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I'm blind as a stack of bricks with double astigmatism.
I would never go internet for my eye health.
But I have age and high diopter to consider.
If my optometrist screws up, it's on him. Never has in at least 15 years.
They always give me the warning about old frames (that I bought from them anyway).
blah, blah, blah. it's one of life bummers. Never had it happen.
I pay a fkn fortune for them, but they're good for 5 years or more.
Coated for better night vision.
My last set of progressive Crizal lens in an old metal frame was $700 in 2017.
The frame is at least 8-year-old and was about $200.
I still wear the same lens in my glasses. In the last 6 months or so the coating has started to peel, only coz I'm not wearing my contacts as much.
$900 over 8 years, pretty good deal. HI only picks up $100 every couple years.
Bet you don't get that kind of mileage from your Mac or car or a carton of eggs.
For plain shades, sure. Frames, maybe. But lenses, never ever.
I also have coated night glasses that I wear over my contacts (I'm very wary of glasses in a work situ. It's not like you didn't know I'm a crackpot). Perhaps $300 in old frames 3 years ago.
“Art is how we decorate space.
Music is how we decorate time.”
Jean-Michel Basquiat
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mattkime wrote:
I have no interest in buying new frames. Only getting new lenses for existing frames.
Costco is your best bet then.
Whippet, Whippet Good
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Fritz wrote:
My last set of progressive Crizal lens in an old metal frame was $700 in 2017.
The frame is at least 8-year-old and was about $200.
I still wear the same lens in my glasses. In the last 6 months or so the coating has started to peel, only coz I'm not wearing my contacts as much.
I also have coated night glasses that I wear over my contacts (I'm very wary of glasses in a work situ. It's not like you didn't know I'm a crackpot). Perhaps $300 in old frames 3 years ago.
You're not alone; I still use frames from the 1980's.... Big 5 Sporting Goods gets pretty good deals on sunglasses, but back before Luxotica ruled the world, they got killer deals. I stocked up on Nikon and RayBan aviator style sunglasses back then, and since I haven't been able to beat 'em, IIABDFWI.
The last few years, I (re)discovered that you can score awesome deals on non-Luxotica, high end designer frames, at massive discounts once they're discontinued, and several months out of season. I've gotten a few Tom Ford $500 - $600+ glasses for under $120, a couple even under $100, to work into the rotation. That's it for my lifetime; no intention of ever buying another set of frames. They can bury me in my 1988 Nikons.
Discontinued Tom Ford Sean and Rick aviator sunglasses.... Baby Buzz at 2012 HS "Senior Day" in one of my 1980's Big 5 Nikons.....

I keep spare pairs of progressives in the cars, and old pairs around for handyman tasks, so that current lenses don't get wrecked.
Also have single vision pairs for computer use (smaller frames/stronger Rx), and TV/movie viewing (big frames/basic Rx).
Just keep rotating the same old frames down thru the pecking order..., decade after decade.
Not sure what I'm gonna do in a couple of years when I get the cataracts fixed;
it's gonna get expensive when none of the old lenses will be even close to working....
OTOH, the post-op lenses will be a lot weaker, so I won't have to pay the hi-index premium anymore.
==
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yea, the hi index premium is a killer.
“Art is how we decorate space.
Music is how we decorate time.”
Jean-Michel Basquiat
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Lizabeth wrote:
Some eyeglass brick and mortar won’t put new lenses into old frames that weren’t bought from them. They don’t want to be responsible if the frames “break” while putting new lenses in.
Tho, this wasn’t a problem years ago…don’t know why it is now.
Many, if not most, of the B&M opticians are now all owned by Luxottica. Among others they own LensCrafters, Target Optical, Pearle Vision, Sunglass Hut, and Sears Optical. Along with that they own EyeMed which is how many health plans offer eye care.
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I'm getting ready to buy a new set of glasses from eyebuydirect.com...not sure if they do byo, maybe worth a query.
Fritz wrote:
$900 over 8 years, pretty good deal. HI only picks up $100 every couple years.
Bet you don't get that kind of mileage from your Mac or car or a carton of eggs.
$1099 mid-2010 MBP was my daily driver for 12 years...up 'til a few months ago! Gotta make 'em last!  -D
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JoeH,
Yups. Fortunately, there are still a slew mom and pop shops and some smaller chains that aren't owned by Luxottica or its main competitors. Then again, many of them sell frames produced by the major manufacturers who make their own frames as well as license names from companies.
Robert
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I still use frames from the 1980's....
Same here.
Similar, but no sweat bar (never liked them):
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Robert M wrote:
JoeH,
Yups. Fortunately, there are still a slew mom and pop shops and some smaller chains that aren't owned by Luxottica or its main competitors. Then again, many of them sell frames produced by the major manufacturers who make their own frames as well as license names from companies.
Robert
Unfortunately in my area most of the small shops have been bought out or closed. The optician I used for a couple decades first moved to places with lower rent as his profit margin got squeezed by higher costs from the suppliers and the chains' pricing. He finally quit and took a job as optician for a local medical group in a town 25 miles away.
The locally owned shop I switched to was bought out by MyEyeDr a few years ago. Since then Goldman Sachs bought the parent company in 2019, service went down the tubes
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RAMd®d wrote:
I still use frames from the 1980's....
Same here.
Similar, but no sweat bar (never liked them):

Preaching to the choir w/ RayBan's....
Pic, summer '75, w/ real old school, gold filled, RayBan's from the late 60's.
Still have the ones shown, plus another similar vintage pair w/ sweat bar,
and a couple without, that mostly held me over until the late 80's Big 5 score....
In the interim, there were some (pre-Luxotica) LensCrafters house brands,
and a few lightweight Marchon/Flexon frames that were mainly backup pairs.....
still have most of 'em, too, and they're still in backup/emergency duty.
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