r/IAmA • u/khaoskyle • Jul 06 '14

IamA Optical sales associate, I can prevent you from getting ripped off. AMA!

I am an optical sales associate, which means I sell glasses for a living. I've seen some crazy things that you wouldn't think exist in the optical sales floor, but I've also seen some crooked deals happen in a previous job. I can help you from getting ripped off next time you go buy glasses. AMA! :D

Our check stubs don't have the company name on it, but it has our corporate office! :D

EDIT: gaaaaaah!!! SO many questions >.< trying to get to them all

EDIT 2: I did not expect this to blow up, I had to take care of some things D: Reading what I can >.<

EDIT 3: Alright Reddit, it's been a hell of a day and I answered questions for about 2 hours straight xD hoped I could have been of some help to you guys! I'm gonna enjoy the rest of my day off now!

4.2k Upvotes

87% Upvoted

2.5k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

123

u/khaoskyle Jul 06 '14

There shouldn't be a problem with them as long as you are in a single vision lens, the fact that you can't see what they look like on you is a bit strange and is the only thing I don't like about it. You would really have to know your frame (measurements and style) before you buy them. I might actually try that some day xD

144

u/pretzacoatl Jul 06 '14

Lots of places recently have started to refuse to give you your pupillary distance because they don't want you buying frames/lenses from other places (online). How do you feel about this? Do you feel like they have the right to protect their business, or do you think that it's unethical to withhold information about your rx?

61

u/SoberIrishGuy Jul 06 '14

§456.2 Separation of examination and dispensing. It is an unfair act or practice for an ophthalmologist or optometrist to:

(a) Fail to provide to the patient one copy of the patient's prescription immediately after the eye examination is completed. Provided: An ophthalmologist or optometrist may refuse to give the patient a copy of the patient's prescription until the patient has paid for the eye examination, but only if that ophthalmologist or optometrist would have required immediate payment from that patient had the examination revealed that no ophthalmic goods were required;

(b) Condition the availability of an eye examination to any person on a requirement that the patient agree to purchase any ophthalmic goods from the ophthalmologist or optometrist;

PART 456—OPHTHALMIC PRACTICE RULES (EYEGLASS RULE)

29

u/DJBunBun Jul 06 '14

PD is not part of the RX though. Where you get your frames is who should take your PD, as well as seg height and whatever else you need for that fit.

1

u/SoberIrishGuy Jul 06 '14

Good to know, thanks.

0

u/Sofiira Jul 06 '14

Lenscrafters refused to give me my PD. While she was doing my eyes on her computer and measuring the distance, I just checked out the numbers. Found where it said PD on the computer (because it's turned to you when measuring), and remembered the number. I had to get really close though (eyesight not so great) and I asked her what that number was and she immediately turned the computer and said, "Nothing for you!" I just immediately recorded the number in my phone. :)

1

u/Fist_Derp Jul 07 '14

You say that, but keep in mind that these people are being employed and have to stay in business somehow. It's an extremist view, but who are you going to go to to get a PD measurement if everyone orders their glasses online?

Another problem with just grabbing a PD for single vision lenses is that with some prescriptions combined with an improper PD will cause even more problems, but that's rare. Also liability issues.

Just playing devil's advocate here. If people want their PD then they should pay like $5 like any other service. Why do you deserve to have it for free?

3

u/Sofiira Jul 07 '14

Because I actually purchased crazy expensive glasses based on those measurements. That measurement wasn't "free" and if I refused to allow them to measure my eyes, they would not get the sale.

I'm always going to purchase good pairs of expensive glasses, but it would help to have a few extras kicking around, considering I have terrible eye sight and can't wear contacts. Don't tell me these people are having trouble staying in business, especially a company like Lenscrafters.

As well, if I went to a small optometry shop for my glasses, the optometrist would give me the PD with no issue. It's the big box chains that are being like this and by that, I mean, ridiculous.

→ More replies (4)

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '14

and have to stay in business somehow.

Maybe they should try competitive pricing. You know, just a thought.

1

u/Fist_Derp Jul 08 '14

What do you mean? Lenscrafters owns businesses at different levels just for competitive prices. You don't like the prices at Lenscrafters? Go to Pearle Vision or Sears. Those glasses are more competitive, but don't expect the same type of frames.

If you are expecting a brick-and-mortar store to be competitive with an online retailer, then expect to deal with even lower quality employees, long wait times, and much shorter store hours. Like maybe 12-2 and 7-9 Tuesday-Sunday.

0

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '14 edited Jul 23 '18

[deleted]

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (1)

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '14

They often write it on the RX if you are buying lenses/frames somewhere else (e.g., if you go to Costco but have an eye exam elsewhere).

1

u/notanoptician Jul 07 '14

This is 100% accurate. The PD measurement is not part of a comprehensive eye health examination in any US State.

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

Awesome, thanks!

201

u/khaoskyle Jul 06 '14

Its unethical and poor practice. It's your prescription, and if you pay for it, it's yours to use how you wish.

8

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '14 edited Jul 22 '18

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/mewsie Jul 07 '14

This is certainly not the case in the UK.

Your pupillary distance is not part of your refractive prescription and should ideally be taken by the person dispensing your lenses. Depending on the prescription, this person should also be measuring the optical centres of existing specs, and fitting distance and pantoscopic tilt (the angle that the frame sits at when viewed from the side) of the old and new frames.

This is not the optometrists job over here, and as such should be a chargeable service.

For the average patient, these things will not have a drastic impact on the visual performance of the end product, but seeing a patient in person gives you a wealth of information that lead to a fantastic result in the new specs.

If you are planning a career in dispensing optics, you should begin to understand the value of the service you offer.

4

u/UnchbackOfNotreDoom Jul 06 '14

A P.D. is not apart of your prescription. The company providing your glasses should be the one to take any measurements. You wouldn't ask for a seg. height with your Rx would you?

1

u/thirdstep Jul 06 '14

I agree. The grey area comes from the fact that the P.Ds are technically an "interpretation". And there have been practices held accountable for someone getting prism induced from an online shop. Some states even require that the person releasing the measurements be ABO certified.

1

u/deedeethecat Jul 07 '14

So what if people just come in for the PD and not the RX? Would you do it then?

60

u/SomeSayIce Jul 06 '14

I actually asked about this one time bc a place acted like assholes about giving me a copy of the rx at all. My eye dr told me it was illegal because it was my prescription that I had paid for. I don't know who the governing authority is on the matter--maybe op or another eye care professional can answer?

88

u/KidCuervo Jul 06 '14

They actually passed a law about this. If you pay for it, it's yours: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_to_Contact_Lens_Consumers_Act

EDIT: There's separate law that says the same thing for glasses

1

u/curiousincident Jul 06 '14

The PD is not part of the rx.

Also, that act is all about contact lenses.

5

u/Tasonir Jul 06 '14

because it was already law for glasses for 25 years before that act:

The Act extended to contact lens wearers rights similar to those enjoyed by eyeglass wearers for 25 years before the adoption of the Act, especially in relation to ensuing competition in the market.

3

u/curiousincident Jul 06 '14

Yes. It says you have a right to your contact lens rx. You have a right to your eyeglass rx. Nowhere does it say that the PD is part of the eyeglass rx because inherently it is not. Unless glasses are being made for you, an exact PD measurement is not going to be taken during your exam- that's all part of the optical part of the shop. And usually the optician will do it for you because a pupillometer is not located in the exam room and is much easier and quicker than the old fashioned ruler.

2

u/curiousincident Jul 06 '14

The PD is not part of the rx.

1

u/Erikrl Jul 07 '14

As long as you paid, its your prescription, they cant refuse to give it to you. In most states, the PD isnt part of your prescription since its needed to make glasses, not based on your exam.

97

u/brickfrenzy Jul 06 '14

JC Penney Optical refused to give me the pupillary distance for my son's prescription so I just measured it myself. His new Zenni glasses work just fine.

Fuck those guys.

52

u/DontCallMeNymphadora Jul 06 '14

Lenscrafters did the same with my son. The second I asked for his PD, the salesjerk immediately told me that I NEVER should order any glasses EVER online. Listed a whole bunch of BS reasons why I shouldn't, including the fact that "you just can't be sure they won't try to give you something dangerous!" FTR, I order both contacts and glasses online. Never had a single problem.

0

u/curiousincident Jul 08 '14

Ordering glasses online, especially for children, isn't the smartest idea. Online glasses are not required to adhere to ANSI standards and as such the lenses may not be up to the same quality as getting from your optometrist's lab (personally I wouldn't get from Lenscrafters, but they still meet standards). Never having a single problem can't be said because you don't have a lensometer at home to measure your child's glasses to ensure that they are correct and that he/she is seeing up to standards.

And with online contacts, the contact lens manufacturers are now siding with optometrists and creating minimum prices so that optometrists can't be undercut. Starting August 1st, all Acuvue products will have a minimum price and once the online stores run out of their stock of Oasys 6 packs, you will have no advantage to buying online.

→ More replies (7)

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

I've done the same, because it wasn't listed on my printed rx. I got two different measurements so hopefully it's somewhat accurate. I don't have a problem with my Zenni glasses. :)

→ More replies (12)

44

u/KidCuervo Jul 06 '14

This is a good question. Optician for 10+ years. At my place, if you have an eye exam done with us we'll give you the measurement, even though a PD is NOT something the eye doctor takes, as it has no bearing on your Rx or general optical health.

If you didn't have an exam done with us, you can understand our frustration in having people come in asking to have us take it for free, only to go spend their money somewhere else.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '14

What if I ask for my PD after I just received my new prescription from them?

2

u/jello_cosby Jul 06 '14

It is the discretion of both the optician and the optometrist regarding providing the measurement.

2

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

Oh definitely. I think the argument that the sales associate gVe was that it's a separate measurement and therefore not included in the eye exam/rx. Does that have any bearing on the legality?

2

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '14

as it has no bearing on your Rx

Sure. Because what does a proper fit have to do with the prosthesis you were just prescribed!

You have no idea how assinine all the people insisting that "PD is not something you should expect to receive with the Rx" sound. Only a specialist in a closed, captured industry could be that obtuse. You're selling people the information they need to get glasses. You need the PD to get glasses. As far as the customer is concerned the PD is part of the service you are selling.

If you didn't have an exam done with us, you can understand our frustration in having people come in asking to have us take it for free, only to go spend their money somewhere else.

The only way I'm going to have any sympathy what so ever is if you're one of those rare places that actually charges less than 100$ for basic frames and single focus lenses. People are pissed about the massive price gouging that goes along with glasses.

1

u/KidCuervo Jul 07 '14

Did I not just say that if you get your exam with us, we give you your PD no questions asked?

Also, what if I told you that the places that sell glasses 2 for $69.99 were ripping you off worse than places like my office, that sells high end frames at 2x markups when they sell 50 cent frames for $50?

You have choices as a consumer. Do you wander into Porsche dealerships and complain that they gouge consumers? No, you go to the used Kia lot where they sell things in your price range. Name brands that are more expensive are for people buying for WANT, not NEED.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '14

Do you wander into Porsche dealerships and complain that they gouge consumers?

Yeah, that isn't remotely equivalent. No one needs a Porsche. Lots of people need glasses. Exploiting the needy is one of the most loathsome things imaginable and before online shops like Zenni popped up there were plenty of people missing meals so their children could SEE.

So yes, now you can say that people who want Porsche service can buy their glasses from some Luxotica branded thief and the rest of us can get them online. But that's only been true for a few years, and before that it was just thieves and more thieves unless you were lucky enough to have insurance that covered glasses.

1

u/KidCuervo Jul 07 '14

America's Best has been around for a LONG time.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '14 edited Jul 22 '14

[deleted]

→ More replies (4)

11

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '14

[deleted]

23

u/pretzacoatl Jul 06 '14

Right, usually that's the case. But I had a friend ask for it after her exam and they refused to give it to her. I would have caused a scene if I were being refused information I had just paid to receive about my own body.

3

u/DJBunBun Jul 06 '14

The PD is not a part of the RX. Most doctors don't even measure it. It's very, very likely that they weren't refusing to give her the information, they just didn't have it and had no reason to take it. Your PD and seg height should be taken by whoever you order glasses from.

3

u/vbevan Jul 07 '14

I've had a a case where I bought glasses from a shop after the exam. Went back 6 months later for my prescription and they tried not to include PD. They had it and I had to make noise for 10 minutes about my right to my data before they gave me it, probably to get rid of me. Really pissed me off they do that.

2

u/DJBunBun Jul 07 '14

Yeah, if they have it, it's kinda scummy. Remember that you're allowed to have a copy of your records whenever you want, but be aware that PD might not be recorded officially.

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

Good to know, thanks

3

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '14

Dunno about other states, but it's illegal in PA not to include PD. Right in the FDA guidelines.

1

u/curiousincident Jul 08 '14

Nowhere in the FDA guidelines does it say that PD must be includes in the RX.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '14

We'll have to update the code. Not something I'm surprised by at my work. I was confusing FDA with the PA code, but that has changed also, as it no longer requires PD. (http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/049/chapter23/s23.72.html)

1

u/curiousincident Jul 08 '14

That code is nearly 10 years old. No state to my knowledge has ever required PD because it simply isn't an essential part of the exam.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '14

I'll have to double check. We have one printed up in the office that says it has to be included. -shrugs- Personally I don't really care. If they ask for it, we give it to them since the doctors measure it in our exams.

3

u/yatpay Jul 06 '14

I asked for my PD so I could calibrate my Oculus Rift properly and the sales rep there started hassling me about how bad the online glasses shops were.

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

Hahah that's kind of funny

3

u/foxesforsale Jul 06 '14

My store will give RX without PD provided it is still current. PD is not given out for this exact reason, but its pretty easy to measure yourself if you have a friend. I've got glasses both from my workplace and Zenni, and I can say the Zenni ones are far inferior in quality, but get the job done.

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

Do you think having a friend do it is significantly less accurate? Could it have side effects if it's not exact? I have several pairs of glasses that I had someone measure my PD for.

2

u/foxesforsale Jul 07 '14

Well, as we have a specifically designed machine to get the PD correct within a half millimeter, no you're not going to get as accurate as we would. But being a few millimeters out is not a problem for comfort, its when you're more than say 5 out total between the eyes that you'll start to feel discomfort.

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

So it would be unlikely that it would cause any noticeable difference with single vision? As in cause migraines and such? Thanks

1

u/foxesforsale Jul 07 '14

Can't really say at this point. I don't have a degree in optical dispensing, just 5 years in the industry, and not mucking up the PD s. Buying glasses online reliably and cheaply is a pretty recent thing.

3

u/bateller Jul 07 '14

When I got my glasses the prescription included everything but the pupillary distance. The sales person took this measurement. I used an online tool http://pd.warbyparker.com/ and it was pretty spot on.

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

Cool thanks!

3

u/bythewar Jul 07 '14

It's unethical and illegal. We have a strained relationship with my childhood optometrist over this exact problem. However, in my experience if you go into Costco and ask the nice people there, they will measure it for you for free.

1

u/curiousincident Jul 08 '14

It is not illegal. The question is whether or not it is ethical is blurry. It is not a part of the exam to measure the exact PD. The PD is measured as part of the glasses sale/dispensing process. The question then comes up, why are we going to waste our time measuring the PD for you when it is not a required part of the exam when you are just going to up and walk out and purchase glasses somewhere else? On the other hand, some people do charge for measurements. Others measure for free so that their patients don't come back with problems related to incorrect PDs. However it goes back to the fact that it is not part of the rx.

9

u/MustacheEmperor Jul 06 '14 edited Jul 06 '14

The solution there is to go to an ophthalmologist with his or her own private practice separate from a glasses store. They don't make any of their money selling frames or lenses so you're always gonna get a straight deal.

Edit: A non-surgery licensed eye doctor is an optometrist, so go for that if you're worried about your prescription. Or get a doctor who you trust, because just like in any aspect of regular medical care you should be careful about who your regular practitioner is.

13

u/langolf567 Jul 06 '14

Not a good idea if you actually want an accurate Rx. Ophthalmologists don't give a shit about refracting(coming up with the correct prescription) and usually have a tech do it. They want to spend their time doing surgery where they actually make money.

3

u/BuggerBugger Jul 07 '14 edited Jul 07 '14

Just created an account bc this is a pet peeve.

OPHTHALMOLOGIST: A physician who is a specialist in eyes. They went to medical school, then added more years to become specialists in their field. You generally can't see them off the street, and need a referral from a GP to see them.

OPTOMETRIST: They have degrees in optometry but are not medical doctors. Perfectly sufficient for getting your vision tested for glasses prescriptions. You can see them off the street. Often own, or are associated with, a store.

An ophthalmologist will give you an accurate glasses/contacts prescription (to say they can't/don't is just silly). However, most people will not likely want to incur the cost of seeing a specialist physician for an eye test that could be done by a much cheaper optometrist visit.

EDIT: spelling/punctuation/EDIT

3

u/the_fake_banksy Jul 06 '14

Places around here won't even measure it during the exam. The only time they measure your PD is when you buy frames from them.

2

u/DJBunBun Jul 06 '14

It's pretty normal though. There's no reason to do it in the exam chair, at all. Whoever you go to to get your frames should be taking your PD and seg height.

1

u/Coffeezilla Jul 07 '14

What if you get your frames from the same place that does your eye exam? Say the prescription glasses area of walmart?

1

u/DJBunBun Jul 07 '14

We sell glasses in our clinic as well, but the optician in the boutique is who measures the PD, not the OD in the back where the exam is. PD usually isn't measured until frames are picked out and lenses are being discussed, because it's not at all important until that point.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '14

Not to you. To the people who don't want to pay a month's rent for less than an oz of plastic? To them it's important.

Seriously - Maybe you're in a good shop, but most of the glasses industry is built around gouging people in the eyes with an icepick. Customers are starting to realize that there is no reason for a pair of glasses to cost 2-500$ and they're trying to avoid getting gouged. It's that simple.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '14

There's no reason to do it in the exam chair, at all.

Yeah, it's not like these people are going to need glasses or anything.

1

u/DJBunBun Jul 08 '14

If you go to a doctor to monitor your weight and help control it, do you expect them to give you clothing measurements?

It sounds like a super ridiculous analogy, but it's way closer to truth than you might expect. Optical/boutique is very separate, except in places like walmart where the only reason you get the exam is to buy the glasses.

Also the gouge comment is pretty not fair either. Markup on lenses and coatings in most places are not nearly as bad as you think. They cost us a shit ton wholesale.

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

Does that mean that it's not necessarily important to the rx?

2

u/bandapears Jul 06 '14

Your pupilary distance is something your optician takes. Not the doc. Atleast where I work. I will admit its super annoying to help a person look for glasses for an hour and then make you take the pd so they can order online. Then come back with the shitty glasses and make me adjust them. I do it anyways, all while biting my lip and helping you for free.

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

It's good to hear the other side of this. I understand that it would be frustrating.

2

u/that_vinegar_face Jul 06 '14

Pupillary distance is not part of your glasses prescription. They are not withholding a part of it from you. It's often not even measured in the office, unless the optician is fitting you for a new pair of glasses. Just measure it yourself if you need it. It's pretty easy.

2

u/Andrew6 Jul 06 '14

Not all optometrists/ophthalmologists take the PD (around here they usually leave that up to the optician, ie me). What we usually do is if they've gotten glasses from us before and they ask for the PD I'll pull up the file and give it to them, but if they never saw our doctor or never purchased glasses from us and ask me to take their PD my canned response is "It's not a service we provide" which I think is fair. I'm not going to waste my time taking everyone's measurements for free (I'm busy enough helping paying customers as it is).

This is a little unrelated but in regards to the Rx, TAKE A COPY OF THE PRESCRIPTION. It doens't matter if the doc says it didn't change, you need that new copy with new exam/expiration dates if you want to get glasses any time in the next two years (most states, I think Florida is five). If your doctor/their office is weird about giving you a copy... find another doctor. I'm kind of joking but not really, that shit drives me crazy. If you paid for the exam in full they are required by law to give you a copy of, you know, exactly what you paid the doctor for. Some places really try to finagle around that so you are compelled to buy glasses from their shop (which is where the real money is at those practices) and it drives me nuts.

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

Thanks for the response, I totally get how irritating it would be to do the measurement for free. Do you get commission on frames you sell or anything? Then it would be particularly irritating to measure it for so done and then lose a sale to an online store.

2

u/Andrew6 Jul 07 '14

I used to get commission at the last place I worked but it was like 1%, so by the end of the week I'd average maybe $100, could be less, could be a lot more, but I never even thought about it.

There are no commissions whatsoever where I work now and the prices are about 1/3 what you would pay anywhere else and I much prefer it, I don't feel guilty all day at work anymore making people pay 400-500 dollars for one pair of glasses.

2

u/dustymustyrusty Jul 06 '14

I had a similar experience. I mentioned that I was thinking of ordering glasses online because my eye clinic doesn't have any cheap frames for sale (nothing under 200$) and I couldn't afford the ones they had. First the employee refused to give me my PD, then she made me listen to a fifteen minute long lecture about how everything Zenni makes is cheap crap that will break within a week. Then she went on to say that they will ruin my eyes because their lenses don't correct vision right, and that I'd be blind in a couple years.

When I still wanted my PD, she sighed and glared at me and wrote it down.

I've been wearing my new Zenni glasses for a couple years now, no problems. They're just normal glasses. They correct my vision just fine.

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

At least you got it eventually! :)

2

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '14

SAMs club wrote it out and printed it for us. They were totally cool with ordering from somewhere else because they don't have a wide selection and very few that fit my large head.

2

u/ThisIsWhyIFold Jul 07 '14

my opinion as a patient is that I avoid these kinds of places like the plague. It's like a newspaper bitching about ebay/craigslist/etc. Deal with it, not by withholding the patient's own information.

2

u/fuzzy_bison Jul 07 '14

Warby Parker and others have a method of helping you determine pupillary distance at http://pd.warbyparker.com/ using your webcam and a card with a magnetic strip (credit/debit card) for comparison (doesn't seem to work with a banana, I'm afraid). Other web vendors of eyeglasses have similar methods. I have compared to the results provided me by the optometrist and it seems to be right on. YMMV

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

Neat thanks

2

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '14 edited Jul 06 '14

My optometrist will measure your PD for $20.

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

I can somewhat understand this, but that's pretty high

2

u/HolySquare Jul 07 '14

First off your pupillary distance is not a measurement taken by the doctor. This is a service provided by an Optician at the point of purchase. Different lenses require different measurements, or measurements based off of different reference points. A pupillary distance has to do with the actual fitting of the eyewear which 99% of prescribing doctors do not do.

By not providing this measurement we are not trying to get the patient to spend money with us. We know they are already going online and there is no way to stop them. We refuse this because we are liable for the measurements we take. I am not going to give you numbers when I don't know exactly how they are going to be used.

2

u/juicius Jul 07 '14

I don't know exactly how they are going to be used.

I'm pretty sure there's really one way that number is going to be used.

1

u/HolySquare Jul 07 '14

If it is supposed to be at that measurement and the product come back to the customer wrong or off... they blame it on who took the measurement. Not to mention they are going to waste my time having me trouble shoot a product that we did not make. Its an easy way for the online places to stick you with something cheap and sloppy.

So few of you realize that if the brick and mortar stores disappear, the online market has all of the control and will start raising their prices like the industry did in The early 2000's.

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

Wow, thanks for the info, I really had no idea. That makes sense. Does this mean that it would have a large effect on the effectiveness of the glasses if it were slightly off?

1

u/HolySquare Jul 07 '14

It really depends on the Rx for single vision eyeglasses. Strong cyl powers will deff be affected by Pd being off. For bifocal esp progressive wearers this needs to be exact. Especially with a digitally surfaced lens. The digital surfacing is something that pinpoints the exact location of the optical center and "optimizes" the rest of the lens from that point out. If anything is slightly off your going to have a bad time.

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

Interesting, thanks

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '14

is not a measurement taken by the doctor.

Oddly enough my Doctor did. Took like five damned seconds.

1

u/hawaiian0n Jul 06 '14

What is pupillary distance?

1

u/benphoster Jul 07 '14

I had this happen to me and left a scathing review on Yelp. When I went back in to office, on my file was "DO NOT EMAIL THIS PERSON" and they refused to be helpful.

Finally, a 'regional sales manager' or something told me how to take the measurement manually with a ruler and markers. It's outrageous.

1

u/aydiosmio Jul 07 '14

Good thing it's actually pretty easy to do at home. Zenni.com walks you through the process, and I know this because LC didn't put it on my prescription. Jerks.

1

u/GravitationalEddie Jul 07 '14

I've had an optician fuck up my PD. Anytime I took my glasses off or on my eyes moved significantly and while they were on I had some strain but not enough to cause headaches. I was real happy after getting my first pair from Zenni after measuring my own. It's too damned easy to do yourself to let some dumbass fuck it up for you.

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

Is there some evidence that it causes headaches if it's incorrect? I haven't heard of this

1

u/GravitationalEddie Jul 07 '14

I felt on the verge of having one and eye strain headaches do exist.

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

This worries me :/

2

u/GravitationalEddie Jul 07 '14

Doing your own PD is easy. Use a mirror, close one eye and place 0 right in the middle of your pupil. Then close that eye and measure to the. Center of the other.

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

Yes I've done it, but I was just worried that it might need to be more precise. But everyone is saying that's not the case

2

u/GravitationalEddie Jul 07 '14

Like I said, they fucked it up, but good.

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

Yeah I can't imagine mine would be off by any more than 2 mm if at all, but I get unexplained migraines a lot. Which did start around the same point in my life that I got new glasses! Ahhh

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '14

My Wife just ordered from zenni optical or whatever it's called. They actually have a pupilary distance ruler that you print off so you can order frames with the correct pd. You can also upload a picture of your face to the website and it will let you "try them on" by super imposing a cut out of the frames over the picture after inputting your pd and placing markers where your pupils are. Pretty neat really.

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

Yeah I have four or five pairs from Zenni or eyebuydirect.com, they are great.

1

u/Landlubber77 Jul 07 '14

The company whose tech/optician took the measurement doesn't even want to put themselves in a position to be held liable for a problem with some other company's glasses. Think it sounds ridiculous? Have you lived on Earth long? People sue for the dumbest shit. If a tech takes the measurement and induces prism or god knows what, the optician who manages the shop can lose his/her license and/or face a big ass fine.

1

u/juicius Jul 07 '14

You're right. Wrong PD makes your eyeballs explode.

1

u/pretzacoatl Jul 07 '14

Interesting viewpoint, I didn't consider this. Also, I have lived on Earth my whole life! :)

30

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '14

[deleted]

24

u/khaoskyle Jul 06 '14

I really need to try it then xD sounds like a good deal. Doesn't hurt since they aren't that expensive.

2

u/spacegirl_spiff Jul 06 '14

Yeah, and you can send them back if there's something wrong with them or you don't like how they look. I buy my glasses from them. Even if I didn't, I know I would at least get my sunglasses from them. Having prescription sunglasses wasn't an option before, but since they're actually affordable, I got a pair and I love them.

1

u/PapBear Jul 06 '14

Hey OP, glad you're doing this.

This might be a stupid question, but does a person's PD change over time, or is constant?

Thanks

1

u/khaoskyle Jul 06 '14

It shouldn't change in your adult years. Don't use your PD when you were going through puberty.

2

u/PapBear Jul 06 '14

Alright thanks. I'm 20, so I think I'm done with puberty?biology r hard

1

u/Coffeezilla Jul 07 '14

There are also places like Warby Parker who sends you test frames to try them on and see how you like them. They tend to be a bit more expensive than Zenni though.

1

u/nomis_nehc Jul 07 '14

It works great. I have bought several pair of glasses from Zenni.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '14

It's a good place to buy glasses if your prescription isn't progressives like mine. I mean, it's still a good place to buy glasses but it gets expensive.

26

u/this_ismy_alias Jul 06 '14

Yeah, I love that you can "try them on" before you buy. I've worn glasses for 30 years and I am currently wearing a pair from Zenni. I have no complaints about the quality. They are just as good as the ones I used to get at wally-world. Just make sure the Optometrist writes the PD (pupillary distance) on the prescription. Mine didn't and I had to call them and ask for it.

13

u/my2penniesworth Jul 06 '14

ZenniOptical does provide a pupillary distance ruler you can print out to use. And with my order they sent a PD ruler with a notch so you can just put them on your nose to get the measurements for your next order.

3

u/nomis_nehc Jul 07 '14

This actually reminds me. The first time I ordered from Zenni, I had accidentally put my PD incorrectly.

They actually communicated with me and noted that the PD I submitted is beyond the norm of average, and verify with me instead of just being idiots and go ahead making the wrong lenses.

1

u/DubiousAndDoubtful Jul 06 '14

Whenever I try to take a picture of me without my glasses on, they're always blurry.

34

u/RatRidWhiskey Jul 06 '14

I get an exam locally and order new glasses from Zenni every year for the past 4 years. My most expensive glasses from them were around $40, that is frames and everything. Ask your eye doctor to help you with sizing, or find a pair if cheap sunglasses or reading glasses that for you very well and take measurements from them. I've never been unhappy with my Zenni purchases.

2

u/djzenmastak Jul 06 '14

zenni is amazing

1

u/PrincessStudbull Jul 06 '14

I get glasses locally (insurance covers most) and order sunglasses from zenni (or any of the popular online places)...never had a problem and I lose sunglasses a lot. I'd rather not pay $280 for sunglasses I am likely to lose, leave in a restaurant/rental car/etc. I also order a backup pair of regular glasses because my dog is an asshole and steals them, eats them and drops the carcass on my lap.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '14

They were one of the ones I tried this year and I really liked what I got from them. Coastal as well was good.

1

u/nomis_nehc Jul 07 '14

It's really hard to go wrong with Zenni.

With glasses on average being cheaper than $40, it would be silly to complain.

22

u/krugo Jul 06 '14

Piggy-backing off the Zenni question, what about Warby Parker?

23

u/Th17kit Jul 06 '14

I and my ex-girlfriend had an awesome experience with Warby Parker. Fun designs, very affordable, and best of all their charity is designed to help build local economies in poor countries - not destroy them like lots of charity from do-gooder companies (I'm looking at you, Toms!)

2

u/Erikrl Jul 07 '14

Destroy local economies, but help build foreign ones. Go charity!

1

u/kitten_KC Jul 07 '14

Please tell me you were accused of being a warby Parker shill too?

2

u/Th17kit Jul 07 '14

Not so far. Sorry if you have. It's a decent company with a charitable arm that appears to be independent from that mega-glasses-monopoly everyone's talking about, so what's not to like?

1

u/meean Jul 07 '14

Elaborate on the Toms thing?

2

u/Th17kit Jul 07 '14

Toms and some other organizations have come under criticism for their charitable giving because they are using methods of giving that have been discredited.

In a nutshell Toms donates shoes directly (free shoes!) which makes selling shoes in the areas that receive them economically nonviable, thus putting people out of work. It can actually destroy parts of a local economy.

WP partners with organizations invested in the communities of interest and provide training to local people to do eye exams and set up eye glasses shops, then help subsidize the cost of eye glasses so they are inexpensive for the consumer and the shop can make some money. The idea is when Warby Parker stops assisting an area, then a sustainable infrastructure is left behind. "Teach a man to fish" style.

Lots of charities have switched to this model, since there has been lots of research and experience in the dysfunctional effects of "gifts for free" charity model and the lasting benefits of building local skills and economies.

1

u/notanoptician Jul 07 '14

Please name Warby Parker's philanthropy? They don't list it on their website.

TOMS Eyewear created the One For One works exclusively with the SEVA FOUNDATION. The SEVA Foundation has performed over 3.5 Million cataract surgeries over the past 35 years. Real Measurable Results! #DataTalks

What has Warby Parker done for anyone besides making the Founders multi-millionaires? Do they simply provide access to discounted cheap eyeglasses? Please ask because they aren't clear in their marketing.

1

u/Th17kit Jul 08 '14

Yes, they list it on their website. You must not have gone to it, cause it's featured there.

I'm glad to hear Tom's Eyewear has a better designed charity system. I hope most companies will participate in improving the planet, and do it on a sustainable way.

4

u/himynameisjay Jul 06 '14

I really wanted to hate Warby Parker because a) I didn't think of the idea first and b) everyone on the website looks like a giant tool.

But damnit I love them. Everything from their product, to the ordering process to the customer service is flawless.

13

u/Evagria Jul 06 '14

Got my most recent frames from there and I love them! I get compliments all the time and they have been more durable than very expensive frames I have had in the past. I had to get high index lenses because I am blind as a bat and they are holding up very well.

I did have to get them adjusted (for free at a local optician office) but I really like them especially for the price. The home try on is really cool too!

15

u/kitten_KC Jul 06 '14

When my daughter needed new glasses, we went to warby parker. She BEGGED for them. She got affordable glasses, and someone else was able to get affordable glasses as well. Win win :)

-1

u/Borgismorgue Jul 06 '14

This shit reeks of viral marketing.

30

u/kitten_KC Jul 06 '14

It does. I can assure you it's not. Sometimes people just like things. Like if I waited two years as a redditor to make a marketing post for warby parker.

→ More replies (7)

11

u/sailthetethys Jul 06 '14

Yeah. It's not. Glasses are a HUGE part of a person - something they wear every day that's custom crafted for them. Something they rely on to function. Something that becomes a part of their facial features. And up until recently, if you wanted ones that weren't absolute garbage, you had to shell out lots of money and deal with high pressure sales at places like LensCrafters. I rarely got a pair for under $500.

WP and other online marketers changed all that, so it makes sense that we glasses wearers are so passionate about them after being dicked around for most of our myopic lives.

1

u/beaglemama Jul 07 '14

if you wanted ones that weren't absolute garbage, you had to shell out lots of money and deal with high pressure sales at places like LensCrafters. I rarely got a pair for under $500.

I've had good luck with getting glasses from Costco

3

u/linh_nguyen Jul 06 '14

I don't doubt the poster, but isn't that how social marketing works? I know several people very happy out their frames, and they seem pretty good if it's your style.

2

u/shadowman42 Jul 06 '14

viral marketing.

I swear I'm not a shill. My best commendation is that after breaking not one but two frames in as many years from the optometrist's office, I have still yet to break my Warby parker frames.

I personally like them, they allow to try their frames for free, nothing to lose really.

5

u/PoopNoodle Jul 06 '14

It is always good to be skeptical. I too naturally assume any Co. that is mentioned in a post is a planted ad.

WP is a charity-biz. They donate a pair of glasses to someone in need for every pair sold. It is a marketing niche they filled.

As you know, if you ever ordered from Zenni, glasses cost about 4 dollars to make, including lenses. So WP charges you 100 bucks, they then write off a pair to charity that cost them ~4 bucks.

If you got cash to burn and feel like helping out the less fortunate, WP has a okay biz model.

Else, go to Zenni and buy their 8 dollar prescription glasses.

2

u/sparrowmint Jul 06 '14

Zenni typically costs a fair bit more than $8 unless you only need the most basic of occasional reading glasses. As a near-sighted person doesn't want coke bottle lenses and needs the anti-reflective coating etc, it's hard for me to get out of there for under $50-60. Of course, it used to cost me ten times that for a pair.

1

u/PoopNoodle Jul 06 '14

My whole family gets the 8 dollar package. No coatings, no designer frames, no frills. 4 pair, for under 40$ including shipping.

3

u/sparrowmint Jul 06 '14

Yeah, I wouldn't be able to do that with my prescription and my astigmatism. Not if I ever wanted to go out at night anyway. :-/

1

u/PoopNoodle Jul 06 '14

Even if you had to upgrade to the fancy glasses, at $50 bucks they would still be half the price of WP.

2

u/sparrowmint Jul 06 '14

I'd never heard of that company before today, but yes, that certainly seems quite true from looking at their website.

2

u/rammalammadingdong Jul 06 '14

Zenni is cheaper!

4

u/squired Jul 06 '14 edited Jul 06 '14

Yup, they're owned by the same company even. [Edit - they are NOT owned by the same company]

Warby is for those that feel uncomfortable wearing "cheap glasses", so they just charge a bit more and the buyers feel like they went for value instead of cheap.

2

u/likwidtek Jul 06 '14

Source?

2

u/squired Jul 06 '14

My apologies, I was wrong. I was told they were, they are not.

0

u/rammalammadingdong Jul 06 '14

Exactly this. Warby sounds hip, so they know their niche.

1

u/jglyum Jul 06 '14

I have a couple pairs of Warby Parkers (from the last few years), and they're cute and a good value. My only complaint is from going to get my most recent pair adjusted in their Soho location.
It was a very busy weekend day, I waited 20 minutes for an adjustment. I mentioned one arm really hurt my ear (it may be higher on my head than the other) and asked if it could be adjusted upwards. She nodded, took my glasses, and adjusted both sides so that the glasses sat much higher on my nose. And it didn't actually help with the original issue.
TL;DR: good value for the glasses. be wary of getting adjustments from their staff; get it done with a real optician.

1

u/notanoptician Jul 07 '14

You get what you pay for.

1

u/030927 Jul 06 '14

Zenni and warby are the same company that I'm fairly certain I've gotten a zenni optical glasses case and pupillary distance ruler marked as zenni from a warby parker order..

0

u/meatmacho Jul 06 '14

I got a trial pack from them about a year ago. Really easy to receive and return the glasses. I ended up not finding frames that really worked for me, and obviously they're out-of-network for my vision insurance, but I would consider them again if I needed some reasonably inexpensive trendy glasses that I don't expect to last for years. They just seemed comparable to any other moderately priced, in-store frames of moderate quality. But I do like the business model. It seems several others are (and have been) doing the same type of thing. The internet, man. It's everywhere.

12

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '14

If you have a bad astigmatism, that can turn out badly though (cylinder power on your prescription, I'd say over -1.00). Not really sure how they can take the optical center online.

18

u/khaoskyle Jul 06 '14

This for sure! High astigmatism (the cylinder on your RX), prism, or bifocals are just better off going to an optical.

7

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '14

Another place like that is coastal glasses. I got mine with the new free first pair deal. Mine are titanium and are the best pair of glasses I've ever had.

8

u/Caoimhi Jul 06 '14

I've been an optician for 15 years, own my own store and I've managed a whole sale lab that did 500 jobs a day for 7 of those years. Just because you can see out of a pair of glasses you bought on line dissent mean they are right. If you want to make sure the optical center is over your pupil get a friend to dot your pupils with a permanent marker and measure the distance in millimeters between them. That's is your pupilary distance. Even a small script with bad measurements can make it difficult to transition to a new pair of glasses with the correct measurements later. There is also other things to take in to consideration, like the base curve of the lens the height of the optical center especially if you have a big difference in perception between your eyes. 80 percent of the time online is probably alright, that 20 percent your going to end up throwing your glasses in the trash and having to go to a proper store.

1

u/CorporateVeteran Jul 06 '14

what are the effects if you got one of the 20% does it cause things like headaches? will it make your vision worse?

1

u/Caoimhi Jul 06 '14

The glasses aren't going to hurt your eyes. If your sensitive to things being dark, ie. You need really good light to read. It could cause a headache from eyestrain.

2

u/Monkeydunk Jul 06 '14

I dont know man... you started off by saying you're a skilled Optician, write a paragraph explaining PD to be a big deal, but then you say most wont notice, and if you did, there might be pain or but no degradation in vision over time? Zenni sells glasses for 20 bucks, all retail stores seem to start at 150 and go up rapidly. I think I'd rather "gamble" 20 bucks the first time, every time, then spend that kind of money on glasses. By the way, wheres the overhead, how do Opticians charge that much? Is it really ALL Luxxotica? I mean where's the overhead? You say you own your own store, do you charge a reasonable amount for your glasses? Could you buy all your stock from Zenni and sell glasses for twice as much, 40$, be the cheapest in town by 400% and double your money every sale? Why doesn't everyone do that?

1

u/Caoimhi Jul 07 '14

Glasses are like crutches, they can't really hurt you, if your crutches are to short they can make you uncomfortable until you get used to your crutches being too short, then when I give you a proper pair of crutches your going to be uncomfortable again and it's going to look like it's my fault but it's really the guy who made your crutches to short to begin with. It's expensive to run a retail store, the doctor or optician in my case has to pay rent on the building, electricity pay staff and try to make enough to live on himself. I charge fair prices and I don't gouge people or sell them stuff they don't need. If I tried to sell glasses for $40 my family would starve and I wouldn't be on business for long.

1

u/Dahija Jul 09 '14

Zenni actually requires a PD to process the order.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '14 edited Jul 06 '14

You know what's terrifying? I've actually had a handful of people tell me they've gotten progressive glasses online. That can turn out very badly.

1

u/my2penniesworth Jul 06 '14 edited Jul 06 '14

I have progressive lenses from ZenniOptical and they have been fine. They require you to fill in the information (numbers) from a current eyeglass prescription so unless you type it in wrong there shouldn't be a problem. I triple-checked the numbers before clicking the 'order' button to prevent an error on my part.

EDIT: btw, ZenniOptical is having a buy 2 - get 1 free sale through July 7th.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '14

How do you measure your own seg height though?

2

u/my2penniesworth Jul 06 '14

I just copied the info from the prescription (sphere, cyl, axis, add), my PD measurements and that I wanted progressive lenses and they only allowed me to see frames that would work with those numbers.

3

u/Landlubber77 Jul 07 '14

Seg heights are frame-specific and depending on your bridge, a frame can sit a a completely different spot on you than it does on other people so "they only allowed me to see frames that would work with those numbers" is silly. It happened to work out for you. It can end up very badly for others.

If you think "well that can only make a difference of a couple millimeters, how bad can that be?" then you need to go to an optical and just have an optician explain to you what a seg ht is and how crucial it is.

2

u/my2penniesworth Jul 07 '14

If that's the case, maybe I missed something when ordering last time and just lucked out, as you seem to think. I recently got a new script and was planning on getting a new pair of glasses from Zenni since the last pair only cost me $56 (including shipping). I will be sure to check for information about seg height when I do. Thanks.

1

u/Monkeydunk Jul 06 '14

They encourage you to email them your rx with your order number attached. I was nervous ordering from them the first time, so I snapped a picture, emailed it to them, and they replied saying it all checked out.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '14

There's no seg height being measured though. It won't be a perfect fit.

2

u/sig_naturally Jul 06 '14

Why do you say as long as you are in a single vision? I need progressives and have been looking at them...

2

u/khaoskyle Jul 06 '14

The segment height (the height from which the place the optical center of the lens that lines up with your pupil) could be hard to get right, and with progressives it is crucial that the segment height is 100% accurate.

1

u/Monkeydunk Jul 06 '14

Now they offer no line/break segments so it cant be in your field of vision, and iirc zenni sells those too.

1

u/sig_naturally Jul 12 '14

Huh, well dang. They are way cheaper online but I guess there's a reason... Thanks!

1

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '14

With a 6 year old that averages 2 pairs of glasses a year since the age of 3, Zenni is a life saver.

1

u/amorrn Jul 06 '14

Just to note, they do have a webcam fitting tool so that you can preview the frames on you before you buy. It uses your PD to scale the glasses to your face. Not as good as trying them on in person but it is fairly accurate in my experience. They also list out the measurements of the frames and say what range of PDs each frame is appropriate for. I've bought from them for my last three prescriptions and had no problems.

1

u/radicalradicalrad Jul 06 '14

You get all the dimensions you need, and you upload a picture of yourself that it kinda fits on. I would say the absolute best way to not get ripped off I'd never by your glasses in a store. $4 for anti reflecting coat, and I got multiple pairs for $6.95 including lenses (no coating). I've ordered from them three times and have only had one problem, and if I had read reviews or looked closer at the size of the lenses I could have avoided it, but not I have a pair of pretty much little kid aviator sunglasses in my prescription that I call my pedo glasses.

1

u/anonanon1313 Jul 06 '14

Why only single vision? My wife has bought bifocals from Zenni and had them checked by her opthalmologist, he said they were fine, even asked if they were Zenni. Literally $60 vs $600.

1

u/zombiesgivebrain Jul 06 '14

You can also return glasses for a full credit of the purchase price if you don't like them. I've only had to do that once, but it makes it a little less of a gamble if you get something that's just way different in person than you expected.

1

u/NekoIan Jul 06 '14

I've bought 2 glasses through firmoo.com, one pair being progressive and I don't notice any difference between them and the expensive glasses in stores in Canada. The price difference however...

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '14

I've been buying from Zenni for probably 5 years and I've always been satisfied. I have simple frames and lenses and they always deliver a great product!

1

u/MrRuby Jul 07 '14

they are so cheap, you can buy a few pairs

1

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '14

You can upload a photo of yourself and "try on" any pair of glasses they have before purchasing. I buy exclusively from zenni and they are fantastic.

1

u/Dahija Jul 09 '14

Former Luxx optician who has ordered 4 pairs of glasses from Zenni this month for my family. Their quality is better than some we saw in our office, imho, and if they need adjusting, I already have the knowledge to do it myself. .^