I have a pair of glasses that I've never worn, and a new prescription from my last eye exam about 2 weeks ago back home. I need new lenses put in the glasses and some contacts, which I've never had before. I read the threads that came up while searching and got some ideas but is there a new best place around campus/Cary to get both of these things done relativly quick? i appreciate the help.

9/11/2007 6:03:32 PM

lenscrafters at the mall

current sale is 50% of all lenses

9/11/2007 6:05:42 PM

yea lenscrafters can get you the glasses usually the same day, or next morning.

contacts you should order online, 1-800-contacts or lensmart.com, they usually arrive in about a week and you'll save a significant amount.

9/11/2007 6:44:39 PM

for contacts, depending on the brand/type, you need to comparison shop...a lot of the online companies will save you money if you buy a year's supply, but a lot of the times they charge a ton to ship them.

for me (acuvue advance) Walmart is cheapest. buying a years supply will usually save you a lot of money (most brands have rebates, etc). you can order online and get them shipped to walmart for free.

9/11/2007 8:18:45 PM

Focus Toric's, 4 boxes at 1800contacts.com: $260
Same order at my ophthalmologist's office in New Bern: $221

9/11/2007 9:25:55 PM

http://www.zennioptical.com

For some really cheap prescription glasses. They are as cheap as 8 bucks with a flat shipping fee of 4.95 no matter how many pairs you order. I have never gotten glasses from this company, but Clark Howard seems to think they are ok.

9/11/2007 9:50:10 PM

Focus Torics are crap.

9/11/2007 10:23:01 PM

Been using them since the 7th grade.
No issues, and 20/15 vision.

Pairs usually last me ~2 months (take them out every night).

[Edited on September 11, 2007 at 10:42 PM. Reason : ]

9/11/2007 10:41:56 PM

torics are also rare and balls ass expensive.

8 boxes of mine run me like 78 bucks a year

9/11/2007 11:24:55 PM

My prescription was so fucked up that I could only wear Toric lenses (back when I used to wear contact lenses). But otherwise, there's no real reason to prefer those to other lenses.

9/12/2007 1:07:19 AM

astigmatism corrected with toric lenses

im getting them zapped in december, i cant wait

9/12/2007 1:09:41 AM

Quote :

"Focus Toric's, 4 boxes at 1800contacts.com: $260 Same order at my ophthalmologist's office in New Bern: $221"

yep, i get purevision torics, 1 year's worth is like $245 on 1800contacts.com, $200 at doctors vision center, AND they gave me a free pair of sunglasses

9/12/2007 2:09:58 AM

I have Biomedic Torics, they suck. I think it's just my eyes though. I can't wear them for more than a couple hours without having to put rewetting drops in. I usually wear them only when I'm playing basketball or something. Otherwise I stick to glasses.

9/12/2007 10:23:51 AM

wow, thats insane all you guys have astigmastism. torics lenses bloowwww

9/12/2007 12:09:22 PM

I can't claim to have used "normal" contacts but I've never had any issues with my Focus Toric's. I don't get dry eyes unless I've had them in for ~16 hours+ and I normally have 20/20 - 20/15 vision.
No issues.

9/12/2007 12:45:40 PM

Optifest tomorrow at 6pm!

9/12/2007 1:31:21 PM

<---Astigmatism.

I have bought frames off eBay before. Long story short, I spent around $200 on my last pair of Nautica frames. They got messed up at a 7 Seconds show at the Cat's Cradle. I googled the little text on the inside of the frame and it turned out to be the model number. Found the replacements for $65 shipped and they were brand new. I think whenever I buy new glasses I'll check to see if the frames are available online after I pick them out in the store.

9/12/2007 1:44:42 PM

Gotta say thank allah for good vision insurance. My wife's plan covers glasses and contacts. We can get new frames every other year (up to $250) with new lens every year, and $200 worth of contacts every year. Then my insurance gives us new frames every year (up to $120) and lens, or contacts. I spent about $30 last time I went and walked out with a pair of Armani frames and Ralph Lauren frames.

9/12/2007 2:23:09 PM

I'm still curious as to why people think toric lenses suck. No arguments have been offered...
I'm not debating, just genuinely curious.

9/12/2007 3:04:31 PM

1-800Contacts.com is awesome. I ordered contacts from them last year - they got there, I put them in, and one eye was just WAY off. Turns out in my haste I put -2.25 instead of 2.25 or something. I called and told them, and they shipped me the correct ones for FREE, and gave me a pre-paid return shipping label so I could return the ones I hadn't opened. How cool is that???

9/12/2007 4:51:05 PM

^^They are significantly thicker, WAY more expensive, don't breath as well and don't have the same coloring options.

Like i said, a year of my regular contacts cost me under a hundred bucks, yours cost more than double that. But it's not like you have a choice. If you have astigmatism, you get torics. At least you don't have to wear gas permeable hard contacts like my sister. Those are hell.

[Edited on September 12, 2007 at 4:55 PM. Reason : .]

9/12/2007 4:54:27 PM

Torics dont suck - they just cost so much, and are pretty heavy

In fact, my vision is HORRIBLE, all astigmatism, torics are the only thing I can wear other than hard contacts

OD -.25 -4.00 X 021
OS pl -4.00 X 162

1 pair for me is $200 to last a year, I make it about 3 months in them before they start getting itchy
The monthly disposables are $550 a year
The 2/month disposables are $800 a year
Weekly and daily arent possible with my astigmatism

I stick to my glasses now, I can't afford contacts anymore because my allergies are wearing them down. I'm on like 5 different kinds of allergy meds including eyedrops and my eyes water all the time, so my contacts don't stay clear and don't last long enough. Glasses aren't so bad anyway, just were when I was a kid.

[Edited on September 12, 2007 at 5:59 PM. Reason : ]

9/12/2007 5:58:13 PM

man glasses are a ripoff.

i travel overseas at least a couple of times a year and glasses/contacts are MUCH cheaper.

i purchased 3 pairs of glasses, 6 boxes of 2 week disposable contacts, and solution for less than $300.

designer frames (magnesium, titanium, and wire frame) and excellent lenses.

fuck vision insurance.

i see same/similar frames here for x400% markup. lenscrafters is the worst. at least i can just get lenses there if i need them.

9/12/2007 8:01:13 PM

goto bj's warehouse for contacts - 15/box

9/12/2007 10:38:46 PM

Not for the good contacts.

Acuvue Oasis (sp?) are still $$$

9/12/2007 10:48:35 PM

-xsmp is taken aback-
i'll have to check my sources on that one.

9/12/2007 10:50:37 PM

bj's isn't cheap on a lot of things.

but they do take manuf. coupons, if that's your thing.

the one at briar creek is awful. i wonder why anyone goes there. nothing is cheaper or rare for this area.

9/12/2007 10:57:23 PM

FTW > lasik

9/13/2007 12:24:00 AM

Quote :

"http://www.zennioptical.com For some really cheap prescription glasses. They are as cheap as 8 bucks with a flat shipping fee of 4.95 no matter how many pairs you order. I have never gotten glasses from this company, but Clark Howard seems to think they are ok."

I bought a pair just for the hell of it to have a backup, and at that price you're not losing much either way. I can tell a difference between my expensive ones and the zennis but that could have to do with me not correctly measuring my pupil distance right. They are cheap perscription glasses with lots of options (the near perfect fitting polarized sleek clip-on is what I use the most, you can barely distinguish it from regular sunglasses) and is great if you're on a tight budget.

[Edited on September 13, 2007 at 12:31 AM. Reason : ]

9/13/2007 12:30:53 AM

Quote :

"Gotta say thank allah for good vision insurance. My wife's plan covers glasses and contacts. We can get new frames every other year (up to $250) with new lens every year, and $200 worth of contacts every year. Then my insurance gives us new frames every year (up to $120) and lens, or contacts. I spent about $30 last time I went and walked out with a pair of Armani frames and Ralph Lauren frames."

your wife's plan sounds like VSP... dat's what i got, yo.

[Edited on September 13, 2007 at 9:57 AM. Reason : s]

9/13/2007 9:57:21 AM

his insurance sounds like vsp, the cheaper rate.

his wife could have bcbs vision (or something) as the benefits sound similar. it's more expensive, but it's almost worth it.

9/13/2007 11:45:41 AM

Yeah we both have VSP. Here's is I think one of the better plans they offer. Best part is that the premium is pocket change. I think hers costs us $7 / month and mine around $5 to cover both of us.

9/13/2007 12:44:29 PM