Our oldest daughter got her first pair of glasses about this time last year. One year later, her eyes have gotten worse and she needs an upgrade. I was thinking it would make more sense, both financially as well as just in terms of unnecessary waste, to simply have her lenses upgraded. The couple of places I’ve called, though, are telling me it’s cheaper to buy a whole new pair of glasses.
Why is this? And is it true? Do any of you know of any places that will do a lens upgrade for less than an entire new pair? I’m a bit frustrated. We all really like the way her current glasses look on her and would just like to keep the same frames. But I’m not exactly willing to pay more for less in this case either. Thoughts?
Half-Pint House 
Megan– wait!!!
Here’s what you need to do: go to Lenscrafters for an appointment with the Optometrist, and get the prescription. While there, be sure to ask for them to measure her “pupilary distance.”
Then, go to Zenni Optical and find her the frames you/she likes. Total cost for glasses (frames AND lenses) will be less than $30, plus shipping.
I bought my latest pair from Zenni, and they are great. They’re well-made and solid, the lenses are ground well, and I got two magnetic, clip-on sunglasses for them, for less than $50 total. These glasses will last me, even though Jack and Molly often mug my glasses when they’re being rough.
Zenni has a HUGE selection of frames, and some of them are less than $10! Titanium, rimless, whatever.
(I don’t get any commissions, by the way…)
The appointment at Lenscrafters will probably cost you about $80 or $90– meaning the total bill will be just over $100. The last Lenscrafters price I got for replacing JUST THE LENSES in my frames was more than that– and new frames and lenses would have cost me over $400. I can go through 10 pairs of Zenni glasses before I’m up to break-even costs.
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Costco will do just lenses for a much more reasonable amount of money than Lenscrafters. They charge $10 extra to put them into your frames compared to the price if you are also buying their frames.
Good luck!
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When PalmGirl wore glasses (she wears contacts now), we had the lenses replaced as her prescription changed, no problem. I don’t know where to tell you to call, but I’m pretty sure we did that at LensCrafters. But if they’re running specials as they often do, it may indeed be cheaper to get a whole new pair.
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Megan– wait!!!
Here’s what you need to do: go to Lenscrafters for an appointment with the Optometrist, and get the prescription. While there, be sure to ask for them to measure her “pupilary distance.”
Then, go to Zenni Optical and find her the frames you/she likes. Total cost for glasses (frames AND lenses) will be less than $30, plus shipping.
I bought my latest pair from Zenni, and they are great. They’re well-made and solid, the lenses are ground well, and I got two magnetic, clip-on sunglasses for them, for less than $50 total. These glasses will last me, even though Jack and Molly often mug my glasses when they’re being rough.
Zenni has a HUGE selection of frames, and some of them are less than $10! Titanium, rimless, whatever.
(I don’t get any commissions, by the way…)
The appointment at Lenscrafters will probably cost you about $80 or $90– meaning the total bill will be just over $100. The last Lenscrafters price I got for replacing JUST THE LENSES in my frames was more than that– and new frames and lenses would have cost me over $400. I can go through 10 pairs of Zenni glasses before I’m up to break-even costs.
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Costco will do just lenses for a much more reasonable amount of money than Lenscrafters. They charge $10 extra to put them into your frames compared to the price if you are also buying their frames.
Good luck!
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When PalmGirl wore glasses (she wears contacts now), we had the lenses replaced as her prescription changed, no problem. I don’t know where to tell you to call, but I’m pretty sure we did that at LensCrafters. But if they’re running specials as they often do, it may indeed be cheaper to get a whole new pair.
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Thanks for all the tips! I was hoping Sears would replace her lenses because that’s where we bought her glasses last year, but they won’t. I’m still looking into the other options. I’m possibly interested in the Zenni thing, but kids are hard to fit with glasses – for instance, J.C. Penneys carries glasses with a 130 arm measurement as their smallest option for kids. M9 needs a smaller arm than that, but they would have to be tried on her to know for sure.
Anyway, Keri – I’ll be contacting you!
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When I use the optical shop attached to my optometrist at home, there’s usually no problem getting just the lenses replaced (they’ll even send me the lenses so I can have someone here swap them out). But when I lost my glasses in October and had to replace them at LensCrafters, I noticed that the regular price of the *lenses* was about the same as the whole pair was with a 50%-off-lenses-with-frame-purchase discount. Granted, what I got was the high-end non-glare polycarbonate progressive, but still… ‘s a bit ridiculous!
I looked at Zenni after the fact (hadn’t heard of them until it was too late), and while they seem to be pretty good, they don’t allow for one of the major components I have to have in my lenses: prism. So it wouldn’t have done me any good to go with them.
If you do have to get her a whole new pair, though, keep these as a backup. I’d have been sunk if I’d had to wear my distance-only prescription shades for ten days while I waited for my new pair!
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We have an optometrist in our congregation who just put new lenses in frames I bought when we lived overseas. They just ground them down to fit. Took an extra day, but they did it. Let me know if you’d like her contact info.
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Oops, I just realized after reading the previous comment that you would have to be without the glasses for a while (a week?) if they were done through Costco. Sorry. So unless there is a backup pair, that won’t be a solution.
Would Walmart, or Sears optical department be a possible solution?
Does the 30% off with AAA membership at Lens Crafters apply to lenses only?
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Thanks for all the tips! I was hoping Sears would replace her lenses because that’s where we bought her glasses last year, but they won’t. I’m still looking into the other options. I’m possibly interested in the Zenni thing, but kids are hard to fit with glasses – for instance, J.C. Penneys carries glasses with a 130 arm measurement as their smallest option for kids. M9 needs a smaller arm than that, but they would have to be tried on her to know for sure.
Anyway, Keri – I’ll be contacting you!
LikeLike
When I use the optical shop attached to my optometrist at home, there’s usually no problem getting just the lenses replaced (they’ll even send me the lenses so I can have someone here swap them out). But when I lost my glasses in October and had to replace them at LensCrafters, I noticed that the regular price of the *lenses* was about the same as the whole pair was with a 50%-off-lenses-with-frame-purchase discount. Granted, what I got was the high-end non-glare polycarbonate progressive, but still… ‘s a bit ridiculous!
I looked at Zenni after the fact (hadn’t heard of them until it was too late), and while they seem to be pretty good, they don’t allow for one of the major components I have to have in my lenses: prism. So it wouldn’t have done me any good to go with them.
If you do have to get her a whole new pair, though, keep these as a backup. I’d have been sunk if I’d had to wear my distance-only prescription shades for ten days while I waited for my new pair!
LikeLike
We have an optometrist in our congregation who just put new lenses in frames I bought when we lived overseas. They just ground them down to fit. Took an extra day, but they did it. Let me know if you’d like her contact info.
LikeLike
Oops, I just realized after reading the previous comment that you would have to be without the glasses for a while (a week?) if they were done through Costco. Sorry. So unless there is a backup pair, that won’t be a solution.
Would Walmart, or Sears optical department be a possible solution?
Does the 30% off with AAA membership at Lens Crafters apply to lenses only?
LikeLike