Help with choosing lenses for glasses?!
Question: Help with choosing lenses for glasses?
Can anyone offer me any help or insight? I just find 210 for a set of lenses WITHOUT the frames to be a bit much (this was all at WalMart btw)
Answers:
I agree, all this stuff can be very confusing. When I buy my prescription lenses, I always go online to www.replacementlensexpress.com. Their website is straight forward and when it's not, I just e-mail their optician directly (info@replacementlensexpress.com) and he answers all my questions pretty much the same day.
You can get Transitions lenses through them for just $66, which includes a prescription. Anti-Glare coating is $35. What I do is, because I already have the frames I like, whenever my prescription changes, I send in my frames and they just put in the new lenses. Easy, peasy, and they are just based in Connecticut, so it's a really quick turn around time and quality is high, unlike other online companies (or even Walmart) who outsource overseas.
But it sounds like you want frames too. Their frame selection isn't super large online, but I know that if you e-mail them the exact make and model number of the frame you want, they'll get it for you and for a wholesale price. So just shoot them a descriptive e-mail of exactly what you want, and I think you'll be very happy.
Oh and he can tell you all about polycarbonate vs. plastic lenses.
www.replacementlensexpress.com
I suggest shop around. You have your prescription and can go anywhere you'd like.
The type of lens best for you depends on what you want in a lens.
Polycarbonate is a lightweight, impact resistance material. It is thinner than regular plastic. An aspheric lens is not as curved as a spheric lens. If you have a high rx (say, +/- 5.00 or above), then you may want to consider a hi-index plastic as it reduces the thickness more than polycarbonate.
Rounding and polishing would help reduce edge thickness of a lens, but only if you have a very high rx. Polishing also makes the edges a bit shinier.
Keep in mind that transitions don't tend to get very dark (if at all) in a car since they respond to UV light, and car windshields block a lot of it. Getting a pair of rx sunglasses would be more practical.
Optician