses?

[Hannathy]

Really take your soapbox somewhere else! How convenient that this is what you decided to join a Disney forum to preach about. As far as unfair pay, any pay is better than none. I would rather feed my kids rice than nothing!!
What union do you belong to anyway?

Back to real subject before it was hijacked.

Zenni frames and lenses are just as high quality as you will buy at Lens crafters or Walmart or you name it. My DD has a pair for 2 yrs now that are in perfect shape and as a Teen who Dances and plays softball and Techs in theater they get plenty of abuse. Same for my DH although he is a bit more gentle with his!
In fact my DD just had new lenses put into her frames from Zenni that she got 3 yrs ago and likes so much. Sam's said the frames were fine and put new lenses in. (more expensive than new frames and lenses from Zenni, but she really likes the frame)

 

[uberoptiker]

Harder still when your job is outsourced... In any case, if you figure $175 for the frame, once every 2-3 years or so. Some keep them longer. You can then have new lenses put intothe same frame. The tires wear out on the car, you don't necessarily replace the car... I undersatnd that $600 is a lot. I also undertand that for many folks, $300 is a lot (the price mentioned earlier by one of the posters who looked at Oakley's, for instance), but you don't have to replace the frame every time you need lenses. There are less expensive frames out there that are still quality. Most of them are made in Italy (at least they're our friends, and don't try to hack Google, and try to tell the President not to visit with whoever he likes, like the Dalai Lama). These are supported by a network of folks employed in the U.S. distribution network, and the lenses still made here. One thing to consider... Product safety. Do you really trust the Chinese after all of the lead-in-paint, melamine in dairy and pet food, cadmium in jewellry that keeps happening? It's like they're trying to poison us on purpose! If you could buy milk for $0.50a gallon, but it might have a slow poison in it that might make you sick, would you buy it just because it's cheaper? America needs to wake up to what China is doing to this country.

 

[daughtersrus]

Harder still when your job is outsourced... In any case, if you figure $175 for the frame, once every 2-3 years or so. Some keep them longer. You can then have new lenses put intothe same frame. The tires wear out on the car, you don't necessarily replace the car... I undersatnd that $600 is a lot. I also undertand that for many folks, $300 is a lot (the price mentioned earlier by one of the posters who looked at Oakley's, for instance), but you don't have to replace the frame every time you need lenses. :

As I said, for my child the frame won't last 2-3years and her prescription changes at least twice a year. Where do I go to get the frame replaced when she pulls them off and the temple breaks? Where do I send the frame back to to have new lenses put in with her new prescription? How long will she be without glasses while we're waiting for them to be returned to us?

 

[uberoptiker]

How old is the child? There's some great kids frames out there that are virtually indestructable, and not that expensive. They're not U.S made, but French (again, at least not Chinese, and I trust their quality, and materials)... The frames I'm thinking of are plastic and can be had for around $50.
I know some parents will have two pair for a child who tends to break eyeglasses, one as a spare. They leapfrog the prescriptions in them...

 

[daughtersrus]

How old is the child? There's some great kids frames out there that are virtually indestructable, and not that expensive. They're not U.S made, but French (again, at least not Chinese, and I trust their quality, and materials)... The frames I'm thinking of are plastic and can be had for around $50.
I know some parents will have two pair for a child who tends to break eyeglasses, one as a spare. They leapfrog the prescriptions in them...

Almost 16yo but smaller than the average size.

If I purchase 2 pairs as you suggest, it's now going to cost me $600 every six months.

Her current frames are plastic as well but they break at the temple when she pulls them off. They also have to come with long enough temples so that they can be heated up and bent to wrap around her ears like a cable temple would.

What does They leapfrog the prescriptions in them mean and who does it?

 

[pixiewings71]

How old is the child? There's some great kids frames out there that are virtually indestructable, and not that expensive. They're not U.S made, but French (again, at least not Chinese, and I trust their quality, and materials)... The frames I'm thinking of are plastic and can be had for around $50.
I know some parents will have two pair for a child who tends to break eyeglasses, one as a spare. They leapfrog the prescriptions in them...

My child is 13, she's been very careful with her glasses but that doesn't mean she won't break them, doesn't need a backup pair just in case, won't grow out of them, won't lose them, or anything else might happen. You obviously aren't on a budget and it doesn't matter what you pay for glasses. I paid OUT OF POCKET for DD's glasses! NOT budget. $50 frames? LOL NOT at our eye dr (which was just site for sore eyes at our local mall btw), the cheapest frames they had were $75 and they were horribly ugly and did not work for her at all. Seriously, way to join the forum to preach to us about where to buy our glasses.

Almost 16yo but smaller than the average size.

If I purchase 2 pairs as you suggest, it's now going to cost me $600 every six months.

Her current frames are plastic as well but they break at the temple when she pulls them off. They also have to come with long enough temples so that they can be heated up and bent to wrap around her ears like a cable temple would.

What does They leapfrog the prescriptions in them mean and who does it?

My old eye dr used leapfrogging as a term when he meant we would give me new lenses in old frames. Not sure if that's what uber meant but that's how my eye dr used to use it. My DD is 13, she needs hers to wrap around her ears too, that way they won't fall off. Ya, I can't imagine paying $300 for a pair of glasses for my kid, who will break them or grow out of them eventually. Heck I wouldn't pay that much for MY glasses....LOL

 

[Cibahwewah]

I got a decent deal at costco, with designer frames (Ralph Lauren), and progressive bifocal lenses, they were $125, including the antiglare. You also get the case, and refillable lens cleaner.

 

[kelleyrn2000]

For my dd, we got the best deal at Shopko. She bends and tramples her glasses so much, we had to go with the place with the best warranty. Shopko will replace her glasses as many times as needed for a year. Hers were $120.

But I was hoping to find her prescription sunglasses. Does Zenni have those for kids?

 

[Hannathy]

For my dd, we got the best deal at Shopko. She bends and tramples her glasses so much, we had to go with the place with the best warranty. Shopko will replace her glasses as many times as needed for a year. Hers were $120.

But I was hoping to find her prescription sunglasses. Does Zenni have those for kids?

Yep you can get sunglass coating/tinting whatever it is called on I think any lens they sell. At least my family has never run across a lens that couldn't be made into a sunglass.

 

[uberoptiker]

while it might not seem like it, I really am here to help, not berate anyone. Kudo's to the person who got their kid's glasses at Shopko. The lab work would have been done in the U.S. (frame probably still Chinese, but if you look, you might be able to find a Korean frame which would be much better made and safer with regard to materials). You might also find a decent deal at Target.

 

[uberoptiker]

I would like to apologize for some of the exchange that has occurred on this board. This thread was forwarded to me as it pertained to eyeglasses, a subject I have no small amount of knowlege in, and have often helped those on other boards with advice they might not otherwise be privy to. I initially thought it was a board for Disney fans (the dis in the name, and the disney trip planning part). I go back and see that it is a support forum regarding disabilities. This explains why the glasses are getting broken so often. In any case, I will be revisiting in the future, but for different reasons. My son is currently on a waiting list to be screened for Aspergers. While he's bright, he has a lot of behavior issues in school, which cause his frequent removal from class.
In any case, Mea Culpa, and I'll be checking some of the sections devoted to Autism next.
Speaking of which, FYI, Oakley has just released two new models of sunglasses supporting TACA (Talk About Curing Autism) $20 from each purchase goes to TACA. They are regular sunglasses, but can hold most prescriptions. THese are rather large, so they're for moms and dads...
Cheers!
Cheers,
Mark

 

[pixiewings71]

while it might not seem like it, I really am here to help, not berate anyone. Kudo's to the person who got their kid's glasses at Shopko. The lab work would have been done in the U.S. (frame probably still Chinese, but if you look, you might be able to find a Korean frame which would be much better made and safer with regard to materials). You might also find a decent deal at Target.

Mark I highly support keeping work in America and not outsourcing. I work for a company that makes all our products here in the US and I understand how important it is to keep jobs here. How do you know where your glasses are being sent to or from? DD's last pair came from Site for Sore Eyes, they were ready in just a couple days, I assumed the work was done here how would I know that tho? Do I just have to ask?

I would like to apologize for some of the exchange that has occurred on this board. This thread was forwarded to me as it pertained to eyeglasses, a subject I have no small amount of knowlege in, and have often helped those on other boards with advice they might not otherwise be privy to. I initially thought it was a board for Disney fans (the dis in the name, and the disney trip planning part). I go back and see that it is a support forum regarding disabilities. This explains why the glasses are getting broken so often. In any case, I will be revisiting in the future, but for different reasons. My son is currently on a waiting list to be screened for Aspergers. While he's bright, he has a lot of behavior issues in school, which cause his frequent removal from class.
In any case, Mea Culpa, and I'll be checking some of the sections devoted to Autism next.
Speaking of which, FYI, Oakley has just released two new models of sunglasses supporting TACA (Talk About Curing Autism) $20 from each purchase goes to TACA. They are regular sunglasses, but can hold most prescriptions. THese are rather large, so they're for moms and dads...
Cheers!
Cheers,
Mark

Actually this thread is not on the disabilities forum, this thread is on the Budget Board forum. There is a disabilities forum on the Dis but this thread is not there.

 

[uberoptiker]

So the glasses were from a retail location, not online. This company is a national chain, partnered with Sterling Optical. While the parent company is national, the stores are quite often franchised, so ownership will usually be local. In truth, you don't know that the lenses were done locally, but I'm unaware of any retail brick-and-mortar shops that have thier lenses done overseas. If you are satisfied with the service you got there, by all means, shop there again. You will be suppoirting local jobs (the opticians) and probably a local store owner. The lenses were most likely made in the U.S. and probably cut to fit the frame right in the store. Big box storesl like Wal-Mart will have a centralized lab, but they are usually in the U.S. too... It's mainly the $39 places that have averything done in China. You might want to look at the country of manufacture on the frames, though, or ask...
Cheers!
Mark

 

[pixiewings71]

Thanks Mark. I was pretty sure they were made on site (the lenses) but thought I'd ask. I'm pretty sure her frames are Candies, but other than that I don't know if they were made in the USA, I just didn't think to check. Yes, they are franchised and a division of Stering Optical. We did like them but I'm not sure if they take our insurance now....I have to check. Our company vision plan changed this year and I added her to be sure she'd be covered in case she needed a new script. I was glad to add her, just wish I'd been able to do it last year but our coverage was different then and a lot more $$.

 

[uberoptiker]

I called the distributor (Viva International). Candies frames are made in China. I would tend to trust them more than frames that are no-name, and sold at fire-sale prices, though. Unfortunately, there are very few frames being made in the U.S. anymore, none of them children's. Four brands are all that I can think of, Oakley (and it's sub-brands, Fox, Arnette, and Revo), American Optical, Randolph Engineering, and Shuron (remember the movie JFK? For kids sunglasses though, look for a brand called Julbo. They're quite afforadable ($30-50) and very high quality. They're made in France, so the materials are good, and at least they don't try to dump poisonous junk on us like China...