Shocking realization, the cost of spectacles Vs. a car!

I’ve just had a shocking realization. I’ve just bought a new pair of glasses, these are my first old man glasses with graduated focus lenses (the new bifocals for the hip old fart of today). For the first time in my life I actually choose a nice pair of frames rather than the bottom feeder cheapo ones. It’s just occurred to me, my new glasses in total cost me 32.52% more than my toy car. Yes, I really spent one third more on glasses than a car! Now, it could be argued that the glasses were less than that as I paid with my H.S.A. which is pretax money, but at the same time the car was paid for with the proceeds of selling left over stuff from prior projects. But no matter how I try and justify the #’s in my head, I can’t escape the fact that a running driving car (before I started pulling it to bits) cost less than a few bits of plastic hung off my nose!

And you'll probably take them back and get lined bifocals since the focal zone of the graduated, invisible ones is so narrow and small you'll constantly be running over cars in the next lane and you'll get a crick in your neck from all the different angles you have to hold your head as you try to read books, computer, labels and the worst one - things on the shelves in the store.

You have to stand at exactly the right distance of you can't tell what's on the shelf.

carguy123 wrote: And you'll probably take them back and get lined bifocals since the focal zone of the graduated, invisible ones is so narrow and small you'll constantly be running over cars in the next lane and you'll get a crick in your neck from all the different angles you have to hold your head as you try to read books, computer, labels and the worst one - things on the shelves in the store. You have to stand at exactly the right distance of you can't tell what's on the shelf.

3 hours so far and I haven't fallen down any stairs yet

My last pair of single focus glasses that i paid for out of pocket ran me like 450$. So... more than each one of the last 4 cars i've purchased.

You guys need to spend more on cars...

My new glasses were $350 - rebuildable frames from Oakley.

You can get used, ratty old glasses too.

This is why i haven't gotten glasses yet, and just deal with the fact that if i have to take my contacts out early, my day is over.

Even WITH insurance, my glasses (if i want something that isn't 2" thick) are something in the $500 range.

berkeley that.

and to think, I buy mine here:

http://www.eyebuydirect.com/

if i could get a car for THOSE prices, I would have a fleet.

Swank Force One wrote: This is why i haven't gotten glasses yet, and just deal with the fact that if i have to take my contacts out early, my day is over. Even WITH insurance, my glasses (if i want something that isn't 2" thick) are something in the $500 range. berkeley that.

I've been in contacts for the last 20 or so years... it's rare that I use my glasses even to stagger to bed in (-5 in each eye = blind lol) but for those rare occasionas when I need glasses a $30 pair from http://www.zennioptical.com/ does the trick for me at a cheap price.

our insurance covers one pair of glasses per year for our kids... my son is 8 and a boy... he managed to kill his first pair of glasses within months, his next pair will be a pair of zenni cheapos

donalson wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: This is why i haven't gotten glasses yet, and just deal with the fact that if i have to take my contacts out early, my day is over. Even WITH insurance, my glasses (if i want something that isn't 2" thick) are something in the $500 range. berkeley that.

I've been in contacts for the last 20 or so years... it's rare that I use my glasses even to stagger to bed in (-5 in each eye = blind lol) but for those rare occasionas when I need glasses a $30 pair from http://www.zennioptical.com/ does the trick for me at a cheap price. our insurance covers one pair of glasses per year for our kids... my son is 8 and a boy... he managed to kill his first pair of glasses within months, his next pair will be a pair of zenni cheapos

I have seen Zenioptical, but was fearing them.. are they good glasses?

I paid over $500 for my last pair of glasses with the transitional lenses. That was at Sam's Club. The optometrist office wanted over $750.

The FX16 autocross toy cost me $400.

Good grief! Now you got me thinking about this too!

I love the glasses though. I'm nearsighted, so when the glasses can't focus close, I just look over them or take them off and I can see close objects clearly. Great for close detail stuff. Couldn't do that with the contacts.

SCARRMRCC wrote:

donalson wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: This is why i haven't gotten glasses yet, and just deal with the fact that if i have to take my contacts out early, my day is over. Even WITH insurance, my glasses (if i want something that isn't 2" thick) are something in the $500 range. berkeley that.

I've been in contacts for the last 20 or so years... it's rare that I use my glasses even to stagger to bed in (-5 in each eye = blind lol) but for those rare occasionas when I need glasses a $30 pair from http://www.zennioptical.com/ does the trick for me at a cheap price. our insurance covers one pair of glasses per year for our kids... my son is 8 and a boy... he managed to kill his first pair of glasses within months, his next pair will be a pair of zenni cheapos

I have seen Zenioptical, but was Ifearing them.. are they good glasses?

I've gotten 5 or so pairs from them with no problems so far. And haven't even spent over $20 on any of them even for the sunglasses I've had for 3 years.

trucke wrote: I paid over $500 for my last pair of glasses with the transitional lenses. That was at Sam's Club. The optometrist office wanted over $750.

I could probably have got mine cheaper too having got my last few pairs from Costco (I won’t ever touch Wal-Mart if I can possibly avoid it). But it came down to wanting to support a local business (not a chain) with excellent staff who know me, the same place also helped our daughter tremendously through vision therapy as she was having issues learning to read. For me, extra money is often well spent supporting local business. Having said that it was only after I picked them up this morning that the realization of cost Vs. toy car entered my head. It's funny, buying the glasses I didn't agonize one bit. Deciding to spend money on the toy car was months, make that years of agonizing. Strange how we (at least me) prioritize our hard earned $$'s at times.

Especially, when you take into account that you can sell the toy car... and nobody really ever wants to buy your used glasses.

SCARRMRCC wrote: Especially, when you take into account that you can sell the toy car... and nobody really ever wants to buy your used glasses.

My wife dropped her glasses as she came out of a shop a few years ago in Greek town, she realized it like 3 shops down the road, when we got back, maybee 1.5-2 mins later there were her lenses neatly left on the shop window ledge and the frames were gone!

Oh, and let's be honest, the market for 1988 Saab's isn't exatly huge either

Damn... I'm waiting for the money tree to shake out some coin and LASIK here I come!

Adrian_Thompson wrote: It's funny, buying the glasses I didn't agonize one bit. Deciding to spend money on the toy car was months, make that years of agonizing. Strange how we (at least me) prioritize our hard earned $$'s at times.

Not especially. Being able to see is pretty much at the top, taking out the essentials.

eyebuydirect is where I get mine. I've got a pretty serious astigmatism and my glasses were under $50 delivered. Wearing them right now.

I wear daily disposable contacts and when I finally got a new prescription - it was now reading glasses time. So for around the house I threw down on a great set of glasses - Persol frames, Zeiss high-index progressive lenses w/ the exotic coating, bought from the best optician in DC and measured/fitted by a guy (a car guy, no less) who's been a pro forever.

They cost a freakin' fortune - like most of a set of Hoosiers - but they're awesome. I'll have 'em for ages, they make seeing better.

For readers I usually have 1 nice pair for work, a bunch of old pairs I keep on every flat surface in the shop and garage, and I just got some of these cool Italian folding readers. They come in a slim, sturdy case and fit in a pocket. They're pretty neat.

Nannini Compact 1 Flatspecs:

I'm near sited. I had glasses for 6 years, but I have gone the last year without. DMV says I'm fine without them, and not being in class reading a black board means my biggest need for them is gone. For 2 pair back then at Walmart, it ran around $500 total. That included exam, upgraded anti-glare lenses, expensive($169, for Walmart) frames, 2 year replacement plan, 2nd pair half off.

Sometime in the next month or two, I'll be going to America's Best. $69 for 2 pair with exam, 15 extra to get one set tinted.

carguy123 wrote: And you'll probably take them back and get lined bifocals since the focal zone of the graduated, invisible ones is so narrow and small you'll constantly be running over cars in the next lane and you'll get a crick in your neck from all the different angles you have to hold your head as you try to read books, computer, labels and the worst one - things on the shelves in the store. You have to stand at exactly the right distance of you can't tell what's on the shelf.

Not mine. I have had my first pair of progressive lenses for 3 months and I absolutely love them. The problem is you need lenses that are no less than about 18-20 mm tall, or the focal areas are squeezed too much. As long as you don't get urban-mod glasses that are really wide but not very tall, no-line bifocals work fine.

Ranger50 wrote: Damn... I'm waiting for the money tree to shake out some coin and LASIK here I come!

Same here. After 30+ years of wearing glasses, I'm done. I dream of being able to buy normal sunglasses and safety glasses for work.

I could pull money out of savings, but they often have 0% financing deals.

Unfortunately, contacts are a no-go for me. Tried a number of times.

I've had Lasik 3 times and my vision is worse than it's ever been in my life.

My power is better but the clarity is worse. Lasik introduces astigmatism and astigmatism keeps things from being clear. And BTW look at the contract closely. The ads talk about correcting your vision, but the contract you sign only says they'll CHANGE your vision.

They ended up giving me monovision which is one eye near sighted and one far sighted but it seems to be the worst of both worlds. Nothing, except the flat screen of the movie theater seems to quite be in focus.

Technically I can drive w/o glasses but since I need glasses to correct the astigmatism . . . I wear them all the time.

If you have horrible, coke bottle lenses then you'll love it, but if you have minimal near sightedness and you're just wanting to get to perfect you'll hate it.

Lens replacement is the way to go.

Duke wrote: As long as you don't get urban-mod glasses that are really wide but not very tall, no-line bifocals work fine.

Personal preference, I suppose. I wore progressive lenses for about a year but never really liked them as much as lined bifocals, so I switched back.

DaveEstey wrote: You guys need to spend more on cars... My new glasses were $350 - rebuildable frames from Oakley.

That's more than I paid for the car Adrian now owns.