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Re: [OM] New glasses

Subject: Re: [OM] New glasses
From: Charles Geilfuss <charles.geilfuss@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 6 May 2010 11:15:21 -0400
Nicholas,
   That's pretty much how it is done at a number of chain Opticians here in
the US (Lenscrafters is probably the largest); they are just more expensive.
They have an Optometrist on site but he is paid separately to determine your
prescription, and they are actually pretty reasonably priced. The glasses
are priced a la carte. Lenses vary by the strength of the prescription,
various coatings are extra (hardener, anti-UV, anti-reflective), and if you
want the edges of the lenses polished instead of frosted. The frames vary a
lot. They usually have a small selection of bland metal or molded plastic
(suitable for combat) frames that are pretty cheap but anything with "style"
jumps dramatically. I grouse about the expense but given that at my age the
frames last many years, I'm probably complaining too much. What really ticks
me off is they don't repair anything. If they were cheap I wouldn't care if
they were considered "throw-aways". For instance I once broke off the end of
an arm on a three year old pair. When I brought them in they told me..Oh we
don't carry that frame any more so we can't get parts. I told them nevermind
and went home and carved a new endpiece from a scrap of cherry wood.
Lenscrafters has a special trick. I bought a new pair of glasses from them
that were bifocals. About 13 months later I went back to get a second pair
without the bifocals. They refused unless I had my eyes re-examined. I said
no thanks and went to Pearl Vision who accepted my 13 month old
prescription.

Charlie

On Wed, May 5, 2010 at 10:29 AM, Nicholas Herndon <nherndon@xxxxxxxxx>wrote:

> Right you are, Charlie, and this was highlighted for me in Japan where
> my wife was able to get a new pair of glasses with prescription
> polycarbonate lenses for about $60 USD.
> Here she is getting fitted with my old college roommate looking on:
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/pooroldpunch/4519554546/in/set-72157623496120867/
> (OM-2n<http://www.flickr.com/photos/pooroldpunch/4519554546/in/set-72157623496120867/%0A%28OM-2n>w/
>  OMZ 35/2)
>
> The whole operation was slick; they had a variety of frames sitting
> out for customers to look at and try on.  Once my wife decided on
> frames, the technician measured her eyesight using a super fancy
> machine, and took the numbers and matched them to premade lenses,
> which were then finished and installed in the frames.  It took less
> than an hour, and the results were great.
>
> I wish they had an operation like that in the States!
>
> >   While on the topic of glasses; are they not the most over-priced thing
> on
> > the market? I mean I can buy an iPod that has more computing power than
> that
> > used for Apollo 11 to go to the moon for about $150. Yet my glasses made
> of
> > two pieces of ground plastic/ glass (by a technique not much changed
> since
> > Galileo was in the business) and some bent wire will run over $300. What
> > gives?
> >
> > Charlie
> >
> >
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