Eye doctors and pricing?

Hey there,
I’m sorry if I’ve completely misunderstood how this works, but I was hoping someone could clarify how the pricing for prescription lenses actually functions. From what I can gather, you pay for the frames and then there's an additional cost for the lenses themselves, but I'm a bit stuck on the math. Does the price listed cover just one lens for a single eye, or does it represent the total for both eyes together, if you know what I mean?

Thanks much,

So, how much does an eye prescription actually cost? And what’s the rate for degrees Celsius, picometers, kilograms, tons, watts, or pascals?😕 😕

You're paying for the frames plus the lenses.

Obviously, they're all priced separately.

I honestly can't say for sure... I’m holding out hope that things work out that way, too... but when my wife and I were talking about it earlier, she mentioned that it all really comes down to your prescription. At that moment, I was dealing with some kidney issues that hadn't cleared up yet, so all I could focus on was the cost of the lenses, and even the most expensive option was $107 which felt just a little bit too steep for me. Still, if it turns out to be cheaper, then that’s even better.

The frame was paid for $433 while the glass—well, every single pane was $25...

Henry Richardson4 said:I’m telling you, I am absolutely fed up. My entire budget is completely blown. It’s just one thing after another lately, and honestly, I feel like I'm constantly drowning in expenses. Every time I think I've finally got a handle on my finances, something else comes up and just wipes me out. It's infuriating! $433 Honestly, it feels like everyone’s just throwing glass everywhere lately! It's getting ridiculous. $25...

I mean, come on, they can't seriously be plastic lenses or anything like that, right? It’s just way too cheap. If you look at the price tag, there's no way they're using any decent materials. It feels like a total rip-off waiting to happen.

I honestly don't care what anyone says—I would go through hell and back, and I’d gladly pay out of my own pocket, just to have my glasses back. It's about the principle of the thing! $167Look, when someone gives you a price, they better be looking you dead in the eye and telling you the truth for both eyes, not just one! You can't play those half-baked games with me.

So, I popped into two different optical shops the other day just to get a quote on some new lenses... Honestly, it was a nightmare. Every single lens was running about $230-$97 (and those were just for my cylinder corrections). To top it off, one guy there actually tried to tell me that finding non-plastic lenses would be nearly impossible—and apparently, plastic is somehow the more expensive option!
Does anyone happen to know how much Medicare typically covers for lenses like these? Is it even worth the headache of dealing with them at all?

Not that it matters much right now, since I managed to lose my glasses in the first place...

For kids, I think you get those basic plastic lenses for free, plus maybe some small discount on the frames through Medicare. They might try to upsell you on some fancy UV-protection plastic for like, maybe $50 tops. As for adults, I honestly haven't a clue—Medicare probably has some info line listed on their website if you feel like waiting on hold forever.
I was wondering if anyone knows any private pediatric ophthalmologists
worth recommending?

Casey Palmer5 said:So, I popped into two different optical shops the other day just to get a quote on some lenses... Honestly, what a joke. Every single lens was running about $230$97—and those are just for the cylinder corrections. To make matters worse, this guy tells me straight up that finding anything that isn't plastic is going to be nearly impossible (even though apparently, the plastic stuff costs more!).
Does anyone actually know how much Medicare covers for stuff like this? Is it even worth my time to deal with the paperwork?

Not that it matters right now, since I managed to lose my glasses in the first place... typical me.

Look, all I ever get from Medicare for eyewear is pocket change. Like, maybe a hundred bucks tops. 🙄
I’ve got the cylindrical, plastic, anti-reflective ones myself. $183 arrived recently and they're a nightmare!

If you want to save money, you can always just grab basic glass lenses at any local shop—they're way cheaper. But if you care about the look of the frames, that's a different story. You can't just shove any old glass into every frame; you really need that plastic to make it work.

I mean... it’s a total disaster. It isn't even worth my time to deal with $33 anymore.

I was stuck 2 and a half hours just standing there in line at Medicare, and even after all that, I still had to $22 shell out some extra cash $3.25 just to cover the co-pay like you do when you see a doctor. So, I finally walked away with $18. Honestly, I was losing my mind!!! It’s seriously not worth wasting your life like that.

I have been seeing Dr. Serena Williams for years down in Downtown for my exams (it usually runs me about $67), though she does maintain her own private practice near Savannah as well. If there is one thing I can say with absolute certainty, it is that the eyewear options at her Downtown location are catastrophic because they are just way too pricey. For instance, just one single lens was nearly $200... helloooo! Once it dawned on me that I could find similar quality elsewhere for half the price—or even less—I decided I simply won't be returning. I recently went to a shop over near Vatican City, just a short walk from The Met, where they finished both of my lenses for roughly $133, whereas the bill at the Downtown office would have been closer to $433. Honestly, those prices near the Billings clinic are genuinely exorbitant; it is just far too much.👎

Cylinders are driving up the price...

Glass costs more than plastic...

And those anti-reflective coatings? They'll definitely add to the bill...

Plus, if you don't have frames and need them to drill the lenses themselves, that's another expensive step...

Casey Palmer5 said:... Same here, some guy actually told me it would be super hard to find lenses that aren't plastic (which apparently costs more).
...

Oh, come on!
Glass lenses are everywhere, no doubt about it.
I personally swear by glass because I’m always misplacing my glasses or accidentally sleeping in them! 😁 If they were plastic, they’d be scratched up in a heartbeat.

So, I finally got everything sorted out yesterday: I ordered new lenses for both eyes $127 equipped with every single type of protective coating available. They should have the glasses ready for me by this Friday.

I finally found both lenses for my $60 😁
. Now I just have to figure out the frames. Since I only wear glasses once in a while anyway, I don't think I'll bother with plastic...

Does it actually matter if I have a slight distance prescription along with some astigmatism, but I don't wear my glasses because I feel like my vision is mostly fine?
Does skipping those distance glasses cause my reading prescription—you know, the plus diopters—to climb faster? I've heard rumors to that effect, but I'm not really sure... anyone have any insight?

I’m sitting at -0.50 for distance plus some astigmatism. I don't bother with the distance glasses since they don't feel necessary. I do use +1.25 readers, though... I think I heard somewhere that if you neglect the distance correction (especially with astigmatism), your near vision degrades faster and your reading prescription jumps up sooner? 😕

I’m looking to source glass for a greenhouse—people in the PVC window business told me they pick up their units by the square foot at $33. I need roughly 400–450 square feet, though if I can double that, even better. If anyone has leads on manufacturers or knows what the current pricing looks like... let me know. Thanks.

So, I headed over to an eyewear shop today to pick up some new glasses. The frames ended up being $200, and the lenses themselves were $77—basically plastic with an anti-reflective coating and some extra protection. They didn't even charge me extra for the astigmatism correction, which was a nice surprise. Plus, I snagged a 10% discount for paying in cash.

I honestly have no idea where you all found those lenses... I paid $1,300 for my lenses plus another $800 for the frames at LensCrafters. To be honest, I'm not even that happy with them; I guess I'll never go back there for eyewear again, no way.

High prescriptions aren't cheap. I’m sitting at a -6 with some cylinder correction, so I need high-quality polycarbonate just so my nose doesn't snap under the weight of the frames. If I went with the basic stuff, I'd basically be wearing an ashtray on my face. Between the lenses and the frames, I ended up paying $200 each, plus $900 for the actual frames. And look, I don't feel ripped off—that’s just the reality of buying lenses when your vision is this bad.