Let’s face it; eyeglasses can be very expensive. Even with insurance, you are often left with a big bill. An eye doctor friend of mine once revealed that they make most of their profit on the sales of the eyeglasses. She said that there is usually a 400 percent or more mark up on eyeglass frames. Yea, that is a four with two zeros after it.
Still, you have to have glasses, right?
Well here are four ways that you can save some money on them.
Split a deal with a friend
Every once in a while, the chain eyeglass stores will run a special deal where you buy one pair of glasses and get a second pair for 50 percent off, or two pairs of glasses for $200, etc. Many places will allow you to split this deal with a friend, if you ask nicely and both agree to eye exams.
Use your old frames for your new prescription
Instead of paying for brand new frames, why not reuse your old ones? If you prescription has changed, just ask them to put the new prescription in your existing frames. You’ll still have to pay for the lenses, of course, but a big chunk of the expense will be gone from your bill.
Have your frames repaired
Most eyeglass places will do minor repairs on your glasses for free. This includes replacing screws, unbending frames and sometimes even replacing one of the ear hooks on the eyeglass frames. Before going ahead and buying new frames, as if your old ones can be repaired. You’ll save hundreds of dollars.
Tint your old glasses to make them sunglasses
If your prescription has changed, and you are dying to get your hands on a cool new designer frame, well there is nothing I can do to talk you out of it. However, you can still save money by reusing your old glasses. If your prescription is only off by a little bit, ask the eyeglass place to tint your existing glasses and turn them into sunglasses. You can then take them to the beach, the pool, etc. and save on buying prescription sunglasses.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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