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Ask HN: Do you buy your glasses online to save money?

1 points by amichail 3y ago

And if so, how do you make sure you don't make any mistakes while doing so (e.g., a lens type that is not good for your prescription)?

oneidealshop 3y ago
Yes, I think so. Trust the online service s/b pro.
jzb 3y ago
I've tried it, twice, with Zenni Optical - both times it's been a bust. They've allowed me to put in a prescription and place an order for things they don't actually support (e.g., prism). That said, I know a lot of people swear by them. I'd say that if you have a dead simple prescription (that is, you don't need progressive lenses or anything "complicated") it's worth trying. If there's any doubt, they have an OK refund policy, so if you're quick about returning glasses that aren't quite right, you're only out the wait and a little hassle.
- pavel_lishin 3y ago
  I've been using Zenni for over a decade, and I've had nothing but great experiences, and I recommend them very highly (especially to a neighbor who was complaining about paying FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARY DOOS for his son's glasses somehow.) They certainly try to upsell you on many features during the checkout/order process, but it's not pushy and I've always gotten exactly what I ordered. But you make a good point - my lenses are a fairly straight-forward prescription for near-sightedness.
pavel_lishin 3y ago
> how do you make sure you don't make any mistakes while doing so My prescription is fairly simple, so there's very little that can go wrong. I just double-check my prescription against what I'm ordering, and voila, $25 glasses that I don't have to worry _too_ much about my child stepping on.
jerlam 3y ago
I've tried a few times, it didn't work out: - the PD was off, making me nauseous - looks bad on me - fits poorly and would require going to a glasses store anyway for adjustment, if it's even possible - lower quality than expected I could have spent more time to address these problems, maybe by better researching what I was buying, or returning obviously bad glasses; but I'd rather go to Costco or some other independent store where I could see the glasses before buying them and getting them fit correctly quickly. If you're stuck with the Luxottica monopoly, I can see how paying 1/4 or less of the in-store price is a steal, but I'm ok with paying around $100 and having a much better idea what I'm buying.

1 points by amichail 3y ago

And if so, how do you make sure you don't make any mistakes while doing so (e.g., a lens type that is not good for your prescription)?

oneidealshop 3y ago

Yes, I think so. Trust the online service s/b pro.

jzb 3y ago

I've tried it, twice, with Zenni Optical - both times it's been a bust. They've allowed me to put in a prescription and place an order for things they don't actually support (e.g., prism). That said, I know a lot of people swear by them. I'd say that if you have a dead simple prescription (that is, you don't need progressive lenses or anything "complicated") it's worth trying. If there's any doubt, they have an OK refund policy, so if you're quick about returning glasses that aren't quite right, you're only out the wait and a little hassle.

pavel_lishin 3y ago
I've been using Zenni for over a decade, and I've had nothing but great experiences, and I recommend them very highly (especially to a neighbor who was complaining about paying FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARY DOOS for his son's glasses somehow.) They certainly try to upsell you on many features during the checkout/order process, but it's not pushy and I've always gotten exactly what I ordered. But you make a good point - my lenses are a fairly straight-forward prescription for near-sightedness.

pavel_lishin 3y ago

> how do you make sure you don't make any mistakes while doing so My prescription is fairly simple, so there's very little that can go wrong. I just double-check my prescription against what I'm ordering, and voila, $25 glasses that I don't have to worry _too_ much about my child stepping on.

jerlam 3y ago

I've tried a few times, it didn't work out: - the PD was off, making me nauseous - looks bad on me - fits poorly and would require going to a glasses store anyway for adjustment, if it's even possible - lower quality than expected I could have spent more time to address these problems, maybe by better researching what I was buying, or returning obviously bad glasses; but I'd rather go to Costco or some other independent store where I could see the glasses before buying them and getting them fit correctly quickly. If you're stuck with the Luxottica monopoly, I can see how paying 1/4 or less of the in-store price is a steal, but I'm ok with paying around $100 and having a much better idea what I'm buying.