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Prescription glasses can be budget frames or expensive. Designer frames like Ray-Ban will be more expensive independent retailers like Warby Parker. Budget frames from Zenni, Walmart or Costco will be the cheapest.
The cost of glasses can range anywhere between $8 and $600 for a standard pair — and can climb into the thousands for name brands.
The average price for new glasses is about $195. You can shop around for the best price if you don’t have insurance to help pay for them.
Best Overall: Warby Parker
Fastest Delivery: EyeBuyDirect
Also Great: Liingo
Best Place to Buy Contacts: 1800 Contacts
Your vision insurance may or may not cover the cost of your prescription glasses. Some insurance plans will pay up to a certain amount.
This is usually around $120 a year for prescription glasses. However, if you want a more expensive name brand, you will still have to cover the difference.
Non-prescription glasses are generally cheaper than prescription glasses. They can cost as little as a few dollars. For example, there are hundreds of non-prescription glasses available for sale on Etsy, and they cost $27.87 on average.
People buy non-Rx glasses for a few reasons, including:
No, vision insurance does not cover non-prescription glasses.
There are many different types of eyeglasses to choose from. It’s important to find a pair of glasses that not only fits your vision needs but also fits your budget. An eye exam from your optometrist will help determine the best eyewear for your needs.
The six main types of eyeglass lenses include the following:
Once you have the correct lenses for your needs, you can choose a lens material for your eyeglasses. Some lens materials include:
Once you choose your lenses and frames, you can include an add on, like a protective coating for the lenses. Here are some of the coatings that may be available to you:
The price of your pair of glasses depends on the type of lenses and frames you choose and any add ons you buy. It also depends on where you purchase them and whether or not you have vision insurance.
Here are the main factors that affect the cost of eyeglasses:
There are many benefits of switching to contact lenses from glasses. They give you a fuller field of focused vision, and they don’t fog up, get wet in the rain, or distort light. Plus, they could give you a confidence boost and be more convenient if you live an active lifestyle.
However, contacts can be more expensive than glasses. You’ll need to buy them more frequently, so the cost adds up over time. You’ll also need to buy a contact lens solution to keep your contacts clean.
In this article
Warby Parker has stylish, high-quality frames at affordable prices.
Liingo Eyewear is another great option to buy glasses online.
EyeBuyDirect has a wide variety of budget frames starting at $6.
1-800 Contacts is our #1 recommendation to buy contacts online.
GlassesUSA has a huge selection of contacts, glasses, & sunglasses.
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