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I used to have frameless and loved them for being light weight but didn't like how the nose bar was visible in the field of vision.
This round I went with half rims so the lower half is frameless. They have the plastic cord in the bottom to hold the lenses in. I also get the plain plastic lenses for best visual acuity. One of the places I went to said you had to get the more expensive lenses for this type of frame but it isn't true. You can get plain plastic.
I currently have progressive lenses from Zenni. Love them! I got my P.D. off my Costco prescription. However I had the Dr. verify it. When I went to lens crafters they woudn't give it to me if their life depended on it. They also gave me the false story that I couldn't order the half rimless with the plastic lens. So don't trust lens crafters.
My new frames since having cataract surgery are frameless on the bottom only.
I like the frames but I specified Varilux progressives since I've ALWAYS had Varilux and the first time I got progressives, I was given something I couldn't see with. I took the glasses back and they said I needed Varilux and replaced my lenses with Varilux for free.
Fast forward--The place I went to a few months ago told me I couldn't have Varilux. They said I had to have Shamir and that it would be the same as Varilux. I kept probing as to why I couldn't get Varilux anymore but they kept saying over and over that the Shamir would be exactly the same.
Well, they aren't! There's some sort of distortion and I feel dizzy with these glasses. So I went back and got a different person (maybe the owner?) who told me I COULD have Varilux! They would order them but instead of the $800 it would now be $200 more! So just now they called and the Varilux lenses are in. I'm going to fight the $200 extra just to get what I asked for in the first place. (Good luck to me!!)
(I found out that Shamir Autograph III which they sold me are made of polycarbonate while Varilux (physio?) are made of plastic. I kept telling them that the "material" seemed different and also that it gets all smeary and smudged.)
(I found out that Shamir Autograph III which they sold me are made of polycarbonate while Varilux (physio?) are made of plastic. I kept telling them that the "material" seemed different and also that it gets all smeary and smudged.)
I've been getting my progressives from Zenni. They are so cheap that I can easily experiment with different materials. The polycarb mid and high index are definitely inferior optics to the plain plastic. The plain plastic is the cheapest. I also found if I did a +1 instead of +2.25 for the reading portion I got no distortion. I also get no distortion with +1.25 but find I gravitate toward the +1s now. A progressive pair from Zenni is $50 with plain plastic. The +2.25 had too great of a difference between the reading and distance. And I found I could only read 1 inch closer with +2.25 instead of +1 so really no difference in reading at all.
I've been getting my progressives from Zenni. They are so cheap that I can easily experiment with different materials. The polycarb mid and high index are definitely inferior optics to the plain plastic. The plain plastic is the cheapest. I also found if I did a +1 instead of +2.25 for the reading portion I got no distortion. I also get no distortion with +1.25 but find I gravitate toward the +1s now. A progressive pair from Zenni is $50 with plain plastic. The +2.25 had too great of a difference between the reading and distance. And I found I could only read 1 inch closer with +2.25 instead of +1 so really no difference in reading at all.
Wow, it's complicated. But $50 is such a great price. Yes, I certainly feel that this polycarb isn't too good. I've always had regular plastic and it was fine. I think my place (will not be my place anymore!) tried to cheat me by insisting I get the polycarb and now charging a total of $1000 to get what I asked for in the first place.
One of these days I'll have to sit down and figure out what to order using Zenni. Before the cataract surgery, my eyes were really bad so I couldn't use Zenni. Maybe now, with better eyesight, even though I still need progressives, Zenni would work out. That's a good idea--to use Zenni to experiment until you find out what works best for you. Thanks.
Just to give you an idea of costs I spent $323.30 on the orders below (5 pairs of progressives + 2 pairs of single vision distance glasses) plus about $55 in shipping cost so about $376.90 total for 7 pairs of glasses, 5 of which are progressive lenses. It is only $5 per order to ship but for the last order I wanted them quick so I paid about $20 for the express shipping to get them in a week.
5 pairs of progressive glasses - details below. I wanted to try the blue blockers and the web site had recommended lenses which were not the basic plastic so I wanted to try them. But in summary the basic cheapest plastic has the best optics. The first eye Dr. had written +1.25 for the add to my prescription for reading glasses. I experimented with +1 and liked it better. The second eye Dr. wrote +2.25 for the add. This made me nauseous and distorted my vision through the lenses. It did nothing to make the reading easier. This was one of the 5 pairs I returned for full credit. What I kept is outlined below:
+1.25 Beyond UV 1.61 High-Index progressive (no line multifocal) - I don't wear this pair at all. The high index just isn't as good as plain plastic and it cost the most at $92.95 ($19 frame plus $73.95 lenses)
+1.00 Beyond UV 1.57 Mid-Index Progressive (no line multifocal) - not bad optics but I don't care for the yellow tint, $59.90 ($15.95 frames plus $43.95 lenses)
+1.00 1.50 Digital Free Form Progressive (no-line multifocal) $51.90 ($19 frame plus $27.95 lenses plus $4.95 anti reflective. I wear this for everyday wear, work at the computer, walking outdoors, driving, watching TV etc. Optics on the 1.5 Digital Free Form Progressive is excellent.
+1.25 1.50 Digital Free Form Progressive (no-line multifocal) $51.90 ($19 frame plus $27.95 lenses plus $4.95 anti reflective. I got these for reading books. Optics on the 1.5 Digital Free Form Progressive is excellent.
[Note: this is the same lens as one of the above. I just didn't like the frame on my face that much so since they are so cheap I got another pair with the same prescription but a different frame] +1.25 1.50 Digital Free Form Progressive (no-line multifocal) $42.85 ($9.95 frame plus $27.95 lenses plus $4.95 anti reflective. I got these for reading books. Optics on the 1.5 Digital Free Form Progressive is excellent.
2 pairs of prescription glasses - single vision $11.90. Excellent optics!!! $6.96 for frames, 1.50 standard single vision lens is free + $4.95 anti reflective coating.
$11.90. Excellent optics!!! $6.96 for frames, 1.50 standard single vision lens is free + $4.95 anti reflective coating. [Note: I did not like this frame as much so ordered the above one instead.]
I had trouble getting a good prescription from my Dr. I had to go through two different opticians and then 4 different prescriptions from the second one before we got the right one. As a result I returned 5 pairs of glasses to Zenni for full credit! So I used the credit to order the ones above. All in all for the above price I got to try 12 pairs of glasses with different prescriptions and frames.
Each time I got some glasses in I had my Dr. check the prescription. They were spot on. In fact she said the lenses were such good quality that she was going to order some glasses for herself. She was really impressed. I liked the frames, especially the ones with spring hinges. It helps to pay attention to the comments and to upload a photo of yourself on the web site to try on pairs before ordering. I have a narrow P.D. and they allow you to filter on that along with many other parameters to locate good frames.
I had to really pressure the Dr. to keep changing the prescription until I got one that gives me crystal clear vision. What I did was take in my Zenni single vision glasses and had her manually hold lenses in one power increment over the glasses until I located where the problem was with the prescription she and the other Dr. had calculated with their machines. In one eye it was the cylinder. In the other it was the power. For years eye Drs. had told me I would never get as good a vision as I used to have, that my eyes were between the powers, that I couldn't expect perfect vision again. Because of Zenni I got it. With the ability to order $12 glasses to experiment I finally got my prescription straightened out. I no longer have a tightness or pulling in my eyes. I have vision through the progressives that matches what I had when I didn't need progressives and I do not get headaches when I read.
I started reading this thread because I was thinking of ordering a frameless pair from Zenni.
Since there is mention of someone's bad experience with Lens Crafters I decided to mention mine.
I've had some serious eye problems (glaucoma surgery being one). I had always done business with Lens Crafters until my last time. I took a prescription to be filled and FOUR times the glasses came back wrong. They had to be sent somewhere else to be made (I think Ohio) and each and every time they came back wrong.
I really need my glasses to function and was very upset with LC for not doing more to help me. I finally took the prescription to a different place and had my glasses in less than a week. And they were perfect.
I have had cornea transplant and lens replacement in both eyes and the first 2 times after surgery went through my ophthalmologist's office for glasses because they said the Rx was "difficult." It did take 2 rounds of lenses each time to get them right.
For the heck of it, I went to my local Costco, where DH had gotten glasses, and ordered a pair of distance-only "Transitions Drivewear" sunglasses and they came back right the first time. My eyes are very light- and glare-sensitive such that I need sunglasses even on overcast days or indoors in bright light and these are perfect. Since they did a good job, I also got the "office" glasses (the middle and close part of the RX only, no distance correction, strong blue block) and they were right around $100 for everything. The glasses through my ophthalmologist were just north of $500. Costco quoted me $225 for a similar pair.
The disadvantage of Costco is that their frame selection is somewhat limited, but then, I live in a small town and no one really has a large selection.
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