Not all SPEC work is bad.

'Specs-O-Plenty'

A while back I followed a link from 'Boing Boing' that took me to a blog post called 'Eyeglasses Stores are for Suckers'. After reading that post I had to agree with the guy. The last time I purchased glasses (Lens, Frames and coating etc.) it came to about $500.

In the article the guy talks about many online vendors that now sell eyeglasses. You don't have to buy them from the specialized eye clinics that mark them up like a movie house does it's pop corn. You see it's all about the numbers. The doctor gives you a prescription card with the exact numbers a Binyon's would need to make your lenses. I realized my doctor forgot to write one bit of information on my card. The pupillary distance was not on it, so I called up the clinic and reqested the number. I knew they had measured me.

When the doctor called me back and found out I was buying my glasses online he kind of freaked. Insisted that it was a bad idea but when I asked him if the numbers on the card were accurate he said "Of course they are." which then begged the question "So all they have to do is follow the numbers right?" The doctor still insisted it was a bad idea all though he couldn't tell me why exactly? They eventually gave me the PD number I needed.

Today I started researching the various vendors listed at the linked site. I settled on 'www.39dollarglasses.com'. No the name isn't very clever but the site is nice and easy to use. The total cost for 'Frames, High Density Lenses, AR Coating etc.' is a grand total of $154 plus FREE Shipping. (Because my eyes are so bad I had to pay an extra $29 for specialized shaping so you could get them for around $115) Sure if you go to Binyons and look through their cheap area you'll find prices close to that but anything that looks cool is jacked up bigtime. Compared to what I paid last time I am saving over $300.

My only problem now is figuring out what style to go with. So I took the full-size sample images off the web site and mocked up my melon with some specs. (No making fun of my fat head either)

Let me know what specs you think I should get?