Sticker shock: Why are glasses so expensive?

[MineralMan]

17. They are expensive, sort of, sometimes...

However, there are plenty of places that sell inexpensive glasses. I finally had to buy a pair for distant vision, since I had trouble passing my last vision test for my driver's licence four years ago. My right eye was worse than my left. So, when renewal time came up, I just walked into an America's Best store near me. An hour later, I had had a complete eye exam, picked out a couple of pairs of frames from the wall, and paid $101 for two pairs, including the exam, lenses, and frames. I picked them up four days later, and they worked perfectly.

Are the frames expensive? Nope. In fact, they're a lot like the frames on my $15 readers, with metal rims and spring-loaded temples. Those always last me a couple of years, so I expect the same from these prescription glasses.

Now, if I wanted bifocals, scratch-resistant lenses, fancy coatings, or some frames with some designer's names, they'd have been happy to help me out with those, but I went in to get some cheap glasses, and got them. Not much upselling, either.

You just have to look for what you want. Inexpensive eyeglasses aren't hard to find.