Hey Everyone!
My wife needs a backup pair of glasses after losing hers the other day. It was so stressful for her that she needed to go and have a nap afterwards.
Apparently she needs the type where its zoomed in on the lower half and normal vision when she walks around. She said they cost $700 at OPSM and I felt that was a little steep.
Do you have any recommendations for a good value optometrist?
Nah, we have run the numbers and it's never worked out.
Specsavers.
You can usually get 2 pairs for like $150 - $350 depending on your ego (get the cheapest brand you're capable of wearing).
This is not relevant to the needs of the OP. OP has described multifocals and these do not come in at $150 - $350 at Specsavers. The cost of multifocal lenses has always been around $400 - $600 in my experience and the frame on top of that.
What the OP can do is have eyes tested at Specsavers/OPSM or even the local optometrist and then ask for a copy of the prescription. If it is a pair of back up glasses, then I imagine there is no real hurry for them, so they could look at an online specs company and order through them. Frame and lens prices seem to be cheaper, but make sure that when looking at the frames you choose one which will accommodate multifocal lenses.
Ah, I didn't know multi-focals cost more.
This is relevant then (make sure you get your pupil distance):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ysv_RtM6TRA
Update
Apparently people have issues with bifocals online:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ysv_RtM6TRA&feature=youtu.be…
I've started putting a little card with contact phone numbers in my glasses case; so if I leave it somewhere the person who finds it has a way of contacting me. When I left them in a cafe the owner rang me to come and get them.
I use Spec savers, but I gave up on multifocals - they never seemed to be able to grind them properly. Now I just get glasses for reading. If I'm doing a lot of back and forth I just look over the top of my glasses to see distances.
Recently my parent got multifocal frames from 1001 optical for around $350 total (for myopia, astigmatism and hyperopia), with health insurance it was down to $150 ish. they're a decent brand too, if I remember correctly.
From what I know, the cost of the lens will differ depending on the prescription, weight, and coatings.
Also if you plan to travel overseas, it's also worth getting the ones there because they can be cheaper too with relatively good quality.
Do you have private health cover with extras?