Is it time for new glasses? Don’t just go out to your ophthalmologist, get a prescription and then pick out glasses at a local store, all within the hour. With just a little bit of planning and knowledge, you can pick up glasses that fit you better, serve you better and also cost you lesser! Here are 5 tips that will help you do just that!
Get to know a bit about frames
Glasses come in all kinds of varieties. It helps to be a little informed about the latest in glasses that are available in the market today. Sites like http://www.allaboutvision.com give you fantastic information on how to care for your eyes, how to pick out affordable or cheap glasses without compromising on the quality of vision they will give you. There’s also great guides on how to care for your glasses and tips about eye care.
Talk to your ophthalmologist at length
Make the most out of your ophthalmologist visit. Ask your eye doctor about the type of frames that will best suit you, the type of material that will best suit your use. You can also talk to him about choice of lenses like whether to wear progressive lenses, for example. Besides the usual prescription, make sure that your eye doctor also measures and gives you your PD or pupil distance. This is the distance from your eyes to the lens. Knowing this number will help you buy glasses online. Since you can buy very cheap eyeglasses online, without skimping on quality, simply asking your doctor for a PD in addition to the prescription can save you a lot of money when shopping online.
Compare, compare and compare
Eyeglasses are available in all kinds of price ranges. A frame that costs $200 at a retail store might cost just $125 online. There is a lot of price arbitrage in the glasses market and it helps to do your research. Price comparison is especially important when you are shopping for kids’ glasses. You will be amazed at how cheap kids glasses are available online, while retail stores sell comparable glasses for as much as 100% to 200% more!
Ask for price match
Yes. You can actually do it. Glasses stores price match all the time. But before you ask for a price match, make sure that you have found the frames you like at the store somewhere else, and for a lesser price. Such cheaper prices are usually found online. Once you are convinced that the frames are the same and can show or prove the same to the store’s staff, they will be more than willing to match the competitor price.
Don’t fall for add-on coatings
Most modern lenses already have anti-scratch and anti-glare properties. But, you will be presented with an option to buy into more advanced versions of these coatings. You can pass on them to save some money for yourself. If you are going to be using your glasses like a normal person, such extra protection coating layers are a bit excessive and not really necessary. If you are not careful, a store that sells you frames will add these coatings by default, causing you to pay anywhere from $25 to $50 extra!
James Hendrickson is an internet entrepreneur, blogging junky, hunter and personal finance geek. When he’s not lurking in coffee shops in Portland, Oregon, you’ll find him in the Pacific Northwest’s great outdoors. James has a masters degree in Sociology from the University of Maryland at College Park and a Bachelors degree on Sociology from Earlham College. He loves individual stocks, bonds and precious metals.
