# how much do you pay for prescription eyeglasses



## nubly (Nov 2, 2006)

i just came back from lenscrafter. total bill for 1 frame and 4 lenses (2 lenses for my sunglases) $800!!  with a $150 discount. next time im just going to wal-mart. i may get lasik done because my prescription has changed every year for the past 15 years so it'll be cheaper in the long run.


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## Becky (Nov 5, 2003)

My grandma just got new lenses in her glasses, not the frames, just the lenses and it cost her $200. 

Seems like a big rip off. They know you have to have them so they can charge whatever outrageous amount they want. :mum


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## Amocholes (Nov 5, 2003)

The last pair i got from my Optometrist ran about $350. That's the part that my insurance doesn't cover. Unfortunately After about a year I got a bad scratch on one lense and the insurance only works every 2 years. My prescription was fine so I bought a pair online that cost about $80. The lenses are pretty good but the frames are not made very well.


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## Andre (Feb 27, 2004)

Eight (8) dollars, plus the cost of the eye exam.


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## shyvr6 (Feb 18, 2008)

The part that connects to my ear(I forget what it's called) just broke on my glasses, and I don't even want to know what a replacement would cost.


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## X33 (Feb 13, 2005)

EH it was about 100-150$. 800$ is ridiculously expensive.


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## X33 (Feb 13, 2005)

nubly said:


> i just came back from lenscrafter. total bill for 1 frame and 4 lenses (2 lenses for my sunglases) $800!!  with a $150 discount. next time im just going to wal-mart. i may get lasik done because my prescription has changed every year for the past 15 years so it'll be cheaper in the long run.


Wouldn't contacts be cheaper if your prescription changes regularly? I mean until you get around to the Lasik.


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## Bad Religion (Dec 14, 2006)

Ahh $800? That's insane. I'm getting new eyeglasses and contacts next month and I'm almost afraid to see how much it's all going to cost. The last time I got glasses it was only $80 because insurance covered it but insurance wont cover me again until next year so I'm going to have to pay full price this time.


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## Andre (Feb 27, 2004)

I forgot to mention that I don't have health insurance. They're just ridiculously low-priced glasses. Those eight dollar glasses can be bought online. Probably made in China by slave children.


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## Neptunus (Oct 29, 2007)

I payed @ $160 ($60 frame + $100 lenses) for mine at Wal-mart. The eye exam was an additional $50.


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## TruSeeker777 (Nov 9, 2003)

I just got new eyeglasses with a magnetic sunglass clip making it comparable to two pairs of glasses. Cost was $444.00 but that was with anti-scratch/glare coatings and a special type of lens because I'm blind as a bat.


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## cakesniffer (Nov 11, 2003)

I recently got a new pair of glasses and my free insurance from the state paid for them! I shall miss that insurance when I move. :sigh


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## Slothrop (Aug 11, 2007)

I get $400+ of free coverage every two years for my eyes. That works out to a new pair every two years. My most recent pair cost $300 after the frame ($130) and lenses with added scratch-proofing, anti-glare, etc. Great deal for me, would be difficult to afford it otherwise. Under the same plan I've got free dental, free anti-depressants, two pairs of $800 foot orthotics, etc.


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## FightSanity (Jul 19, 2008)

I pay $290 for every set of lenses.. anti-glare coating is a must.

Frames are usually an additional $150+. Of course you can buy $8 frames but I don't like having sores all over


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

March, 1998 - $250 with my dad's insurance

December, 2007 - first time to the doctor in almost 11 years, got tested, have the EXACT SAME PRESCRIPTION! I figured that I should get updated (smaller lensed) frames - the lady wanted to keep my old glasses for posterity. :lol Price with my insurance that was to end that month: $600!


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## Andre (Feb 27, 2004)

FightSanity said:


> I pay $290 for every set of lenses.. anti-glare coating is a must.
> 
> Frames are usually an additional $150+. Of course you can buy $8 frames but I don't like having sores all over


What sores?


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## copper (Nov 10, 2003)

I buy mine online for as low as $7.95. The glasses I have on now are photo chromic and they were a little more at around $30. Even with my insurance I am still forking out at least $100.

http://www.eyebuydirect.com


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Never go to Lens Crafters if you're looking for low prices. They are anything but cheap.



TruSeeker777 said:


> ...a special type of lens because I'm blind as a bat.


I assume you mean high index lenses. I know there are at least two levels of high index (refractive index -- how much it bends the light), but many can't stand the highest index type as it results in too much distortion (though it provides for the thinnest, lightest lens). Also, if you're nearsighted (have a minus power) the center of the lens is the thinnest point and there is the option of how thin you want the center ground down to, where thinner = easier to break.

My glasses had a price of $163 back in 1996. That doesn't include the cost of an eye exam, and is simply the price of high index lenses put in a frame. My prescription has been very stable for many years, so they are still near ideal even after all that time. I only wear them when I have my contacts out. I'm not a fan of glasses. I hate the feel and the limited field of vision. Contacts certainly have their problems, but I find them the lesser of two evils.


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## nubly (Nov 2, 2006)

i like wearing glasses for vanity reasons. i have a sunken look to my eyes and dark circles. you cant tell this much because the glasses hide them. also have some kind of phobia about having things on my eyes. the thought of contact lenses makes my skin crawl :afr


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

nubly said:


> the thought of contact lenses makes my skin crawl :afr


And I've managed to wear contacts since age 11.

Then I probably shouldn't tell you that a lens can move out of place if you rub your eye and get folded up and stuck way far up under your eye lid where even an experienced wearer like me finds it difficult to find & retrieve. But I'll tell you anyhow. :lol


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## not_so_cloudy (Jun 29, 2008)

In some stores you can get glasses from 1 dollar to 20 dollars. try them on to see how well your vision Is. I have insurance, and If I needed something extra I would have had to pay extra. So I left the frills off. 

Get the basics, no designer anything, no spf/uva/uvb whatever, no special bend quality were the glasses don't break if you sit on them and so on. all that is extra. I remember when the lady said (at the eye glass place), okay these (glasses) are your choices that the insurance will cover. I picked what would look nice on me. she wanted to add all these extras for extras fee's. And Im thinking...I don't think so.


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## nubly (Nov 2, 2006)

^ i at least need the featherweight extra because if not then my glasses will look like coke bottle bottoms
edit: but the only extras i get are the ones that the dr prescribes


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## ShyFX (Mar 6, 2006)

My aunt works at a place so I got a pair of transition lenses and the frames for about $220. I never buy designer frames, though. They're too fancy for my face.


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## IllusionOfHappiness (Sep 6, 2007)

I think mine were in the $300-400 range. And the only reason I have them at all is because my mother works at the shop, we didn't have to pay anything. They could have made us pay - I mean it isn't a huge deal since I wear contacts most of the time, but they're nice people. Too bad my mom's switching jobs =/
My prescription has changed a bit by now too. Crap.

I would also like to try lasik.


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## FightSanity (Jul 19, 2008)

Rufus said:


> FightSanity said:
> 
> 
> > I pay $290 for every set of lenses.. anti-glare coating is a must.
> ...


Daily wear... even with my featherwates and light weight wire frames I get red sores on both ears and either side of my nose. Glasses suck.


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## nubly (Nov 2, 2006)

just got back from picking them up. now i can see all my wrinkles around my eyes and forehead. i miss my old eyesight


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## mserychic (Oct 2, 2004)

I have to get a new rx about every 2 years. Last time it was $650 for 2 pairs.. one regular and one sunglasses. I don't have insurance but luckily my mum bought me them for my bday.

I tried out contacts once and couldn't get used to touching my eyes. Plus I've been wearing glasses since 2nd grade and it felt too weird not wearing them.


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## TruSeeker777 (Nov 9, 2003)

UltraShy said:


> Never go to Lens Crafters if you're looking for low prices. They are anything but cheap.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes, the high index lenses. I am very nearsighted so if I got regular lenses they would be thicker and heavier. I wore contacts in high school but I have that dry eye problem and unless I want to take the time to put drops in my eyes every hour, it's just not worth it to me.

On another note, I recently bought a pair of eyeglasses with the magnetic sunglass clip at Eyemasters. The frames/clip were made by Guess. I didn't care whether it was a designer frame or not, it's just what they had available with the magnetic clip thing which was what I wanted. Anyway, they were having a sale and the total came to $198.00. I was so happy. I thought that was a steal. I went to pick them up and when I tried them on, the lady asked me how they felt. I said the frames felt fine but something was wrong because I couldn't see clearly in them. Long story short, my prescription is different for each eye and they put the wrong lenses in the wrong side of the frame....duh! I can't believe they made a mistake like that but they did. They fixed it pretty quick but I ended up taking them back anyway. I'm not one to complain but the frames/clip were poorly designed and made it difficult to wear them. I expected more from Guess, I guess. No problems getting my money back but it really hurt when I went to another place and ended up paying $444.00 for the ones I have now, more than double what I paid at Eyemasters. :fall


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## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

about 200 I rather just have contact lenses


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## Jaded_ (Jul 25, 2008)

With the frames and lenses altogether, it's about $300-400. I normally wear contacts.


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## tiberius (Feb 9, 2007)

I got my glasses five years go for 320 euros which was about $320 at that time. And that includes a 20% discount. They came with brand frames and thinner lenses + all possible coatings etc. I bought them just before I joined the army just to find out that I would have gotten new glasses for free in there :mum


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## Canadian Brotha (Jan 23, 2009)

Without coverage my last pairs came to $640 total on a 2 for one deal, can't imagine what it would have cost without that deal & no coverage. Glasses are expensive without a doubt


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## foe (Oct 10, 2010)

About $250-$300 and this was around 2000-01. I remember my mom was b****ing at me for buying them. That was the first-time we figured out expensive the medical/healthcare industry was. LOL


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## AllToAll (Jul 6, 2011)

I paid $50 for the exam and $120 for the lenses because I know A Lady.


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## lostinlife (Jun 2, 2010)

I had VSP insurance before. They cover the full cost of an eye exam every year but they pay peanuts for the actual glasses. My last pair of glasses cost about $280 from Costco after $30 coverage by insurance. That's actually pretty good considering I was paying $400 for glasses with my old eye doctor. 

Remember that you don't have to buy glasses from the place you get your eye exam though. Legally, they have to provide you with the prescription so you can choose where to buy glasses. They are supposed to do that automatically anyway but no eye doctor I've been to has ever done that unless I've asked for it.


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## McFly (Jul 15, 2014)

About $5 for a generic pair from China. It'll run you about $20 for a more stylish version.


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## The Loudest Mind (Sep 8, 2014)

800! Holy moly. I've been looking around for a couple months now and ended up scoring beautiful Vera wang eyeglasses that were 70% off with both a store discount and my dads employee discount at Sears. So it ended up coming to a little over 100.


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## nubly (Nov 2, 2006)

^I'm afraid of lasik. I just go to walmart these days. Much better.


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## Skeletra (Aug 30, 2012)

611,16 in us $ for the glasses alone.
I can't make my face look good, but I can make my accessories stylish so I go for Italian or French.
It's a little more than I make a month, but they stay there for well over a year so it's worth it in the long run.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

I think my glasses were around $350 total.
This thread went untouched for SIX YEARS and then was revived yesterday? :eyes!


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## sqrkbkwmqko (Sep 28, 2014)

For just the lenses, 190USD IF I hadn't mind having really thick lenses. otherwise 340, just for the lenses


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## NadineKite06 (Apr 6, 2015)

I pay about $10 a month for vision insurance, $20 co-pay for any glasses I want & $10 co-pay for eye exams.


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## Smallfry (Oct 11, 2004)

My last pair was around £500 but I got a nice discount as one the perks of being the optometrists sister which I think I saved a packet over the years. The majority of the cost is for the lenses which due to my high prescription I have to have it thinned significantly to avoid the milk bottle effect The sight test is often free.


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