How do I buy my girlfriend glasses for her birthday?

September 8, 2005 3:23 PM

How do I buy my girlfriend glasses for her birthday? Need advice on: -maximizing my bang for my buck in some parts of this process so I can splurge in others (internet companies? good stores/eye exam people in Los Angeles?) -how to make this a good gift -general pitfalls

I'm looking for more information on what's involved in buying my girlfriend glasses for her birthday [in a month] and making it as good of a gift as possible. We are in Los Angeles, this doesn't have to be a surprise, though advice for making it as gift-like as possible is a plus (as opposed to a $200-$400 check with "Get yourself glasses" in the memo field).

So far I've discovered that this is a 3-step process:
1. She needs a current prescription, and I don't think she has a current one, nor does she have med insurance. She has a wealth of disposable contacts in her room, which I can sneak a peek at tonight to get a general idea for what her prescription is gonna be like, to determine whether she's blind as a bat and needs polycarbonates or higher index plastics. I don't think she's extremely blind (she can see and read things when they're really close up without contacts, for whatever that's worth). Where should we go to get an eye exam, and how much will this cost? (I've heard ~$60 at lenscrafters)

2. She needs frames. Where do I/we go? Online? Good shops in Los Angeles? How much is this part going to cost? (I realize this can cost whatever we want it to cost, but I'm hoping to keep this whole gift under $300).

3. We need a pair of lenses. Where do I get these? It seems like internet companies are ridiculously cheap in this arena. Anyone have any experiences with these companies? How about companies in Los Angeles? I've heard Lenscrafters is fairly expensive.

What sort of pitfalls am I going to be running into? Is this a viable gift idea? I think she's wanted glasses for a very long time, as her contacts hurt her eyes, and she's not had the cash to get glasses.

posted by sirion to human relations (12 comments total)

I would suggest you not make this a surprise gift. It's very important to physically try frames out in person. It should be something you both do together, in a real store with people who make the lenses there themselves. These stores seem to know what they're doing.

The contact perscription will give you some idea of what strength the glasses would be, but the actual perscriptions are entirely different, at least in my experience. That is, even though I currently wear contacts, if I wanted to go get a pair of glasses, I would have to get a new eye exam and a new perscription.

If you go somewhere that does both the eye exam and the glasses, it will probably be a quicker process. Maybe one to two days.
posted by odinsdream at 3:28 PM on September 8, 2005

I just had an eye exam at a Lenscrafters doctor. It was $59 plus tax without insurance.
posted by moosedogtoo at 3:29 PM on September 8, 2005

Some questions on the internet front:
At eyeglasses.com, they will stick lenses in a frame you mail them, for $75 for polycarbonate, $100 for "Premium Polycarbonate, thinner and lighter than normal", and $130 for "Essilor Airwear with Crizal Alize-Ultimate Package: Top of the line Anti Reflective and scratch resistant coating from one of the world's leading lens makers included with this premium package. ".

What is the difference between all of this stuff, and is most of it hype? I've never worn glasses, so I'm a little lost when it comes to all of these options and things. Should I spend an extra $35 for anti-reflective coating? I thought all polycarbonates are very thin and light; what is "Premium polycarbonate" then?

I'm curious if anyone has been really happy with some of these internet companies. It seems like a company that will cut a lens for your frame might be ideal for this purpose, in that my gf will likely want the most input on the frame, and probably would rather not browse for such a frame online.
posted by sirion at 3:33 PM on September 8, 2005

Odinsdream: Yeah, I was planning on picking out frames together, though quickness is not a priority since I have a month before the actual birthday.
posted by sirion at 3:35 PM on September 8, 2005

I recommend getting the prescription at Lenscrafters and then the frames at laEyeworks. laEyeworks has shops on Beverly (there's a Lenscrafters on Beverly at La Cienega to make this really convenient) and on Melrose and you can visit them at laEyeworks.com of course. Their stuff is great, they take their time finding the right frames for you and they've cut me and mine some terrific deals. Lenscrafters frames are OK but just don't have that birthday present zing.
posted by firstdrop at 4:18 PM on September 8, 2005

LA Eyeworks all the way! This time of year they have frames on sale, then in a few weeks they have lenses on sale. My friend always buys at least a couple pair (long story, he loves his eyeglasses!). He loves the frames and lenses. I have purchased from Lenscrafters before and have had many headaches. Stay away.
posted by 6:1 at 4:46 PM on September 8, 2005

Lenscrafters gives a 30% discount on complete pairs of glasses to AAA members. This may be worth keeping in mind.
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:17 PM on September 8, 2005

Another vote for la Eyeworks. They have nice people and great glasses. And they were in Blade Runner.
posted by jjwiseman at 5:25 PM on September 8, 2005

If the lenses are highly corrective, the premium "latest" lenses are much lighter weight-wise than older ones. I have 6.0 correction and the extra lightness of expensive lenses is well worthwhile.

I have kids, so a robust frame is very helpful. Mine are Flexon frames, some kind of titanium alloy which you can almost bend in knots without any harm to the frame. Cheap frames are not, in my experience, a good purchase. At a minimum be sure to get frames with reverse-sprung hinges as others often break or go out of shape.

Coated lenses do make the eyes behind the specs more visible. They're more fragile to look after, but not specially difficult and will last as long provided you know to treat them carefully.

As Odinsdream says, specs do need personal fitting. Don't buy frames without the intended face being there! Personal choice matters too.

No recommendations on where to shop, though, sorry! I get mine through the local opticians for maximum convenience. Costco do good specs at a good price.
posted by anadem at 9:15 PM on September 8, 2005

If you can find a place that has quartz-coated lenses (call independent opticians rather than chains), get those. I originally had mine made at Fedco until they shut down, and then about five years ago was able to get them made at a place on Ventura in Studio City--I don't know whether or not they're still in business. When I moved to New York, a local chain told me that they didn't know what quartz coating was and the optician that my eye doctor called claimed that the anti-reflective coating WAS quartz, which may well be, but scratches horribly. I had to take a piece of metal and make a test scratch on the edge of one of the lenses to do any damage to the ones I had made in LA.

I know this is a slight derail, but Sol Moscot in NYC told me they had these lenses--any other suggestions? Cohens and Lens Crafters push the anti-reflective crap.
posted by brujita at 9:16 PM on September 8, 2005

Answers in this thread may be useful.
posted by dobbs at 10:29 PM on September 8, 2005

She needs frames. How much is this part going to cost?

Like you said, there's a wide range of frame prices. The ones I buy are usually in the $200 range -- cheap enough to not be unreasonable, but not so cheap they don't hold up well. A good place to look for cheap frames would be your local warehouse store (ie. Sam's Club and Costco). Keep in mind that the cost of the classes will be the frames + lenses + coatings and special options, so don't pick $300 frames if you want to keep the total cost under $300.

Should I spend an extra $35 for anti-reflective coating? I thought all polycarbonates are very thin and light; what is "Premium polycarbonate" then?

That depends on what she does. I spent the extra money for the anti-glare coating on my glasses because I spend all day in front of a computer. I find it helps reduce eye strain on the computer, and helps my visibility when driving at night or on really sunny days. I've heard a lot of people complain about how the anti-glare coating scratches easily, but I have never had a problem with that and I clean my glasses on my shirt all the time :)

And from my experience, the "Premium polycarbonate" should just be thinnER and lightER than the regular lenses. She may not need them if she has a weak prescription, or if she picks thicker frames. If she has a fairly strong prescription or picks thin frames, it's a good option to go with.
posted by geeky at 7:18 AM on September 9, 2005