Yesterday, The Girl and I went to the local optometrist to get eye exams and to get a new pair of glasses. In years past, we’ve gone to Costco. It’s been fast, cheap and easy. Although Costco doesn’t accept our insurance plan, they accept a bunch of others, and because of that, it’s always been total hassle to print out the paperwork, send it in, and then a wait for a reimbursement check from the insurance company.
I thought it would be easier {on me} go to the local optometrist, get the eye exam there, order a new pair of glasses and have THEM fill out the insurance paperwork instead.
When we walked in to the optometrists office, there were 3 receptionists behind the desk. And one person at the eye glass counter. Which I thought was kind of interesting. Costco is just the opposite. Costco has 3 people selling eye glasses and only 1 person behind the desk when you go to get your eyes examined.
I knew the frames at the optometrists office would probably be more than I was used to paying for at Costco. And they were. The ones I picked out were $160. The ones I usually get at Costco run $99. But with an insurance allowance of $400 for 1 set of eyeglasses annually, I thought I have plenty of room for the lenses so I totally didn’t give it a second thought. I went back, got my eyes examined, got my prescription and headed over to order my new pair of eye glasses.
Yada yada yada…. The lady behind the counter at the optometrists office wanted to charge me $660 for my glasses {frames + prescription lenses}.
I just stared at her for a second.
“What did you say?”
“It will be $660 plus tax.”
“For 1 pair of glasses!?”
“Yes.”
“How is that possible? It’s a simple prescription. Single vision, with a scratch resistance coating and UV protection.”
“I know, glasses are so expensive. But that’s the total. I just need your insurance card.”
And then, still disbelieving, I reminded her that my insurance only covered $400. And that I was going to have to shell out an additional $260 + tax out of pocket.
She was sympathetic, but didn’t care.
And then I politely mentioned that when I’ve gone to Costco to get a new pair of glasses in the past, my total was usually around $175 or so. And WOW what a difference in price.
And then I stopped. Because it wasn’t her problem. She’s just there to sell the glasses. I thanked her for her time and told her I was sorry but I just couldn’t justify paying $260 + tax out of pocket for something when I could get it covered by insurance somewhere else.
And she totally understood.
But still, I felt bad for wasting her time.
Fast forward an hour… and The Girl and I are looking at frames in Costco.
The SPY glasses I’ve been wearing for the last few years are no longer available. So I ended up finding another brand of glasses with a thick black frame that I like. They feel good on my face, they’re sturdy, and although the glasses are a little more rounded at the bottom than I’m used to, they still feel kind of hip.
I pull out a wad of ones and fives, tell the guy behind the counter it’s my tip money from stripping over the weekend, and walk out the door 15 minutes later with a receipt and a promise of a new pair of glasses in a week for a whopping $153.98 with tax.
Lesson learned.
It is WORTH MY TIME to fill out an insurance claim and wait for reimbursement.
Independent Eye Glass Place $716.76 including tax
Costco $153.98 including tax
Money is money. And although I’d love to support an independent business, I couldn’t justify the $562.78 difference. Insurance paperwork, or no insurance paperwork.
~Mavis
P.S. I’d love to know where YOU get your glasses from. And, because I’m nosy, how much did you pay for them? Or if you have insurance, how much was your insurance billed for them?
P.P.S. Just in case you are new around here, the ones and fives came from last weekends yard sale and not from any scandalous activities. 😉
Pamela says
I get my glasses from coastal.com, they are out of Washington. They often run a promotion that your first pair of frames are under $20. They have a wide variety and have better prices on contacts also.
Mavis Butterfield says
I thought about ordering online but what happens if I need to get my glasses adjusted? I like the idea of having someone able to fix them. With me right in front of them. Awesome price though.
Julie says
You can go into any Walmart Vision Center and they will adjust your glasses even if you didn’t purchase them there.
Eve-Marie says
I also use Coastal and was about to say the same – Walmart Vision Center will adjust your glasses and do simple repairs (like replacing stripped screws, reattaching the arms) for free. I just have my opthamologist write my pupillary distance on the back of the prescription, order from coastal, and go have them adjusted if needed.
I also watch the sales at Sears Optical. Because I wear multi-focal lenses and need completely different prescriptions for driving/distance and computer/near, if I wait for the 2 for 1 sales it can come out even cheaper than Coastal, with about the same delivery time. Plus they tend to go above and beyond. 3 years ago I needed new glasses 2 weeks before I left for vacation. The normal delivery time was going to have them arriving halfway into my vacation. The sales person put a rush on the order at no charge and said if they didn’t arrive in time, she’d overnight them to my hotel. As it turned out I had my new glasses 2 days before I got on the plane.
Shelle says
I wear Coastal glasses too! Cheap, sturdy frames with no frills. I think they cost me something like $23 about 5 years ago. Walmart or Shopko vision centers do adjustments and repairs for free/cheap for everyone!
Emily says
I use Coastal.com or Zenni. If you are really careful about the frames you choose it’s easy to get something that fits your face well. They show measurements for each part of the glasses, which you can compare to a pair you already have a know fit well. If you need some little adjusting, you can use a blowdryer at home or go to a place that will adjust them for you. It’s so worth it. I never spend more than $20-$30 for a pair of glasses.
Linda says
My work health insurance covers glasses and where I see my regular GP they have an eye care center. I buy my glasses there. I have an HSA so I use some of that to cover my glasses and contacts. Last year I needed to spend out my FSA so I bought 2 pairs of glasses and 2 years worth of contacts. Since I saved that money all year I don’t feel it as much. But for 2 pairs of glasses I paid $375 (one pair were sunglasses and I did get designer frames).
Julie says
I paid $400 out of pocket for my glasses. My eyes are bad, so I need all the bells and whistles with my glasses. My insurance gives me an allowance for either contacts or glasses. I wear contacts most of the time so I use the insurance money for them. I get new glasses about once every 8-10 years.
My recent experience with a new optometrist was horrible. They were the only place in town that accepted my insurance, so that’s where I went. I got a prescription for both contacts and glasses and ordered the glasses from their office. Contacts from Costco. Come to find out that the prescription was incorrect and now I can only wear the glasses for short periods of time. I ended up switching insurance companies so I don’t have to go back to that office and got a new prescription that works. Costco being awesome gave me 6 months worth of contacts as a sample because they felt terrible about what the optometrist did. Lesson learned! Always go to Costco!
Amy S says
That’s awful the optometrist messed up on your prescription!
Amy S says
We go to a small, local eye doctor. We see the same person every year even though there are three doctors in the office. Yes, I know new glasses would be cheaper if we went to a big box eye company, but we prefer the level of care by seeing the same doc each time. I like to have the same eye glass fitter person each time. Brandy was really good at selecting fashionable frames that fit my face and personality. She has since moved elsewhere. Last reason we go there is they take our insurance and we use our HSA funds for vision expenses. It softens the blow and almost feels like they don’t cost us anything. But they do. A lot. I don’t know how much because I am trying to put off bifocals as long as I can.
Mary3M says
My eye doctor said he would not give me bifocals. He said working women should not use them as they age them. What a find he was!! ANd he was right. I have varilux lenses since i love to read and needlepoint (and I was a computer programmer for over 40 years) so not having to have multiple pairs of glasses was a blessing.
Its’ like women letting their hair go grey ages them which for men it distinguishes them. Yes i know – double standard but the reality is that that is the way business is. Ask Mrs HB about the double standards in the working world!!!!!
I had to pay for my glasses out of pocket and used by HSA to pay for them. I don’t think 250. out of pocket is outrageous – but then I have to have specialized lenses and if they aren’t made just right I can’t use them. (Did happen once and it was awful.). And paying for the UV protection is a necessity – according to my doctor. So I don’t think your price as outrageous
Leanna Thompson says
Because of my strabismus I had to wear bifocals when I was 8. Too bad about the double standard.
Stacey says
I got bifocals a few years ago while I was working as a teacher’s aide, and they changed my life! No more frustration every time I looked down, and I could still see the board from across the room. Noone knows I have them since the line is invisible, and I got used to them very quickly.
sheila says
TBO, when you said you would get them at a dr office, I wondered how that would work. They’re always sky-high.
Unfortunately, that’s where I always bought mine because of my super sized man size head. Dr offices can typically order the frames in any size. But at Sears, Costco, etc, what you see is what you get.
My favorite pair, I ordered from a catalog in a dr office sight unseen. They were tortious shell and horn rimmed. I wore them close to 10 years before they fell apart.
BUT a few years ago, I got lasik so no more glasses for me!
Lacy says
I’m in sticker shock over $153!! For the past 8 years or so we have gotten glasses online from various websites such as Coastal Contacts, etc. I’ve never paid more than $40 for a pair of glasses. I always go to the eye doctor, get my new prescription and order online. I pay for them out of our HSA and then insurance reimburses us because they will pay $100 for either contacts or glasses. My husband has pretty bad vision and I’ve still never spent more than $40 for his glasses.
MH says
I just took both of my kids to get glasses from a local doctor who works out of a chain place and with insurance it still cost $50 each because the insurance doesn’t cover the lenses. They both got $400 frames. (I don’t understand why plastic costs that much) We have always gone to Costco in the past and not had insurance and are trying to decide if insurance is worth it.
Lori s says
I go to America’s Best!!!!! There are different levels/price points for glasses. The lowest level is $69.99 for TWO pairs of single vision glasses including the eye exam! You can add on scratch resistant coating and even get one pair tinted like sunglasses. With the extra add ons it probably runs a bit over $100 but totally worth it! The next tier is $99.99 for two pairs and the next is $159.99 (I believe). They have great styles and you can’t beat the price! If you wear contacts you can join their wyecare club for $99 for three years and that covers eye exams and gets you a discount on lenses.
Miss Meliss says
Yes! I love America’s Best. I have 3 kids in glasses, one of whom is very hard on everything. We go each year for new glasses and they each get 2 pairs of glasses for a little over $100 each. When a pair is broken or a lens pops out, they have a free replacement policy if you insure them (you can replace the lenses once and the frames once in a 12 month period, per pair). That alone makes me love AB!
Rhonda says
This isn’t about glasses, but it is about Costco. The local drug store used to be our pharmacy of choice, Having double jnsurance, we rarely had to pay anything at all. However, one month, I kept track of all of the prescriptions and discovered our family had about $5,000 a month in prescriptions. Wow, I was flabbergasted and decided to shop around. We landed at Costco, which has THE SAME prescriptions for about $1,500 a month. A 70% savings. They only bill on insurance and we have to pay a little out of pocket, but get reimbursed for the amount we pay. The savings makes no difference on what we pay each year, but I feel better knowing our insurance company isn’t paying $60,000 a year for our prescriptions.
Mavis Butterfield says
That. Is. Bonkers! What a racket. And people wonder why insurance is sky high.
Jennifer says
Costco. Even with insurance, it has always been cheaper to go to Costco!
Candy says
I go to Vision works. I my case, they were cheaper than Costo. I like me eye doctor and all the staff there. I think after insurance I paid 125 for mine and I got everything I wanted. Also costco doesn’t have a big selection of frames. And in my costco I will have to pay to be examined. So for me it was easier to go to Vision works.
Deb says
I get my glasses through Zenni.com I’ve been using them about four years now and absolutely love, love, love, triple quadruple love them. I just ordered a pair of sunglasses, a par of regular glasses (bifocals for both) and express shipping (because you only pay for that on the first pair and it automatically applies to any other pair you are ordering at the same time for “free”) and only paid $80. That’s right, $80 for two pair of glasses! The express shipping gets them to me within 10 days…delivered to my door. Seriously, I have more glasses now than I have ever had because I can get “fun” and “funky” for so inexpensive!
Carrie says
I have terrible vision and this is the first time in 5 years that I bought new glasses. I went through America’s Best and paid almost $400 out of pocket for 2 pairs of glasses. This is the first time I’ve ever allowed myself 2 sets of frames. However, I’ve also recently had issues with contact lenses. So I need to rely on the glasses more than ever before. For my whopping $400, I got two frames, two sets of lenses (very high prescriptions have to be shaved down so they tell me – which adds cost to the lenses), and UV and scratch coating. And then both came with the cheapest, crappiest sleeve of a glasses case I’ve ever seen! lol Hopefully, this is a once every 5 years expense for me.
Susan S. says
WARBY PARKER IS THE BEST!!!! http://www.warbyparker.com. You just send in your prescription (I take a photo of the hard copy with my phone and upload it) – you pick out some frames online to try on, they send them to you, you choose the one you like, and send them for free back. You order online and bing, bam, boom, they come to you for around $100 – $150 including the lenses!
It really is fantastic, and I recommend it to everyone I know. Check it out sometime 🙂
Lindsay says
Prior to lasik i used zennioptical.com. I had a strong but simple Rx and i never paid over $30.00 for a pair, and i think my cheapest as $7 and I was always very happy with my glasses.
LynnDinKY says
Years ago we use to see a local eye doctor and then he charged us a crazy price for checking our sons eyes because he had headaches all the time. We switched to EyeMax which is located in our Walmart. Our insurance pays for the visit. Fittings for Contacts are $60 and we order our contacts from there. Hubby wears Glasses, Daughter and I wear contacts. My prescription is strong enough that I won’t wear glasses because the lenses would look horrible (really thick). I know. I’m vain that way. My daughter is a teenager. She just doesn’t want to wear glasses no matter how cute we think she is. She must be Vain too. 😉 it costs both of us around $200 each year for our Vanity issues. LOL It definitely would be cheaper for us to have glasses, But I actually prefer the way I see out of contacts, where with glasses my vision is a little weirder and the side vision is wacky. Another bonus is I can wear reading glasses over my contacts. So that’s us. I do have to say that my dh’s factory pays for a certain amount for his safety glasses. So that’s another bonus.
Kathie S. says
My husband and I both go to a local independent optometrist. Our plan covers the eye exams and frames up to I believe $150 or so. Last year I had to pay a $15 co-pay and that was it. I found frames under the allotted amount and just went with the normal lenses ( no scratch resistance etc). My husband went and because his vision is worse then mine spent about $350 or so for his glasses last year. This year we went and there was no co-pay. But I did pay $20 for a different glaucoma test that took a photo of the eye rather than the drops. The lady was very helpful in locating frames in my price range because everything was starting at $170 and going up. They had a basket under the desk with the economy frames. I still got out with spending $20 but my husband got the same frames etc as the last time and the price was just shy of $700! He did have them take off the anti-glare treatment but in the end it was still close to double the cost as the year before. Crazy!
Ali says
Here in Scotland eye tests (as well as all prescription drugs) are free for everyone and some glasses are free for people on low incomes.
I normally pay around £120 – £150 (about $156 – $195) for a decent pair but lots of places have deals where you get a second pair free at certain times of the year so I always buy then.
Mavis Butterfield says
Have you been to the Shetland Islands? I LOVE Scotland… and Chomp bars. 😉
Marcia says
I think you are the one who got me hooked on “Shetland”. I totally want to go!
Mavis Butterfield says
Seriously. I love checking in on the CCYV cameras downtown. I want to go!
Ali says
Not been to Shetland yet but we’ve done Orkney. I’d love to visit as many of the islands as I can. Not all are accessible but that makes them more appealing!
Julie says
Yes I am in England and whilst we don’t get free prescriptions nor free eye tests, places such as Boots the chemists do deals on eye tests so if you do buy a new pair of glasses you get the test free. My firm pays for my eye test although I qualify for a free test as mum had glaucoma. My varifocal lenses and frames from boots usually run to about £100 unless I go really mad and have designer frames which has only happened twice in the last 20 years! Private eye tests cost anything up to £45 depending on where you go and glasses in the optometrists cost as much as you are prepared to pay my neighbour’s recent pair were £500! Prescriptions are £8.60 each this is a standard NHS fee.
Sandra says
We try Costco first. If we can’t find what we want there, we go across the street to Target. Both places usually have some kind of deal or coupon.
Recently I bought my mom two pair of glasses at Costco. Progressive lenses, all the coatings, $380 total. (There was a $40 coupon for the second pair.) Her insurance covered ~$150. I had trouble with the insurance forms, but the people at Costco helped me with them. Easy!
Marcia says
Ha ha ha ha yes.
I have been going to the optometrist for years. The only reason I don’t walk over to Costco is because I’m lazy – too lazy to fill out the insurance forms to get reimbursed (I know, I know).
So over the last 20 years, I think my average pair of glasses has cost about $450. The most recent time, when I needed progressives, they were going to come out at about $600. I declined, opted for reading glasses instead.
My insurance covers about $250, so each pair of glasses was costing me $200-300. Now, I’m too lazy to get new prescriptions, so it would come out to about that amount every 4 to 5 years.
In any event, then I discovered 39dollarglasses.com. I thought, for $39, worth a try, yes? They are awesome! I bought 2 pairs of regular glasses for $39 and $29, non-progressives. I bought sunglasses for $59 (prescription). And I even just paid out of pocket, I was so happy, and didn’t bother to get reimbursed at all.
After I left my optometrist last time, I shelled out $99 for their progressives. And they are … okay. I’m having a hard time getting used to progressives in general. This company makes the glasses in NY.
I really do have to try out Costco though, for my next set of progressives.
I do feel a little bad for the optometrist’s office. They just have overhead. 3-4 optometrists, who are doctors and deserve a decent wage. Several employees who do selection and billing. Electricity, rent, etc. And my optometrist is fabulous.
PS says
We use Zenni Optical. It’s all online and frames start a $7. There are up charges for everything, but much smaller than in stores or at the doctor. They send you a special ruler so you get the right size or just get measured at the doctors. I don’t think I’ve ever paid over $30
Cindy Howard says
We have company here called Eyeworld. They have a special several times a year that is 2 air of glasses for $78 and that includes the eye exam. As long as you go with regular glasses and the individual frames cost under that amount, then that is the price. Almost half the frames in the showroom are that price. If the frames you pick cost more than $78 each, you pay the difference for each pair. Tinting, scratch resistence, etc…. are about $20 more per pair. I got 2 pair, with scratch reisistence and one pair tinted to be sunglasses for $178. One pair was more than $78. I like my frames to be lightweight and metal.
Megan says
I have used glassesshop.com in the past, but this year my eye doctor started doing a selection of ‘bargain’ glasses that are priced $150 or less. It is the same lenses and coatings, just less expensive frames. Basically, they are not name brand and are somewhat plain looking. They said they were loosing a lot of business as the prices of frames kept increasing.
Pamela says
I have no vision insurance. I bought my last few pair at America’s Best. I have never had issues with them . The ONLY issue I have ever had anywhere is finding frames that I think look good on me. That is why I don’t get purchasing glasses online. I know it can save money. But how can I trust a tiny picture of frames online when I spend the time before my appointment looking at frames and at least an hour after my appointment trying on frames. I know some of online sites have guarantees etc.. but I think it would be frustrating getting something I wasn’t happy with and having to start the process all over again.
Melanie says
EyeBuyDirect is awesome. My husband measured previous pairs of glasses of mine and we found that I fit in the medium category. My kids and I have ordered from them for the last 4 years. The daughter and I have used their money back guarantee 2x and had no problem whatsoever with them refunding when we weren’t satisfied. I get lots of compliments on the glasses too. Two months ago I ordered 2 pair of glasses, one with single vision for reading, and another pair with bifocals for shopping, all for just under $135. You don’t have anything to lose if you don’t like the glasses, you call them back and they give you the instructions on how to return them, and then you are credited your money back.
Melanie says
*actually they were not bifocal, they were PROGRESSIVE.
Melanie says
*also, Sam’s Club optometry have adjusted these glasses for me free of charge.
Danyell says
I let insurance cover my contacts. I. Then buy two pairs on glassesusa. I always find a good promo code. I can adjust them myself easy enough. And if I don’t like the glasses I can send them back for free.
Carrie says
I went to the same ophthalmologist since I was 10 years old up until I was 26. When I got my first full time job with insurance they wouldn’t accept it at his office so I went to see an optometrist at a cheap shop (called Oscar Oglethorpe – it’s a hip eyeglass place but everything is cheaply made and I wasn’t impressed with the optometrist). Their $100 frames constantly stretch out and fall off my face. I’ve had the same pair adjusted 3 times in one year! I have new insurance and just made an appointment with my old doc. Thank goodness! I am only 30 but have reoccurring issues with dryness and itchy eyes that the optometrist couldn’t help me with. I will probably still order my contacts online (I shop around for the best deal every year) and hold off on glasses this year. I try to only get glasses every other year unless my Rx has changed drastically. I just joined Costco so I’ll look to buy contacts from them.
Also, years back I broke a pair of frames and my eye doctor’s office had a “budget drawer” with frames that they only offer to anyone with low income or needs a basic pair of frames quickly. I ended up loving my budget frames more than the old broken ones (the fixed for a small fee).
Delores says
You totally should have let the newbies think it was from stripping! 😉
My Eye Dr…. $330 for transition (sunglasses and regular in one), line-free bifocals with medium coverage (the ‘bifocals’ can be wide, narrow, or medium). That was after insurance. But after reading this perhaps next year I will go to Costco.
I did the Costco hearing aids fro my mom and I highly, highly recommend them. THey are pretty good quality, and she got 2 for less than 1 would have cost from her dr. Plus, the warranty is pretty amazing.
Tammy says
I got my last pair of glasses from Warby Parker. I absolutely have to try glasses on before buying them! There are online companies that are less expensive that Warby Parker, but you have to order them without trying on the frames. With Warby Parker I ordered five pairs to try on. My husband took pictures of me in all five and then I put them on Facebook to get opinions. 😀
Mine cost $130 from Warby Parker but only because I got the thinnest lens they have available. I need the thin lenses because I have a strong prescription.
Something to think about: this is PLASTIC we’re talking about. There’s a monopoly in the glasses industry which is what makes/keeps the price so ridiculously high. If online companies can produce a pair of glasses for $39 why
Tammy says
I forgot to finish my last sentence!
why are they so expensive at other places? One company owns most of companies that make lenses, and they buy out smaller companies which keeps prices so high.
Renee' says
I still go to a local optometrist for both my exams and my glasses. I have been wearing glasses since I was nine years old and I need a fairly strong prescription and various add ons. I ordered new glasses last week and they cost me almost $700.00. This was for the glasses only and I was given a discount of around $150.00. I had already paid for the exam when I had it a few months ago. We do not have vision insurance but my medical insurance will cover a portion of my exam because I have astigmatisms in both eyes. I am extremely frugal in most ways but I will not take a chance with my eyes. I love being able to just pop in and have my glasses adjusted for free or being able to see the same doctor each time I am seen. I know it sounds crazy to some people to spend that much but I consider it too important to me to take a chance somewhere else.
Cheryl says
My vision is really bad, I have a double astigmatism, am both near and far sighted and also wear bi-focals (no line). I just recently had an eye exam with VisionWorks and then discovered that all the wire frames available are back to using nose pieces. I HATE nose pieces, they leave huge indentations on the side of your nose. And the barnacles of age have started appearing on my skin; just had one removed on my nose right underneath my glasses. I didn’t want to go back to plastic frames as the heft of the lenses usually means the frame rests on my face and then underneath that a line of blackheads appear and I would like to avoid that. I found glasses online with the saddle bridge nose piece that I like, just need to get my current glasses measured so I know what to ask for. Two to four years ago, my glasses cost me $250 and I don’t have vision insurance, I usually pay for them with the FSA and then get reimbursed.
Cecile says
Two prescriptions ago I bought two sets of glasses from Costco, love-d them! My eyes changed for the next prescription and I really needed to get glasses asap so I just went with the optometrist glasses and wow, just like you they were VERY expensive. Not only do we have to pay for the eye exam $125 (CAN) but my husband’s benefits only cover $200 every two years, per person! I have health issues that caused the prism in my eyes to not develop properly so just adding the prism to my glasses is over $200! Needless to say, the only reason I keep up my membership for Costco is to get glasses every two years!
Victoria says
I wear contacts almost exclusively. I’ve found Coastal.com has the best price for my particular brand (by far). I wait until they have some sort of promotion, then stock up.
Since I only wear glasses for the few steps from my bathroom to my bedroom, I get a cute trendy pair from Zenni.com. My favorite frames only cost $7! And not much more for lenses. They totally serve my purpose, though it is a gamble since you can’t try them on.
Jennifer says
Just got an eye exam at Costco. But getting my lenses from a local seller. If I go through Costco, then I have to give up my glasses for a week, and I can’t do that. (But then I decided to get new frames, too, so I guess I COULD go back to Costco…except I don’t like their selection.)
Lea says
My husband and son both have the same genetic eye condition (my MIL has it too) and I have a non-genetic condition that can be tricky to treat so we see a specialist at a local clinic. My husband and son have glasses that take 3-4 weeks to make and mine need something that takes about a week and a half or so, so none of the make the lenses on site places work for us. Our daughter also wears glasses but hers are more run of the mill.
With all that, including the specialty lenses we’ve never paid that $600+ for a single pair of glasses. DD’s and mine usually run roughly $120-ish and DH and DS usually have a cost of right around $400 for theirs. Granted, we won’t buy frames that cost over $100 just on principle but still! No vision insurance for any of us, though the kids’ exams are now covered under the ACA (hurray).
Thanks for the eyeopener, Mavis. While I most likely won’t ever buy glasses at Costco, this was very interesting!
Lea
Lisa says
There are some costs to doing business that likely account for a good portion of the price difference. The Costco doctor doesn’t have to lease an entire building or pay the employees because they’re all being paid by Costco and the cost of that part of the store is combined to the other parts of the store and any price differentials would be combined with all the hundreds of other items being sold. They would benefit from the economies of scale that a place like Costco would benefit from.
Robin says
Hi Mavis, I went to the eye doctor to get my glasses. Can’t recall the exact price but after insurance, it would have been $150.00 out of pocket. Luckily, my eye doctor likes farm fresh eggs and local honey, so my girls paid for the rest of my glasses. I love when local businesses are willing to barter.
Alison says
We always get ours at Costco. Unfortunately my younger son has a horrible strabismus that Costco can’t accommodate, so for his next pair we will have to go to a private optician and pay through the nose. Dreading it!
Michelle says
My current optomitrist charges two separate fees for glasses and and contact eye exams–so if I want to use my insurance I can only do either one or the other. I had to pay out of pocket to get classes a couple of years ago and the exam fee plus the glasses cost over $600! Is this the same everywhere, or if I were to go to Costco, could I get one exam that would give me both a glasses and contacts prescriptions?
Helen in Meridian says
When I get my contact lens exam at Costco, my eye doctor also writes a prescription for glasses too, if I ask. I do, but have yet to fill the glasses order, but may try one of the online cheapo places, just for fun. I probably should have a pair of glasses. I have worn contacts for 50 some years. I have a mutli focal in one eye, for close up as well as my distance. Am starting to need readers since I hit 70.
Em says
One more thing to add about Zenni: you can upload a photo of your face and “try on” frame you like by seeing the frame on the picture you upload.
I’ve ordered at least four pair from them so far (plastic). I haven’t had any issues, but understand it could happen.
Susan says
This video blew my mind about why glasses cost so much. I had no idea. “The Conspiracy behind your glasses.”
http://www.trutv.com/shows/adam-ruins-everything/videos/the-conspiracy-behind-your-glasses.html
Cassie says
A couple years ago, I went to a private owned optomitrist. Was probably $400 just for the exam, and they wanted to charge more for contacts. I shelled out the $400 for the simple exam and went to wal mart to get the cheaper contacts. (They are actually supposed to be priced the same, but the high dollar optomitrist was only giving me an option to buy a butt load at once!) So wal mart is where i go!
Carolina says
Though I had forgotten for a moment that your wad of cash probably came from the yard sale, I KNEW it had NOT from any nefarious activity. Still, your comment to the guy behind the counter gave me a good laugh–a serious chortle!!! I realized that I had not had my eyes examined in 4 years, so I made an appointment at Walmart last month. I had the exam and then asked them to put the new lenses in my old glasses. They called me back 5 days after the exam and did the switch. It was easy peasy and out of pocket cost was $274 total. I am retired and don’t have insurance coverage for eye care, but I thought that was a fair price.
Mary says
Yes, that comment made me laugh too. I just wonder how he reacted???
I knew it was yard sale money, always fun to have so many bills and coins, but hey: money is money, right?!
becky nelson says
You look awesome in those frames, by the way. Super cute. So back in my day…..of being poor and cheap…(1976 to 1989) I used to buy cute sunglasses, the frames were sturdy and had real screws back then and were thick enough f to hold my prescription. Anyway I would take the sunglasses frames and have the place put my in lenses. Did it many times til sunglasses got too cheaply made and eye doctors got too picky. Now a days we use Walmart,
Costco, Warby Parker online, Discountglasses.com and my husband wins the prize for $12.95 glasses from Zennioptical.com
paula says
I use Warby Parker. They are online or in large cities. You need to take them a prescription. If your order online, they will send you 3 pairs of frames to try at home before you order. I usually just go into the store in San Francisco when visiting my daughter. I love their glasses.
Jenny Young says
Yikes! There are some crazy people in the world if they willingly plop down that much money instead of shopping around. 🙁
My husband has always bought his eye glasses at Walmart & has been very pleased with them. He has type I diabetes so he needs a special exam once a year to monitor the disease but he takes the prescription to Walmart to be filled.
Tracey says
Zenni.com! Frames, lenses, coating, shipped $50! I can get a couple of different frame styles to mix it up, with sunglasses and still way under anything available locally, including Walmart. I don’t even bother with our insurance.
Sharon says
Me too! They have so many options!
Jennifer says
We typically use one of several local optometrists (everyone on the family has a different favorite doctor, some we’ve followed when they went independent). I never pay anything out of pocket, and I wear bifocals (since age 4), which gives me a $150 allowance for glasses ($100 for regular glasses). I just ask which frames will fall into the covered price range and choose from those. Sometimes, I can even afford scratch protection or a second pair (depending on which insurance company we are with that year) for that.
We don’t have many Costco stores in our state (Texas), but we do have Sam’s. They offer eye stuff, but I’ve never checked it out.
Laura says
Love zenni.com for glasses. Especially for a single script. I did bifocal progressive from there and they were just as good. I haven’t tried trifocals yet, but I imagine good also. You can upload a photo of yourself and “try on” the frames. Single vision starting at $6.95 and up.
LILLILilliannapickles says
We use America Best and sign up for the 99.00 contact lenses plan that covers each person’s exams for 3 years. We do pick up our contacts from them. We buy a years supply that last well over a year. Each of us orders our glasses from Zenni or Coastal. Our orders average around 30.00. Sometimes we have found special deals and have only paid shipping. We have used them for ten years and we love them.
Kelly E says
We recently purchased 8 pairs of glasses on Clearly.ca. I waited until they had their b1g1 sale to purchase 2 pairs for me, 2 for my husband, 2 for my daughter and 2 for my oldest son. With 4 of us wearing glasses I always wait for a sale. Total cost for 8 pairs of glasses $325.00 Canadian. Could have went cheaper but our daughter picked out a $115 pair. Great price and I was reimbursed for the total from insurance. I will never pay more again.
Vicki says
The last time I got glasses, I bought them from Lenscrafters. The total cost for my glasses was just over $1,000, not including the exam (I don’t remember how much that was). I have really bad eyes and a ridiculously strong prescription, so I have to the lenses that are lightweight and not as thick – they’re super expensive. Then I need the non-glare stuff on them, and the non-scratch stuff (which I can say honestly does not work very well). Plus they’re bifocals, or maybe trifocals. The doctor said that because of the strength of my prescription, I should get the blended lenses (whatever they’re called – the ones where you can’t see the lines), because I’d probably get headaches from my eyes trying to adjust to the lines. This was at least six years ago. I’m overdue for new ones, but I have to save my pennies to pay for them.
Em says
Vicki, you might check out at least Zenni. Zenni offers different lenses and makes “recommendations” on which lens material to select, based on your prescription strength. I hope you are able to find a better deal somewhere.
Jennifer says
I just ordered a new pair of glasses for my daughter. Our HMO has an eye care center, and our insurance covers one pair of complete glasses per year for minors. The total came to $560, which is a lot! I sm very thankful for insurance.
Sharon says
When I have time, I’m going to read over all the comments. I used to go to a private optometrist, who I didn’t really like, but a friend used to work for her and told me that she’s always up on the latest in optometry and buys all the latest equipment. I don’t have insurance for glasses, but I always went there — until last year when the lens prescription alone for one pair (and I need prescription sunglasses also) was over $600. That’s without the frame. Yes, I have progressive lens and all the bells and whistles on them, but holy cow — $600! It was going to be almost $2,000 for two pairs (because, of course, all of her frames were designer). I had always been hesitant to go to Costco because of the progressives always needing so many adjustments, but for that much $$$, I decided to try it. Plus, I didn’t like how hard she was pressuring me to buy contacts or get Lasik, neither of which I wanted. It ended up costing me about $400 for regular glasses and sunglasses with everything I needed on them. This year my cousin’s husband, who is an optometrist for a LASIK group, is going to do my exam for free and give me the prescription for Costco (since they primarily do LASIK, they don’t even really have any frames). Free exam and no hard-sell pressure!
Earlene says
We still go locally for our eye exam, but now that we are older and on Medicare, our supplemental insurance gives us $145.00 for glasses beyond the exam. I told them that got a great pair for $140. With my progressive lens and I love that about small town. Sam’s club is 90 miles away and Costco is 130 miles away. This works for us.
Angela in Denver says
I have used Zenni and Coastal. Love them both for single vision. However, my most recent deal was TWO pr of unlined bifocals, (frames and lenses) for $99 total out the door at JCPenney! It was a special sale. I couldn’t get them that cheap thru either of the online retailers.
Sabrina says
Costco bills my insurance so free glasses ❤️
Patty P says
I take my son to an independent eye doctor because he had an eye issue that required surgery when he was 5. He (of course) needed new glasses this last time and all the frames they had were super expensive (and they didn’t take our insurance). Even the “sale/clearance” frames were super expensive. So I nicely asked the lady at the desk if I could have the prescription and she was pretty snippy about it telling me that all glasses were expensive no matter where I went. We drove right down to America’s Best, I got my eyes examined (way overdue!) and we both got two pairs of glasses for the $69.95 deal that was going on. Mine cost a bit more because I got the poly carbonate lenses. I figure that for me I’ll be good to go for quite while and for my son…well, he’s 8 so he really has benefited from having two pairs to wear… one for good (school, etc.) the other for play.
Linda says
Oh Mavis!!! My hubby had his eyes examined today…& ordered his glasses from the optometrist-$660…& no insurance for eye care…only medical. O couldn’t believe he’d just fork over that much money when he knew I bought my daughter two pair for $150 recently. (Heavy sighing!) Husbands?!?!? Guess he didn’t want to say no and ask for his Rx! I would have done exactly what you did!!! (heavy sighing…again!)
Donna says
I get my glasses from my optometrist and they are very expensive. The last glasses I got were progressives and they cost $342 after my insurance paid $823. So the total cost of the glasses was $1165. This includes the cost of the eye exam, frame, lens with hi-index, polish, and purecoat AR. My frames were free after insurance so it is the lens that are so expensive. I get the more expensive lenses because otherwise my glasses will be too heavy.
mdoe37 says
My last insurance as the best I’ve ever had — They paid $45 for an exam and $50 toward frames. Yup. And I don’t have that anymore!
I’ve always gone to Walmart for an exam. I’ve had the same doc for years. He even caught a vision problem that ended up being a benign tumor on my optic nerve. Easy to get an appointment.
Because the insurance paid little (and the now ex-husband also had to have glasses), I ended up with Zenni. Very happy for years with them, until this very last pair about a year ago. They simply would not tighten up and stay that way, constantly slipping on my face. I was starting a job and couldn’t have that. Went to a place called Eyeglass World that features the 2 for $X deals and one hour service. But that’s only for basic lenses and frames.
I opted for two pair (my vision now generally requires that I wear glasses all the time) with the cadillac of lenses, prog. bifocals, lens insurance, and snazzy frames……$550 or so. I’ve already used the insurance as I, for the first time ever, severely scratched a lens. They ordered it over the phone and when it came in, they cut it to fit while I waited.
I would still consider purchasing a backup pair of glasses from Zenni as well as polarized sunglasses.
Julia says
Mavis, I had the same experienc with my son. Very few places take his insurance so we went to one if those chain places and ended up spending almost $300 out of pocket!! His insurance covered the exam and part of the cost of the glasses. Now this WAS for two pair but still. For kids glasses. We won’t be getting glasses there again!
Rosaleen says
I have always HATED glasses. Even on other people. Just hate them. Last summer I had cataract surgery, requesting my dominant eye lens be for distance and the on-dominant be made for reading. Well, it worked, except my dominant eye is not quite 20-20. I have astigmatism which is affecting things and because the eyeball is round while the artificial lens is flat, things can tilt a bit. So, that eye is about 20-30. I looked on line at a few vendors and found some metal framed glasses, my preference, and ordered a pair with the reading eye plain glass and the distance corrected to 20-20 for the appropriate eye. I wanted to see highway signs very crisply since only one eye will be reading it well. Often there isn’t a lot of time to read, process, and react to these signs when one is barreling down the highway. So, my glasses would have been the same price with both lenses prescription. I think they were $35, maybe $30, shipped. Mostly, they sit in the case, as I use them nearly exclusively for long trips. I can go up and down stairs and hike trails without taking off my glasses, read well, and even read the dash board instruments and GPS without cocking my head at angles uncomfortable to my neck. I finally found one benefit to getting older (cataracts)…YEA!
Lisa says
Why do you hate glasses even if you’re not the one wearing them?
Deborah from Texas says
I’ve been lucky the past several years. All I have to buy are readers ($5-$10). I do have a feeling that I’ll have to go back into prescription glasses in the not too distant future. I had cateract surgery. I was near sighted, now I’m far sighted, but, I’m having a bit of trouble reading at distances. Myopia isn’t for the faint hearted. LOL
Oh, when I go get my eye exam, I’ll probably go to Walmart.
Julie says
We have an allowance for eyeglasses — new lenses even year, new frames every two years — but must submit paperwork and get reimbursed. Because I have a medical problem with my eyes, my ophthalmologist visits are covered but refraction is not. For years I’ve been taking my eyeglass prescription to a small, local optical shop. They suggest frame sizes and shapes for my face, tell me to go bigger or smaller, etc. I once heard them talk a client out of purchase sport glasses because once he explained how he moved in the sport, he determined he didn’t need special glasses to do it. Anyway, my new progressive lenses with a funky prescription this year were $329.
I’d certainly consider Costo for a back-up pair, but we have no Costco locally.
Emily says
We haven’t had vision insurance, so we use Costco for the eye exam and Walmart for the frames and lenses.
Only kids wear glasses at my house and Walmart has been outstanding with repairs and replacements.
Funny ‘stripper’ story for you: My bestie and I were at Target shopping some post-Thanksgiving sale. I had been saving all my $1s for Christmas shopping.
We had 5 kids in the basket between the ages of 2-8.
When I went to pay for my purchases, she said ‘I told you, if you’d bother to shave your legs, you’d probably get $5s or $10s.’
Completely straight-faced!
The 18 year old, female cashier looked up from her counting; looked at me, looked at that basket of kids. Didn’t say a word! (To her credit!! Lol)
I leaned over and whispered to her, ‘Honey, stay in school.’
We still joke about that 10+ years later!!!
Em says
I like that story!
Dawn says
I’m confused about you actually paying for the glasses. If you have a 400.00 annual benefit and the glasses were 170 ish then what were you paying for?
Eve-Marie says
She got the glasses at Costco, which doesn’t accept assignment – which means she has to pay out of pocket and submit forms and receipts to her insurance company. The other place, that did the exam and DOES accept assignment, charges far more for the lenses so she would still have had to pay out of pocket even though the insurance was being billed. I deal with this every year – my annual benefit never covers the full amount of my lenses, so it is far less expensive for me to just buy them someplace like Costco or from Coastal.com. Some years I do the insurance paperwork and get a partial reimbursement. Other years it’s more trouble than it’s worth, because I have chronic health problems and have to manage my time and energy very carefully. Either way, I still come out ahead.
Veronica says
After reading this blog post I decided to check out Costco glasses. Took my prescription and went and checked out glasses. To my surprize there was a large variety of frame choices. I found a pair that I liked, frames were $59.99. I was stoked, the frames at my eye doctor start at $200 something. I knew my lenses would be a little more because I have clear progressive. I was shocked to find that my final out of pocket cost was only $80.00 after insurance. I am a big fan now love my new glasses. I usually have to pay about $300+ at the eye doctor.