Glasses Party For Your Face

[Greg Nog]

A litte while ago, I started hearing about online companies that sell cheap glasses.  The disadvantage to those is you can't try 'em on before you buy, but the advantage is that they're cheap.  Like, wicked cheap.

So I went to zennioptical.com to buy a new pair or two, figuring it might be worth a gamble.  I just got the glasses in the mail last night, and I'm pleased to report that the experience was fairly successful!  Here's the run-down:

To order the glasses, I had three big pieces of information:

1)  My recent prescription (from my optometrist, for plugging in the numbers).  Unlike some of the more reputable sites out there, zenni never asked for any authorization or faxing of the prescription, so even if your prescription is old, if it's still working, you can go ahead and use it.  Although I would be remiss in my duties as the grandson of an optician if I didn't encourage you all to get your eyes tested before ordering.

2)  Pupillary distance.  Sometimes the optometrist will give it to you with the scrip, but it seems like they'll often withhold it, so that you're more likely to buy glasses at an in-house place (which is what happened to me when I got optometrized at Lenscrafters).  No matter; a friend can use a metric ruler to measure the distance from the center of one pupil to the center of the other.  My friend measured my eyes thrice, to avoid any fuckups, and the measurement was 57.5 mm.  I rounded up to 58.

3)  Glasses size.  On the site, they tell you how big the frames and lenses are.  To get a sense of what size I wanted, I measured a pair of sunglasses that seemed to fit my face well, and tried to stick near those numbers when choosing my frames.

So with that info, I started browsing.  I decided I'd get a thickish plastic pair, a thin metal pair, and a half-rim pair, so that I'd have something for every occasion.  Then I noticed that they had wind-resistant goggles, too, and since I've been doing a lot of distance running lately, I decided to get a pair of those.  (Currently, I run without glasses, which means that while I can tell if cars are coming at me and stuff, I can't recognize human faces that are any further away from me than about fifteen feet.) 

Here's what I got:


Plastic:  Model 4342.  On my head.

Nice black plastic, odd yellow stripes, kind of large, sturdy.  Total cost: $15.95.


Stainless Steel:  Model 3236.  On my head.

Lightweight, inconspicuous, possibly good for Civil War Reenactments.  Total cost: $12.95.


Half-Rims:  Model 3808.  On my head.

I got the brownish-black version of these, but between the time of my order and the delivery, they seem to have stopped carrying them.  I guess I got the last pair.  Bully!  Total cost: $9.95.


Wind Goggles:  Model 7002.  On my head.

These were the only big disappointment, as the bridge isn't nearly wide enough for my nose.  And it's not like I have a particularly broad nose.  On the other hand, the lenses themselves are a single detachable piece that plug into the main "windshield" of the goggles, so I'm thinking I could probably dremel out the parts of the windshield that hold the nosepads, then glue the nosepads back on, so that they fit my face a bit better.  That's just kinda inconvenient, given that these were the most expensive pair.  These were 39.95, but I got the lenses tinted at 80% grey, which added 4.95 to the price.  Total cost: $44.90.

So there we are.  Use this thread to talk about your own glasses, and provide updates if you order from any of these wacky online places.

[Wally]

Oooh, good to know that it is possible to buy glasses cheaply and correctly on the internet. I'm due for an eye examination and need to pick up a new pair sooner rather than later. Commendable work and advice, Greg.

[hannah]

They all look grand on you, Greg, esp. Model 3236.

I wear contacts almost exclusively. This used to be because my glasses were three years behind my eyesight's degeneration, but even after getting them up to speed I get dizzy if I wear them all day. Maybe my doctor is a quack. Anyone else spectacles-averse?

[Wally]

I was thinking of going the route of the contact lense this time around, but it was pointed out to me that I'd be likely to forget to take them out before I went to bed or put them in before I left my house. Also, I am clumsy so I'd probably poke myself in the eye enough times to cause serious long term damage.

[RavingLunatic]

They have contacts now that you can wear for 2 weeks, Dom.

I've had glasses for about 4-5 years now, but I never wear them. My eyesight isn't bad enough for me to need them.

[Maaik]

I recently had an eye exam and I was surprised to discover my prescription is still relevant.  My lenses are getting rightly fucked, though, what with being old and generally worn & torn.  This might be a decent alternative toward getting a new pair.

My current pair are those titanium skinny bendy rims, which I've found is kind of necessary for the punishment I put 'em through.

[Greg Nog]

I was thinking of going the route of the contact lense this time around, but it was pointed out to me that I'd be likely to forget to take them out before I went to bed or put them in before I left my house. Also, I am clumsy so I'd probably poke myself in the eye enough times to cause serious long term damage.

I'd had an old pair of glasses that were scratched to all shit, so when I recently got fitted for contacts, I stopped wearing the glasses altogether.  But I missed being able to take the lenses out at night, then put on a pair of glasses when I made a last-minute decision to, say, watch one more episode of Futurama.

Regarding forgetfulness: I did exactly that, Wally, the first month I had contacts.  Usually when I'd be drinking a lot, I'd forget there were little pieces of plastic I'd been supposed to take out of my eyes.  But after a few weeks of forgetting, I got used to it, and don't forget any more.  The worst that happened in the interim was when a blood vessel burst in my eye, and it got all red, like I had THE RAGE.

[Wally]

They have contacts now that you can wear for 2 weeks, Dom.

Honestly, I think that might be worse. I'd probably forget all about them, assume that my eyes had repaired themselves and end up cycling into a tram.

[Wally]

I was thinking of going the route of the contact lense this time around, but it was pointed out to me that I'd be likely to forget to take them out before I went to bed or put them in before I left my house. Also, I am clumsy so I'd probably poke myself in the eye enough times to cause serious long term damage.

I'd had an old pair of glasses that were scratched to all shit, so when I recently got fitted for contacts, I stopped wearing the glasses altogether.  But I missed being able to take the lenses out at night, then put on a pair of glasses when I made a last-minute decision to, say, watch one more episode of Futurama.

Yeah, having the ability to get back out of bed to do something vaguely productive, like watching one more epidsode of Futurame, after half an hour of tossing and turning, would send me into the ragey place. And let's face it, my duvet don't want none of that.

[Maaik]

Ooh, I'll have to see if they've got Rx sunglasses.  I miss those old specs I had with the magnetic sunglasses I could clip on--those came in handy.

[nonotyet]

Oh, part of the funof wearing nonprescription sunglasses for me has always been the idea that I can't see shit and everything is dark and if I wear headphones, it is like I am shutting out the world. These are the glasses that I have worn for the past five years, and I don't remember where I bought them but I do remember that they were actually bought for me by my aunt after my old pair fell out of my bag as a result of, um, me wearing nonprescription sunglases and headphones and not hearing them fall out of my bag. I had no insurance or anything and I couldn't tell my parents because what kind of fucking genius loses their fucking glasses.

I like them. I have never worn contacts because the idea of sticking something directly in my eye makes me very, very squeamish.   

[silentsigh89]

I am currently in a battle with lenscrafters regarding a warranty on my glasses. they broke after a month and they say that if they had a pair of them in stock, I'd get them for free. but they are having trouble getting their hands on a new pair, and so they want me buy a new set for half off! I can afford no such thing.


After I get them to give me working glasses, I intend to forsake them and shop online next time. THANKS FOR GIVING ME THE COURAGE , GREG.

[Ignatius]

I got my driver's license taken away once, and left my glasses in Indiana. But I was taking planes all over the place for work and I needed a replacement license to do that, but I thought I'd fail the eye test so I got new glasses! On the morning of the day when I also got my new license and had to fly somewhere. But I didn't have time to do the drops for astigmatisms which is part of my problem. And I picked out frames really fast. Since then I've never again had the cash reserves to just walk on in to the eye doctor and demand tests and new glasses with immediacy, and of course I've had no eye insurance. And those glasses I bought that day suck and cover less than a third of the number of things I can look at without moving my eyes (do contacts alleviate this issue, or is your focus-area similarly reduced?), tripling my stocking-times when it comes to products in tiny boxes. And new planograms are a nightmare, let me tell you.

So, this is the best thing ever. (second best thing, next to full-coverage health insurance... please, america?)

[Em]

That is a very cool website. Do they care if you have, like, really bad astigmatism or if you are so nearsighted you need ultra-high-index lenses to get the damn things to fit in a frame?

[dumbfish]

Currently, I run without glasses, which means that while I can tell if cars are coming at me and stuff, I can't recognize human faces that are any further away from me than about fifteen feet.

It boggles my mind that so many people have defective vision.
WTF, NATURAL SELECTION?!?!>

[Mike24]

natural selection probably didn't function for detailed vision like reading but for like "WTF IS THAT A MAMMOTH STAMPEDE?!?"

[Maaik]

Currently, I run without glasses, which means that while I can tell if cars are coming at me and stuff, I can't recognize human faces that are any further away from me than about fifteen feet.

It boggles my mind that so many people have defective vision.
WTF, NATURAL SELECTION?!?!>

Mike's got a good point, but I always figured that it's _because_ people wear glasses that the vision section of humanity's gene pool has become so crappy.  I mean, if I was yr typical hunter gatherer having to fend for myself with my natural vision impairment, I'da been dead before I was 10, which is probably how shit worked until vision correction became possible.

But I wear glasses, my parents wear glasses, my wife wears glasses, our children will probably wear glasses and we're all eventually going to devolve into mole people.

Seriously, my vision is FUCKED.  W/out glasses, anything outside of a few inches from my nose is hopeless blurry mess.

[Wally]

Likewise, Myke. My vision is also fucked beyond belief, but weirdly I'm the only person under 50 in the last two generations of my family who has had to wear glasses. And with uncles, aunts and cousins we're talking 60 odd people. I really am the runt of the litter.

[Greg Nog]

That is a very cool website. Do they care if you have, like, really bad astigmatism or if you are so nearsighted you need ultra-high-index lenses to get the damn things to fit in a frame?

I think you might be able to get those?  Looking at the site, it seems that they charge more for that kind of thing.  Here's their disclaimer about Prescription Strength, and it looks like it's either an addtional $17 or $37 for High-Index lenses.

[Bernard]

They all look grand on you, Greg, esp. Model 3236.

I concur.

My current pair are those titanium skinny bendy rims, which I've found is kind of necessary for the punishment I put 'em through.

Those would be Slihouettes. I have those too, and they last forever for me because it is not really possible to stick them in my back pocket with keys and change.

[mountmccabe]

Currently, I run without glasses, which means that while I can tell if cars are coming at me and stuff, I can't recognize human faces that are any further away from me than about fifteen feet.

It boggles my mind that so many people have defective vision.
WTF, NATURAL SELECTION?!?!>

Mike's got a good point, but I always figured that it's _because_ people wear glasses that the vision section of humanity's gene pool has become so crappy.  I mean, if I was yr typical hunter gatherer having to fend for myself with my natural vision impairment, I'da been dead before I was 10, which is probably how shit worked until vision correction became possible.

Vision correction hasn't been around long enough to have had any significant influence, I'd wager.

Also I would tend to think that the percentage of the population that needs glasses at a young age (9 or 10 like me) would be low.  Sure, that percentage goes up with age, especially as folks get into their 30s and 40s but that makes sense; it's increasing as the pressure from natural selection is decreasing.

[mountmccabe]

Wind Goggles:  Model 7002.  On my head.

Also I am pretty sure that the guy in the "On my head" link is from the future.

[crystalcakes]

i want these:
http://zennioptical.com/cart/product.php?productid=1076&cat=28&page=1

i also kind of just want to get a perscription put into wayfarers frames.  i want big glasses!

[silentsigh89]

I've had glasses since I was seven. I used to break them about....every four months? So around the age of ten, my dad was all "YOU ARE GETTING BIG CHUNKY PLASTIC FRAMES", in the hopes that I would stop stepping on them. They were big, chunky, and pink. I've just kind of stuck with plastic ones since then-- are the metal really harder to break after all?

[Maaik]

Well, mine are pert near indestructible--they're the bendy titanium kind.  The most damage they've sustained in the years I've had 'em is one night at band practice, they fell off and the other guitarist accidentally stepped on 'em.  And then, it was just a screw that popped out.  I jerry-rigged it with a paper clip and took 'em in to a repair shop the next morning and got that taken care of for like five bucks.  After they'd been fuckin stepped on.