New Glasses: A Review

Several weeks ago, I was contacted by GlassesUSA.com to see if I would be interested in a review, which sells cheap eyeglasses. To give some back story, I ordered my first pair of glasses online almost a year ago from a competitors website. Over the past year, I have not been pleased or happy with the product I received from Zenni. In fact, I had taken the time to replace the glasses in December at a local discount department store- another pair I wasn't thrilled with, and paid out the nose for.

I have an extremely high prescription. If my vision were the same, but uncorrectable by prescription lenses, my prescription would be defined as legally blind. Because I can wear glasses to correct it, it isn't actually considered legally blind, though. This leads to thick heavy lenses more often than not.

When I placed my order with GlassesUSA, I left the prescription glasses up to them- I did not place a traditional order, choosing the type of lenses I wanted. Instead, I left it in their hands to provide me what they could. With my prescription lenses, I was expecting them to have some width to them. The other two pairs I've ordered from difference companies over the past year were depressingly thick, despite getting the highest index I could the second time around.

I was happily surprised when the glasses arrived and were thin. Not super thin- that's just not going to happen with my prescription, but thin enough that the lenses are light weight, and don't look as noticeable from the sides.  Below are photos of the 3 pairs of glasses I have used over the past year.

This is pair #1, ordered online from a competitive online website. I did not get the highest index I could due to finances at the time, however, these are exceedingly thick.  

This pair is #2, ordered from a discount department store in the highest index available, with a roll & polish added to minimize the edge width. These are almost the same width as the pair ordered from Zennioptical.com

This is pair 1 and 2 next to each other- they are both very wide, and exceedingly noticeable. The frames chosen did enhance how wide the lenses are, but aside from that, they are wider than I was comfortable with.

This shows all three pairs, with the newest pair on the left. They are quite a bit thinner than the other two pairs.

This is my new pair of eyeglasses, ordered from GlassesUSA.com. I am happy with how thin the lenses are, and how accurate the prescription was. I  love these!

I really like the frames- it's been several years since I've worn plastic frames. Generally, I prefer metal frames, but the last two pairs I got left me wanting a change, so I chose a pair of black plastic frames. I had forgotten just how much they chance my face! I choose a slightly retro-ish pair called Hilarie, which retail for $39.00, which includes basic lenses.

If you have a prescription in the -4 or +4 range or up (mine is -10.5 and -11.25 in each eye), you will want to add in a higher index lens than those provided. The price goes up depending on the index chosen for your glasses. For my prescription, it's recommended that I use 1.67 high index, or 1.74 super high index. With the high index, it adds in $67. With 1.74, it adds in $139. Not a small fee, but if you don't have optical insurance, it's not as high as it could be. At a regular optometrist, my glasses easily run in the $300-400 range, so under $200 is still a really decent deal.

I had planned to take photos specifially for this post, but I've had a horrible head cold, and don't care to share that image with anyone. Instead, here's a photo I took a few days ago, to show off a headband I made for an upcoming event. ;) I'll be posting a tute for that soon ;)

I am hoping to save up some money, and order a nice pair of prescription sunglasses this summer. I have a pair from the competitor, and the frames are miss-shaped. The bows bend outward from the frame, so in order to wear them, I actually have to have a sports band on. Because I am so sensitive to light, sunglasses are a must.

To help you out even further, GlassesUSA provided a handy 10% off coupon code for all of you to enjoy. Simply add BLOG10 to the coupon code area in check out to receive a discount on their already great prices!

This is a product review for GlassesUSA. GlassesUSA specializes in the sale of Designer Prescription Glasses, Nike Prescription Glasses, Discount Eyeglasses, Cheap Designer Eyeglasses, Cheap Eyeglass Frames, Cheap Prescription Sunglasses, and Cheap Reading Glasses. The review is based on my own personal views of the product I reviewed. The product was provided to me for free to review and use. No other compensation was given for my unbiased review.

Optical Insurance Stimulus- And Bugs Going To Town

Here it is, Hump Day. Want to see something amusing? Of course you do, silly me!

This is a photo I took last summer with my Olympus. It's just a plain old point and click, but it's a nice one. I love it! Anyway, doesn't that photo just kind of make an amusing "Hump Day" photo? This is the cropped in version. Go ahead, click on it, and be in awe of the crazy detail in it.

Monday, the kids and I went in for eye exams. Joy! Well, kinda. Obviously Rae and I would need glasses. I was also pretty certain Chris would need glasses, too. Gillian I wasn't so sure on. Sometimes I notice her squinting, but not often.

Being cheap frugal, I was dreading this. We have no optical insurance. None. Zip, Zilch, Nada. Before, I always just went to Walmart's vision center with Raegan. Say what you will, but it was cheap, and the exam & glasses were always accurate. But even there, it's almost $50 just for each exam. That's a quick minute for $200 with 4 people getting exams.

Then, bless my doctor, I found out that our medical insurance covers 1 eye exam per year. Oh, how the angels have rejoiced! That means we had just a $10 co-pay for each appointment. From $200 to $40 in another quick, phone call verifying minute!

I found a place that took our insurance, and in we went. I already knew I would be ordering the glasses online from Zennioptical.com, because of how inexpensive they are. This gets back to that whole "no optical insurance" thing.

Of course, Chris and Gillian went hog wild looking at glasses while they waited their turns. I forgot just how expensive "real" eye doctor's can be. Gillian found the cutest little pair of purple cat eye frames... for $250. Just for the frames. No fancy, digital radio installed, no headlights, or windshield wipers. Just plastic frames.

Ouch.

In the end, Gillian does not need glasses. Yet. The doctor did say that she's clearly favoring one eye, which is a sure sign that she's going to be blind, like me. Why, oh why, did none of the kids get my husbands nearly perfect vision?

Chris, Raegan, and I did need new glasses, though. I got copies of the prescription, and we went on our way, thoughts of $8 glasses dancing in my head. At least for the kids.

The upside to $8 glasses-

• Eight. Dollars.
• Lenses Included
• Variety of Frames

The downside to $8 glasses-

• Picky kids
• Only SOME lenses included, others cost extra
• Variety of Frames

Chris found a pair for $10 he loved, and his prescription is small enough that there were no extra costs for lenses. He could just use standard lenses, no fancy poly carbonate, or high index, and no "extra strength" costs. See, if you have ever actually looked at the numbers for a prescription, they run a 20/20 basis- positive and negative, so -20 on up through +20. The closer it is to 0, the better. The negative numbers represent people who are near sited- people who can see close up, but not far away. Positive numbers represent people who are far sited- people who see far away, but need glasses for close up.

Anything after +6 or -6 is considered extra strength on Zennioptical.com. Raegan skated in with a -6 and a -6.25, which meant she needed extra strength, which tacked another $16 just for the lenses. It could be worse, I kept telling myself.

Mine? Oh, yeah, mine was bad. -10.5 on one eye, and -11.5 on the other. I've got some pretty bad vision going on, but on the plus side, she said that the prescription barely changed from what I am wearing, but that my astygmatism shifted, which caused changes in HOW my glasses prescription should be made. Not sure how, but she said it would help with my vision.

Ok, so I am rambling. I had this post planned where I talked about glasses, life, and Dollar Tree. Instead, I've rambled on and on about eye doctors and bugs going to town. Need a reminder? How about from a different angle?

In the end, I manged to order 3 pairs of regular eyeglasses and a 4th pair of prescription sunglasses for me (I have a wicked bad time with light sensitivity, so driving in the summer, or after fresh snow fall on a sunny day, is horrifying, and headache inducing), and it only cost me $137, after shipping.

Considering the last trip to Walmart was over $100 just for Raegan (that was frames, lenses, and the eye appointment), I consider this a saving grace.

I read on a review somewhere that Zennioptical is like the optical insurance stimulus. It allows people who otherwise might not be able to afford it, new glasses. I am in love. And, if the kids break, lose, or somehow get their glasses run over by a lawn mower (it happens, ask Raegan about her first ever pair of glasses sometime- that she had only had for a week), I can quickly, easily, and cheaply replace them. Score.