One trip to the Eye Dr. and I don't know how folks without insurance and money survive.

[FLPanhandle]

I just returned from the Eye Dr. New prescription meaning new glasses and new contact lens. Over $600! Some covered by insurance, but most pf it paid by me. Luckily this isn't a big deal to me, but still...WOW!

How can the average income earner get through expenses like this? It has to be a budget buster.

I can emphasize with folks making less, why can't others?

[monmouth]

1. We just don't go to the doctor....n/t

[Tx4obama]

3. Yep, that's the truth. n/t

[FLPanhandle]

6. neither would I, and that pisses me off

I don't understand why it doesn't piss off others.

[TBF]

57. Yes, I share in that anger -

My family is fortunate to have a good income, and paid quite hefty taxes last year. And I wouldn't mind paying more. But instead of killing brown folks in other countries so our corporations can make as much profit as possible off oil, I want that money to go to housing, health care, and job training.

We should be using our tax dollar to help folks (infrastructure, education, services), not for killing people.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

45. Exactly. :(

[Broderick]

2. I use large fonts

Just sayin....

[jp11]

4. You don't go, cut corners etc.

As far contacts AND glasses you might choose one then the other a year or more later. Some people simply don't care about other people, they got theirs, not their problem, can't worry about everyone else's problems etc.

[FLPanhandle]

8. I just don't understand the not caring attitude

I'm thankful I've "got mine", but can't just not worry about others. I don't understand that mindset. I can't believe I'm in the minority either. People just need to think about it.

[Ninjaneer]

62. I think one of the leading causes of that type of attitude is

being insulated from the people less fortunate than you. Its easy to not care about what you don't see.

[DaveJ]

5. I got mine for about $40

Two for 90 or something like that at America's Best including prescription.

Yeah I tend to hunt for the best deals, and people often think I'm a jerk for being so cheap.

I know people who pay over a thousand who have special perscriptions like my mom, she has good insurnace because she was a teacher (government healthcare) yet she is Republican.

[FLPanhandle]

14. The exam alone was over $100

Just to find out the new prescription and that's before shopping for new glasses.

[DaveJ]

17. I would love to get better glasses

The one's at America's Best are pretty generic looking.

I'm not sure if you got higher end glasses, but if you did that's ok. People who know glasses really can tell the difference. And in some fields (like artists) I know that if someone is wearing cheap generic glasses that could ruin their image which is also their career.

Plus it contributes to the economy to buy better glasses, assuming they are american made.

I really would like to buy better glasses next time.

[sammytko]

53. My eye exam was only 63 dollars and glasses - 170

for bi-focals.

Yes, at the dreaded wal-mart! The eye doctor is a friend's nephew, so I trust him. The glasses were fine.

I really should have gotten off my lazy butt and had them done at the VA.

[DaveJ]

60. Not your fault

If the big box stores have driven down prices, and wages, then people are financially obligated to shop there in order to make ends meet.

And today there are online stores that are even less: http://www.justeyewear.com/

[EFerrari]

7. We don't go to the eye doctoW.

:)

[Autumn]

9. I haven't seen the eye DR. in five years

for reading and the computer I buy stronger reading glasses at Wal Mart when I think I need a change.

[FLPanhandle]

27. How does that impact your daily life?

Do you fear driving? Does it make work harder than it needs to be?

[Autumn]

40. I don't drive in town anymore.

The street signs are a bit too blurry until I am up on them. I haven't worked in about four years but the work I did I couldn't do now. But if I still worked I could afford the eye Dr. and new glasses LOL

[dkf]

10. That seems excessive. How much were your glasses?

I'm guessing designer frames with thin lenses non reflective coating and bifocal?

Go to Costco for frames and lenses. It's a much better deal.

[FLPanhandle]

15. Yes, designer frames and contact lens and exam fees.

However, the exam was over $100 and without much money, forget contact lens. Forget options.

[sufrommich]

20. Mine were $300.00 with insurance. It was the progressive

(or blended) bi-focals that put the cost so high.

[FLPanhandle]

29. The bifocal thing did me in too.

Sucks getting old!

[sufrommich]

36. lol. nt

[Motown_Johnny]

11. dollar store reading glasses

[Donnachaidh]

12. we have good health insurance, but sucky vision and dental

All three of us need glasses. Son goes first, DH second - and my ass trailing after. Dental is the same, but son has gone far more often and both parents need serious dental work.

This year is going to be interesting. I'm hoping to find a local group that does the buy one, get one free with cheaper frames, because both hubby and I need bifocals. We've been able to get all three of us done for around three hundred.

When I think of what we used to spend, just to get the latest *look* in styles -- omg.

Times change. Medical prescriptions do too. :rofl:

[Fumesucker]

13. Umm.. We don't always survive..

I forget the exact figure but a significant number of Americans die every year because they lack access to health care.

My glasses got so scratched about a year ago that I finally got to the point I could see better without them than with them so I've been going without for a year now.

[FLPanhandle]

24. Lack of eye exams won't kill a person per se (maybe a car accident)

But it could destroy their chances to read a computer or forms correctly. It might stop their chances to get some jobs.

However, it will hurt their life experience. How can someone enjoy the world if they can't see it properly?

Your situation sucks. The Health care debate often focuses on medical issue, but eye exams are important to live.

[bobbolink]

68. The official figure is 45,000. Some doctors I know say it is more like 80,000.

Shameful!

[JVS]

16. They survive by getting new glasses far less frequently.

[angstlessk]

18. My 'sainted mother' bought my last prescription glasses and that was 5 years ago

and I forgo'd bifocals cause they were just too expensive..worse now..but better than if my mom had NOT bought my last prescription

[etherealtruth]

19. Simply put ... they don't

Poor folk die from treatable or preventable illness ... others don't

[humblebum]

21. When are we ever going to realize the seriousness of this problem? nt

[Shagbark Hickory]

22. There's a browser plugin that just reads it to you.

:silly:

[FLPanhandle]

25. But you have to see to download it.

[bluestate10]

23. I have insurance. But I always pay for my eye care outside of my

insurance plan. The amounts are stellar. Like you stated, an exam and glasses cost a minimum of $300. Some have no issue paying the money, but for most americans, $300 is a large amount to come up with on demand.

[DURHAM D]

26. Do you buy contacts from your Doctor ?

Buy them online. Much, much less expensive.

[FLPanhandle]

33. I know I didn't pick the cheapest option just the most convenient.

Still, the expense made me think.

[Gabi Hayes]

28. HERE's an ONLINE place for glasses that's been well-received by

teachers at my school:

www.zennioptical.com

very cheap, and several teachers are more than happy with price/service

I'm getting mine there, after paying about $300 a few years ago at For Eyes, which was over $200 cheaper than anyplace else.

Costco's in the same range as For Eyes, and got top marks from consumer reports:



http://www.consumerreports.org/health/healthy-living/beauty-personal-care/shopping-for-eyeglasses/overview/index.htm

the article goes through just about all you need to know WRT buying glasses: materials, coatings, extras, what you need or don't

well worth a read.

I've bought glasses at Costco and For Eyes, and have gotten better exams at For Eyes (paid $44 today, actually, with a discount for my health insurance....only six bucks). optometrists, not opthamologists, for whom I paid almost THREE HUNDRED bucks for a very complete/thorough exam about ten years ago. never went back to them.

[FLPanhandle]

31. Nice.

Like you said, well worth a read.

[bobbolink]

69. Thatt "full exam" includes incidentals like testing for glaucoma, etc.

Which isn't important... unless your exam shows the beginning signs and you can forestall it before losing your sight.

[Gabi Hayes]

75. For Eyes does that test and many others. the one I paid the big bucks for

did tests I've never had done before, even at that particular opthamologist. dunno why they did such an extensive rundown, but I'm glad they did, despite the bill, which I paid over a few months' time.

I talked with the 4Eyes optometrist about macular degeneration and some other stuff, and he seemed satisfactorily competent

as in any other medical situation, you never know what to expect, especially if you're dealing with someone new.

[Wait Wut]

30. I can't speak for everyone.

...but, I try to save up for smaller things and just ignore the bigger things. I'm losing my eyesight and was told that I need to have my eyes checked every 3-6 months. I haven't been back in almost 2 years. Yep, my eyes are killing me. I don't see very well. My depth perception is toast. But, I can pay my bills and eat.

I'm also im my mid 40's and haven't given up. What I'm more concerned with is the people that come after me. Those are the people I fight for. Those that may be in their 20s or younger now. I want the world to be better for them.

[DaveJ]

37. That's a great sentiment!

This thread makes me want to start buying glasses for people.

I can't afford the special perscriptions but I could afford $60 for two pairs of glasses at America's Best, do that a couple times a year for people.

I remember, when I was homeless in my 20's, I was given free glasses and they looked ridiculous but I was so incredibly appreciative. Those times were so stressful though I can't even remember what the organization was.

[Wait Wut]

49. In the town I grew up in they would have "glasses drives"

...at the library. People were asked to donate their old glasses. I remember them always saying they needed "kid's glasses". It doesn't sound like much to most of us, but I know how hard it is to get by without being able to see clearly. I don't know how I would have been able to learn, find a job or do all the things I did throughout my life. I haven't heard of those drives in a long time. Probably because someone decided that it was bad to hand out used glasses without a prescription.

Because of your experience in your 20s, you can understand what a huge difference a simple pair of old glasses can make. It's the "little" things that help. I think you have a great idea. A simple act, multiplied, makes a huge difference in the world. A $10 donation from 100 people could buy a lot of glasses.

[DaveJ]

59. I remember the organization now

I think it was the Lion's Club, they do glasses recycling. They did send me to a doctor who I remember who informed me I have a macular hole, probably from the stress, nothing serious though.

Yeah it was that, and some other charity gave me the first month free on a little apartment. As tiny as that place was, it was one of the coolest places I've lived, next to a wooded trail, very peaceful. It really is a home that homeless need, not so much food, food is everywhere. They need someone who will show them trust.

From those two things I was able to get a job, go back to college, and now have a great career and a big house in one of the nicest little towns. Could not have accomplished that without the help of others though.

[Broderick]

32. One trip to the Emergency room

via ambulance because you stop at a "doc in the box" without insurance and it can cost 1000s. I know, because without health insurance at one time in my life I went in complaining of a chest pain - in the center of my chest. Ended up being a deviated septum or something, heartburn kind of thing. The doc in the box I went to was kiddy corner to a hospital. They said cause I was in their care, that I need to be ambulance transported across the street and could not "walk over" or get a ride. That little ride cost 600.00 alone. I had heartburn for cripes sakes. IT is a travesty what happens in this developed country wherein folks can't afford healthcare and can't afford glasses. I use large fonts... Just sayin again. Sad.

[FLPanhandle]

35. Sad yes, but also inexcusable.

Hang in there!

[hfojvt]

34. that seems like an awful lot

I got glasses at Wal-mart for about $40 and I think they may do cheap eye exams too.

When I had no insurance I rarely bought glasses. Fortunately my prescription did not ever change much. I even went for about six years without glasses, including two years of graduate school.

[dkf]

38. If you ever get contacts gas permeable lenses last really long.

And they keep your vision from getting worse. But it really sucks when dust gets in it.

[bikebloke]

39. We've got vision with our work insurance.

A joke that takes a few dollars off. Yet every year we get a pay cut, having to dish out more and more, while getting less and less.

I used to use the same prescription for several years between exams. Then they passed a law saying you couldn't use a prescription for more than a year before having to get another exam. Greedy bastards.

[Earth_First]

41. I crushed my thumb at work on Friday...

Nearly lost my nail and it may be broken; I probably need a tetnus shot taboot.

No insurance, it will have to heal on it's own. I simply cannot afford it.

Signed,

-$390 out of pocket for new glasses this past winter.

[UpInArms]

43. check with your local county health clinic for that tetanus shot

should cost less than $10

[Earth_First]

46. Thanks, I'll look into that... n/t

[Sgent]

64. Worker's Comp

should cover that.

[UpInArms]

42. last year went to tri-focals - waited until I couldn't read what I was writing

because eye doctor told me that when that last bit of vision went, I wouldn't have to get a different prescription every year - so wait until it was as bad as it could get

cost of glasses

$671

saved for 2 years to pay for them

[Gabi Hayes]

48. Smedley! is that you?

when are they going to do a movie about him?

they sorta did (Seven Days in May based very loosely on him), but I'd love to see a down the line bio, concentrating on the Business Coup

[Liberal_in_LA]

44. donate your old glasses! They are repurposed for the poor.

[FLPanhandle]

55. Great idea.

I'll look into where to do that.

[KewlKat]

47. The dollar store has single vision real cheap

I luckily don't need them for distance. The older I get the more rapid my vision loss.......

[cbdo2007]

50. "designer frames" and "didn't pick the cheapest option"

Well....that's how folks "without insurance and money" survive is we buy normal non-designer glasses and we wear them instead of contacts.

Really, why did you even post this here? This is ridiculous that you somehow think you're entitled to "designer frames" and "contact lenses" just because you have insurance and a lot of money to spend.

"Luckily this isn't a big deal to me..." - well it was a big enough deal for you to come here and brag about how well off you are with your fancy frames and your contacts. It's making my neck hurt looking up at you in your ivory tower.

"I can emphasize with folks making less..." - you are spent your whole story emphasizing how much better than everyone you are, but no time EMPATHIZING with anyone.

[FLPanhandle]

56. It's not about me.

It's about how the shock of realization how expensive things have gotten. Also, the debate on healthcare is full of stories about medical problems, but seemingly smaller things like eyeglasses don't get mentioned much.

Sorry if it offended you. Just expressing my shock at prices and wondering how people manage.

[bobbolink]

70. What you said was right, and important. You were showing off ego, you were expressing concern.

One thing I will take issue with.... the cost of lenses is prohibitive. When you buy cheap frames, the lenses are still expensive, and when those cheap frames break, and they will in short time, the biggest replacement cost is the lenses.

Also, more expensive frames hold an adjustment much better, so your vision is obviously clearer when the frames are fitting as they should.

As for the exam, just getting the cheap refraction doesn't include those tests for diseases that can kill your eyesight.

In short, your eyes are extremely important, and there are many other places to economize, but your vision isn't one of them.

You did the right thing. Thank you for posting your experience, and your thoughts!

[queenjane]

51. If there's a Costco near you, check out their optical dept

I get my prescripts from my regular eye doc (Costcos do have eye docs; I just like the woman I've been seeing for years), and take them to Costco. Got progressive bifocals with coating and decent frames for less than $200 (half what my doc's office charged), and bifocal contacts were $25 cheaper per box there.

Also, if your frames are still in decent shape, keep using them and just get new lenses. The frames are where the big profits are for these outfits.

[bobbolink]

71. Old frames easily break , especially if they are cheap ones, when putting in new lenses.

[truebrit71]

52. I went to America's best got an eye exam and two pairs of glasses for $99.

No they aren't "designer" glasses, I use them to see, not make a fashion statement but the frames look nice enough and they work, you know....as GLASSES...

[cherish44]

54. I got my last pair of glasses in 2006

I was still on my now ex-husband's insurance plan. Now I pay for my own insurance (nothing through work) and glasses and dental are not a part of that plan. In fact they'll pay 80% of my bills IF they feel like it basically (and they more often than not have an excuse as to why they won't cover it) So yeah I don't go to the doctor much but I still shell out $300 a month to my insurance company. (a lot of your paycheck when you make minimum wage...which by the way I'm LUCKY to have at all right now, I have friends who have been looking for work for 2+ years)

I would qualify for my state's low income health plan and I'd go for if it weren't for the fact that no local doctor will take a public aid patients because the state isn't paying the bills because it's BROKE. So guess I'm screwed no matter what :/

[JNelson6563]

58. Skip when you can, go on the cheap when you can't

I never go to the doctor. I'll go if I can't stop the bleeding or am barely able to breathe but other than that, who can afford it? As to the eye doctor, after about 2 years my prescription was no longer strong enough and I needed to go. Sears had a great deal going where I could get 2 pairs of no line bifocals for 200.00 and the exam was 40.00. They aren't particularly nice glasses but they are ok and the prescription is a big improvement. I am lucky in that I have some credit (I know many are not that fortunate) so I was able to make this purchase easily on my Sears card.

And don't get me started on the dentist! If I had a dental emergency right now I would be beyond screwed. I am in a precarious position, dentally speaking, so a crisis could occur any day now. I do all that I can to prevent it but one day my luck will run out....

Julie

[HappyMe]

61. I haven't been to the eye doctor for 4 years.

I found a pair of glasses that work good in the $1 box at the Salvation Army.

[tammywammy]

63. I spent around $500 last year

I have vision insurance too.

I have to get the ultra high index lenses, plus scratch coating, the frames were $20 over the insurance limit. Plus I had an exam to fit for contacts, etc. The high index lenses is what costs the most for me, and I can't do without those. (I wear a -12.0 in contacts).

I looked at Zinni Optical online, I'd save a bunch, but still would have to spend around $80 for glasses, again mostly due to the lenses.

[raccoon]

65. I know what you're saying. Vision care is expensive and I have no vision care coverage. I am lucky

to be able to pay for my vision care out of pocket.

[JoeyT]

66. We hope like hell whatever is wrong with us is temporary.

And if it isn't, we're in deep shit.

I get my prescription from an eye doctor and order the glasses online.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

67. You can get prescription glasses on the Internet.

Cheap and accurate. Starting at 8.95 for single vision, with frames.

Get a copy of your scrip AND the pupillary distance (PD).

Reviews:
http://glassyeyes.blogspot.com

Cheap glasses:
www.zennioptical.com

www.39dollarglasses.com

www.goggles4u.com

[quaker bill]

72. you go to the drug store and get cheap readers

You pick the power that works the best and you run with it. Once you go beyond +2.0s, they will probably give you a headache with extended wear, unless you happen to find ones with the right PD (unlikely but not impossible).

With stronger lenses the prism diopters start getting a bit large for each millimeter off. Most folks can accomodate 0.25 prism diopters without too much discomfort, but once the power gets up, small errors in lens centering get to be a big deal.

Folks do what they can as cheap as they can.

[JoeyTrib]

73. Health insurers are bastards.

That's your answer.

[laundry_queen]

74. I am thinking about laser surgery

Short run, it might cost quite a bit more than glasses, but most places offer a payment plan which would help me out tremendously. I just need to have some time where I could actually do it. The thing I worry most about is that I'll still need glasses after and then I'll be out extra money.

By the way, I have the same problem here in Canada. Our health care pays for the exam for the kids, but not for adults. And the glasses are totally your reponsibility. Even with supplemental insurance, the amount rarely covers the entire cost of glasses. For instance, I get $125 per year for and exam and glasses through my student insurance. The cheapest glasses I could find are $150 and the exam itself is $100. Best case scenario is 50% coverage. It's going to be a hardship for me (single mom, full time student), for sure, but I've been putting it off so long I can hardly see out of my current glasses (3 years old now) because of the scratches.

[wishlist]

76. Cost me $1400 for two cataract surgeries plus glasses even w/ insurance

Cost would have been close to ten thousand without my very good insurance. I just had standard lens replacement, nothing deluxe. Even if I had gone totally blind I would have only qualified for Medicare after two years of total disability as I am too young for age 65 Medicare