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Ongoing: Click here for 15%-off EVERY ORDER at EyeBuyDirect This is the best ongoing deal on the internet for EyeBuyDirect!
Goggles4U drops prices, drops additional discount codes. People are concerned, but this is still one of the best places to buy online. Link!

I got a comment to a post the other day that curled my hair. Read...

My optometrist's receptionist called the law on me claiming I was disruptive, when I questioned why Dr. H walked away from me after I asked for my PD. When the cops came and questioned us both, the optometrist told them that the PD varied according to which frames a patient chose and how thick the lenses were, and that that's why he was refusing to give it to me.

I told the cops the PD was the distance between your pupils and they told me Dr. H was a doctor and that I wasn't, and that I didn't know what I was talking about.

My mother, another patient of Dr. H, was in the office with me when this occurred! I hadn't been to the eye doctor in five years because I couldn't afford it. If I weren't legally blind with uncorrected vision, I'd give up on them completely after this fiasco. I still need progressive lenses and I still don't know my PD...and I'm out $74.00.
This is obviously a person in need of affordable eyeglasses. The doctor, an "a-hole" to be sure, could have done a better job of explaining the fact that there are two PD's for multi-focal lenses -- and then provided the numbers. Isn't there some equivalent of a Hippocratic Oath for optometrists?

This is exactly the reason that I have a problem with the "connected" optometrist. It's like trusting Ronald McDonald to bring you to the best place in town for a hamburger -- sort of.


EyeBuyDirect has a week-long "Deal of the Day" this week. Get these great looking, RED eyeglasses for $19.95 -- 50% off (and only $16.96 with the any of the ol' GlassyEyes 15% links).


I don't post "daily deals" very often, but I'd like to see some of you in these.

Here's the link directly to the deal of the day page.

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Measure Twice, Cut OnceI'm rarely chased by Sabre-toothed Tigers. I sit at a desk most of the day, so my adrenal glands are a bit under-utilized. What does get them going is when I'm about to place an order online.

Is my credit card information correct? Have I entered the proper shipping address? Is THIS item the one I wanted -- at the price I want to pay?

My mind races trying to make sure that everything will end up right. I do my part to make sure any screw-ups don't come back to me.

That said, I've been in a hurry in the past and made mistakes, and learned from them.

When I order glasses, I don't hurry. I double and triple check my prescription. I do all of the same checks on the shipping and billing information and I've only had one "bad" pair in thirty. That bad pair didn't come from one of my "picks" (and at $15 price, I dropped them in a Lion's Club box and moved on with my life).

If you are careful and take your time to understand the process, you will be rewarded with great glasses at a fantastic savings.
I've gotten a few emails over the past couple of weeks that speak directly to attention to detail in relation to ordering online eyeglasses. Those things riding your nose (and ears) are custom, made to order based on the information you enter on the websites. Mistakes can happen -- let them not be yours.

Keep in mind that problems occur in a tiny percentage of total orders. This process, with the proper information can be very, very easy, economical and wildly satisfying.

If you have a question on your prescription, get in touch with the retailer, or post a link of a scan of it to the forums. We can help you decipher that ridiculous chicken scratch.

So "measure twice, cut once". Fixing mistakes once an order is placed can be a headache. Catch it first and you'll be happy.

Script Keeper One more thing... Use the "ScriptKeeper" functionality on this site to store your prescription and you'll never have to rifle through that desk drawer again -- and copy/paste can be your friend next time you find a pair you absolutely must have.



In order of appearance:

  1. "Plasma" from EyeBuyDirect (still available!)
  2. "Timberland - TB1003 /C65" from EyeBuyDirect (still available!)
  3. "26216" from Goggles4U (still available!)
  4. "24582" from Goggles4U (still available!)


A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about Goggles4U redesigning their site and adding the GlassyEyes-specific contact email. In my perusal, I had a couple of pairs catch my eye.

Neither pair would specifically fill any gaps in my collection, but they both struck me as good looking. The first pair I picked was a rather standard plastic frame with smallish lenses, but a 140mm temple length (which is my most important measurement).

Less than two weeks after my sub-$60 order (FREE SHIPPING), they arrived in my frigid mailbox.

Here we go. The first pair, is optically perfect -- as I expected. Functionally, the frames were a little wonky out of the box. They appeared to have twisted a bit in transit (something that lessened after they got out of the sub-zero temperatures of my mailbox for a while), though they were packaged quite nicely.

Also, the labeled 140mm temples were the shortest 140mm temples I've ever wrapped around my head. They may in fact be 140mm, but they wear more like 132mm. The full metal temple insert allowed me to make them wearable (for my massive head) with only a minimal effort of straightening. The lack of height on the lenses looks great, but makes me work my neck a bit more than I'd like. I'm ever so slowly moving toward the comfort of taller lenses. Coatings (on both pairs) look good. All in all I'd give them a 3.5 out 5.

The second pair, jumped off the page at me when I saw them on the Goggles4U site. I've gotten nearly a hundred requests for information on the frames you see me wearing in the banner of this site -- and they're still the pair I wear when I want to "stand out" a bit. These things market themselves, which is nice -- except I apparently got the last pair in existence.

This second pair reminded me of that pair (^) with different color temples. They still had the "gold" frame, which up until this experiment started was something I'd have laughed at, and the shape was at the very least "reminiscent" (if not direct larceny).

I hurriedly tore open the box to reveal what, at first glance, was a pair of glasses more suited for an eccentric octogenarian in an assisted-living facility in St. Pete, Florida.

The differences were very obvious in my hands. Not only was the shape of the frame "older" somehow, the "fishline" bottom on my favorite pair had been replaced with a "golden" metal frame-bottom. The frame is stamped "Emporio Armani". I don't know if that is true or not, but the fit and finish is better than many of the lower-priced frames I own.

I'd describe the style as "faux-half-frame". They're VERY GOLD and bold as hell. I had a few errands to run and decided that I needed to give them a chance.

Comfortable... Perfect prescription... Hmm...

I caught a glimpse of myself in the door of the drug store and realized that they were awesome -- 5 of 5.

Packaging was the best (most consistent) I've seen from Goggles4U. Both pairs came wrapped (as they always do) in cotton, but this time they came in matching nondescript brown plastic cases. They could do with a branding job, but all in all, more professional than the past.

Fast too -- less than two weeks to Minnesota.

EyeBuyDirect had a great deal in December offering half-price gift certificates. I took them up on it -- along with hundreds of others. I bought a few of them for family members and $140 worth of them for myself. They had just added a number of frames and a couple of them were different enough from my existing collection to warrant purchase.

I ordered two pair with about a week in between, and they arrived a few days apart two weeks later.

The first pair I ordered was titanium in a bronze color -- two things less than common in my piles of eyeglasses. These are a pair that I would have picked from a brick and mortar store -- if things hadn't changed so abruptly that day October. They're very light, so sturdy and I really like the look of them.

The second pair was more of a stretch in a couple of ways. I wouldn't have considered them without the discount. First off, the designer brand (Timberland in this case) isn't something I do any longer, but at 50% off an already discounted price, I made an exception. I wouldn't have even tried these on in the store, much less considered purchasing them.

That said, there were three compelling reasons I pulled the trigger on them. First, I wanted to see how well the "generics" stacked up against the name brand, and secondly, I had a theory that since the frame dimensions were close to the sizes I normally buy, they'd not only fit but look at least acceptable. The last reason was that they aren't produced by Luxottica, because that will never do.

They're well made, and different than I expected. I don't think they look terribly good on me but they're very comfortable. I've worn them many times already because I'm more interested in the utility and comfort than the fashion.

A few more notes on these orders from EyeBuyDirect. Their order process was very smooth and the site gets better and better every time I use it. They're packaged very nicely and EyeBuyDirect's cases are the nicest of the the bunch. I love being able to see what is in the case -- something more important than you'd think when you get up near 30 pairs of glasses.

Like I said, the eyeglasses are beautiful -- both pairs. The prescriptions are spot on and the coatings appear uniform and well-applied. I'm very impressed.


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Had a call earlier today from a gentleman looking for an option on polarized lenses. Of the sites I cover on GlassyEyes, only one carries true prescription polarized lenses as an option -- 39DollarGlasses. If you work your way through the lens choices, Package 'E' appears for an additional $49.90.


It's going to take a standard pair of their glasses up to just South of a C-Note, but if you are into fishing or just plain like polarized lenses, you'll realize that this is still a pretty solid deal.


There are polarized clip-ons available elsewhere (Walmart, Sams Club, Costco) for less money, but as far as eyeglasses go, two pieces is rarely as good as one.

(PUBLIC) NOTE TO SELF: Might be time to try out the Drivewear lenses -- probably work pretty good on the slopes, and Transitions are useless in the car.


If it's February 9th, 2008 2009 in your world, it's the last chance for EyeBuyDirect's 2-4-1 offer. Their Clearance Sale ends at MIDNIGHT Pacific Time -- 2AM for those of you on the East coast.

Here's the link if you missed it.


(it's a 96 hour sale for us!)
BREAKING NEWS: I just got an email from the guys at EyeBuyDirect. Not only have they updated the site (AGAIN!), they're clearing out stock with their Yearly Clearance Sale. Once again, they're giving us at GlassyEyes a big head start on the general public. Isn't it nice to be "in the know?"

What does this mean to you? It's a Buy One Get One Free thing. The discount doesn't stack on the 15% GlassyEyes discount, but hey, if you need (or want) two pairs of great glasses at a great discount (UP TO 50%!), then this is it.

They've beefed up their inventory. If you haven't looked recently, I think you'll see some pleasant surprises in the collection.

So, pop in, take a look and see if anything suits your fancy -- did I really just type that? Anyway, it's a great deal.

Use any of the links in this post to be taken directly to the offer details. Hurry, for best selection -- apparently, everyone else gets in on Monday.


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