- This topic has 21 replies, 15 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 4 months ago by
Allan from Fallbrook.
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August 2, 2012 at 9:14 AM #20033August 2, 2012 at 9:27 AM #749376
spdrun
ParticipantWhiskey, Tango, Foxtrot, over? I generally pay under $200 cash for eye exam and (distance) glasses. I generally use either Cohen’s or the independent optician near my home.
This is in NYC, which is generally more expensive than CA.
August 2, 2012 at 9:48 AM #749380briansd1
Guest[quote=Hobie]
Seems you never can let your guard down. Sad day when DDS, DVM, and now Optometrists are consistently treating their patients as a naive customer trying to upsell and play off their trust.
Walked out with just the prescription. Time to buy more Costco stock.[/quote]
MDs don’t need to upsell because they don’t need to tell you the cost in advance. They just bill you.
I think more Minute Clinic type operations would lower the cost of care. And Costco is fine for glasses and contacts. I got Lasik a long time ago so I no longer use them. Even with Lasik, you need to shop carefully.
August 2, 2012 at 10:01 AM #749383ParticipantOr rather: with Lasik, you need to shop EXTRA carefully. Since if they stuff the job up, it’s sort of hard to undo.
August 2, 2012 at 11:15 AM #749388Diego Mamani
ParticipantI’ve also noticed optometrists using hard sale tactics to get you to consider LASIK with a certain surgeon. Some juicy commissions there, plus the business model entails splitting some of the follow up visits between the two merchants, er, docs.
$500 for exam and lenses appears obscenely high unless you have some special, rare Rx. If your lenses are low prescription readers, you don’t need all that undercoating, extended warranty, anti-theft registry, (just kidding…) UV protection, extra thin lenses, etc., etc. All the $#!7 they try to sell you are obvious profit padding.
Time to shop for a new optometrist…
August 2, 2012 at 11:32 AM #749391GuestIn America it sucks to have health conditions that require out of pocket expenses.
August 2, 2012 at 12:27 PM #749393sdduuuude
Participant[quote=briansd1]In America it sucks to have health conditions that require out of pocket expenses.[/quote]
Yes – heaven forbid one has to pay for their own shortcomings.
August 2, 2012 at 6:46 PM #749413paramount
ParticipantI’ve noticed that as well – hard sales – following the eye exam @ local optometrists.
I just go to Costco or Wal Mart these days.
August 2, 2012 at 8:01 PM #749415Hatfield
ParticipantI stopped going to my optometrist because I got tired of all these games. Even though he takes VSP (which granted is not very good insurance), it was far, far cheaper and I got a better exam to boot at Costco.
I had an old pair of frames re-lensed for $30 from this place, and was so happy with the work I bought a pair of cheap-ass backup glasses for $18: http://www.goggles4u.com/
August 2, 2012 at 9:32 PM #749418Parabolica
ParticipantTwo years ago, I took a prescription for glasses to LensCrafters in Mission Valley. All was going well. I had selected expensive frames, and the salesman was going through all of the options regarding lenses. As it happened, this same person had sold glasses to my wife some months earlier, and I found it very difficult to get him to accept that she did not want polarized lenses.
I was ready for him, though, and when it came to the question of polarized or not, I told him that I did not even want to discuss the option. He would not let it rest, asking again and again why I didn’t want it, and even tried to take me to a poster showing a driver about to run down a child because he was wearing non-polarized lenses.
Growing angry, I told him that I didn’t like the upsell, and stormed out. They must get one heck of a commission on polarized lenses to throw away what would have been a sale of almost $1,000 (two pairs of glasses).
I ordered glasses from Zenni ( http://www.zennioptical.com/ ) for less than $90. Titanium wire rims, they were fairly easy to adjust. Quality of lenses was decent, and at least as good as LensCrafters.
I wore them for a year, then ordered glasses from Shuron ( http://www.shuron.com/ ) because I liked the style. More expensive at about $400, but very good quality frames and lenses. Although they Shurons have not required adjustment, I expect that I’ll go to Costco for that when required.
August 2, 2012 at 9:48 PM #749420mike92104
ParticipantI buy my readers off the shelf for $15. I have a pretty simple prescription, so the readers you see on display at Rite-Aid work fine for me.
August 2, 2012 at 9:49 PM #749421Participant[quote=briansd1]In America it sucks to have health conditions that require out of pocket expenses.[/quote]
Sucks not being able to make someone else pay for it.
August 2, 2012 at 9:53 PM #749419ParticipantProper response to the above:
“Sweet, I’ve always wanted to solve the population problem, one whiney kid at a time. Now get me the unpolarized lenses. *snap* *snap* CHOP-CHOP, attaboy!”
August 2, 2012 at 11:01 PM #749423Guest[quote=mike92104]
Sucks not being able to make someone else pay for it.[/quote]I actually have great insurance so I could make up all kinds of maladies and pass the cost onto other people. But I wouldn’t want to screw my own health just to use my health benefits.
But I do feel sorry for people who really need medical services but can’t get it.
Now the people who lack teeth and can’t afford to pay for care…. Well, they are just pitiful.
http://www.google.com/search?q=redneck+without+teeth&hl=en&client=safari&tbo=u&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=XmcbUMXbBtHbiwLB4oCIDw&ved=0CFUQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=672August 4, 2012 at 3:28 PM #749479ParticipantBTW, thanks for turning a simple question about the cost of an Optician into a political thread. I wonder if it’s time for another conversation about banning you.
I apologize to all the other Piggs for taking the bait to begin with.
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