hey i just wanted to put a quick post up for people that may not know, cuz i certainly didnt until a couple years ago, but the whole prescription glasses industry is a massive racket, and i wanted to let people know about the more affordable options for buying or replacing glasses
when you go to an optometrist to get your eyes tested, they take a lot of measurements and will give you a prescription that lists things like how near or farsighted each eye is, spherical and cylindrical measurements for astigmatism, etc, but one measure they almost always leave out of the portion they give you is your interpupillary distance, that is, the distance between your pupils, measured in millimeters
the reason they leave that out is because if you have your full prescription, including the interpupillary distance, you can just go online and buy glasses from a place like zenni optical for less than $20 USD. and if you go and buy them online, thats ~$200 they dont get to bilk from you
so, you have two options, you can either request your interpupillary distance number when you get your eyes tested, which they cant legally withhold from you because its medical information
This Is Specifically Enforced By The Federal Trade Commission!
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs/business-blog/2016/05/clear-picture-complying-ftcs-eyeglass-rule
they dont get to withhold this! a lot of them will lie to you, or try to skirt around it, because they want your money. raise a fucking stink. this is an argument you can win.
the other option is to measure your interpupillary distance at home, using either a ruler and a mirror, or a phone app which is made for this purpose
https://www.zennioptical.com/measuring-pd-infographic
once you have your full prescription information, you can buy glasses online, made to your specific prescription, for well under a TENTH the cost of ones you would buy at a brick and mortar store
here are some other options for cheaper glasses! DO NOT LET YOURSELF BE SCAMMED BY LUXOTTICA if you live in the US or canada!! places like bon look (canadian) and warby parker (american) will give you paperwork to get reimbursed by your insurance plan, as well.
https://www2.bonlook.com/
https://www.warbyparker.com/
https://www.eyebuydirect.com/
https://www.coastal.com/
https://www.fetcheyewear.com/
https://lookmatic.com/
https://www.classicspecs.com
https://www.39dollarglasses.com/
