AFTER!


before...
See and share more great shots of Torley and others in the GlassyEyes flickr group.
Torley, who you may recognize -- at least in name -- from Linden Lab's amazing Second Life, needed some glasses. I mean he really *needed* some new glasses (see "before...").

Unable to see particularly well and in need of a new look, he, like I a year previously, went to buy some new glasses at a traditional eyeglasses outlet. After picking himself up off the floor when seeing the price, his mind took him to the internet.

A thoughtful and well-written piece was spawned from this experience. Here are a few of the highlights:

My gosh, "There's got to be a better way!" I tensely exclaimed to myself, and it's within those tense self-exclamations that I rationalize, "You can buy a lot of things through the Internet for cheap!"

At this point he found the 43Folders article by our friend, Matt. And through that connection, us.

I figured, "If this goes bad, I don't have a big hole in my wallet, and if this goes well, I've triumphed in my experiment!" (I like to run experiments ordering things off the Internet.)

We're kindred spirits in this regard, Torley (no way am I going to pay $60 for a used Airport Card for 6 year-old iMac).

I tried them on right away, bounded up the stairs, and approached my wife like a crocodile snakes towards a baby duck, only friendlier. She noticed with much kittenish excitement (I love this "wavy arm" thing she does), and likes them a lot more.

Torley picked up style #18385 at Goggles4U and looks great (and happy!) in them.

DON'T hesitate. DO read the full story here.

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Matt Haughey, of Metafilter fame has written a nice piece on his experiences in the low-cost, online eyeglasses realm.

A few quick snippets:

I purchased frames from four different companies mentioned on the GlassyEyes site and every pair showed up intact and the prescriptions all seemed identical.

I encourage anyone looking to save some money and get a bigger selection to search online. Glasses are no longer a scarce resource costing many hundreds of dollars, they can be as simple as buying a DVD or book online, and cost about the same.

Thanks for the mention Matt, and good luck with the glasses!

Take a gander at the full post here.

For more photos, check out the GlassyEyes Flickr group.

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One of my sons was home from school today and got to pull the winner of the free pair of glasses (up to $100!) from 39DollarGlasses out of the snowboarding helmet (it was the only hat I could find).

Congratulations Bill!

Many thanks to Beth, Larry and Melissa for sharing with us. I really appreciate it.

Please keep them coming. Everyone who submits will be eligible for future contests (including those who didn't win today).

Thanks again to our friends at 39DollarGlasses for helping out with the relaunch!

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I got four wonderful submissions. I'm still trying to figure out a fun way to choose the winner. It's going to involve one of my kids or our cat choosing the person to receive the $100 Glasses Prize from 39DollarGlasses!

Check back later this evening or tomorrow for details!

Keep submitting your stories and pictures and I'll keep adding them to the site!

[Ed. Note: This is #4 in the "Glasses Stories" series. Melissa is wearing, holding and supporting her eight pair of glasses from various online retailers.]

Months ago, my husband said "Hey! I saw a thing on boingboing today that might interest you." $25 and 3 weeks later, I had a great new pair of glasses from Goggles4U. I ordered another pair from 39 Dollar Glasses, and was just as happy. And for a while, that was enough. But the lure of perfect frames was strong. I now have 8 pairs of regular glasses and 2 pairs of sunglasses. Every time someone compliments me on my frames (and it happens often) I say "I bought them online." The person is usually interested and skeptical, so I explain, mention the low cost, and tell them about Ira's blog.

Thanks, Melissa!


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[Ed. Note: This is #3 in the "Glasses Stories" series. Larry, a physicist and didgeridoo player, is wearing his new bi-focals from 39DollarGlasses.com in this action shot.]

I got a new prescription on Oct. 25 and decided to shop around for glasses. I visited five local establishments with some trepidation, remembering the hassles and high prices I encountered the last time I got new specs. Only three out of five stores even had acceptable frames, and their prices ranged from $300 to more than $500.

Sure I could do better than that on the web, I came across Ira's site that had apparently been created to order especially for me just a few days previously. The prices were so good, I decided to treat myself to a pair of bifocals in flexible titanium frames from 39 Dollar Glasses. I received my glasses 8 days after I ordered them. I'm delighted with them! They are light, comfortable, and the prescription is bang on! The price with shipping and the discount coupon was only $136. Thanks Ira and 39 Dolllar Glasses!

The attached photo is me with new glasses and old didgeridoo.

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[Ed. Note: This is #2 in the "Glasses Stories" series. Bill is wearing his "SoHo" frame from 39DollarGlasses.com in his publicity shot.]

"You grow up watching Star Trek, listening to Joy Division, and have a website and email address before most people could even spell Internet, and suddenly you have a reputation as a nerd. Dork. Geek. I've worn glasses since I was about 20 and they have become a part of my personality as a mystery writer. After wearing the same ones for years, the magic was gone. I found my next perfect pair via GlassyEyes.com and Ira and I'm grateful that I can grab something groovy, something out of the ordinary and not have to break the bank."

http://www.williammize.com
Creator of the Denton Ward and Monty Crocetti mystery series

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The good people at 39DollarGlasses have popped for a big prize for a lucky contributor to the "Glasses Stories" section. Not only do you get the thrill and exposure of getting your face pasted on the busiest economically-focused-online-eyeglasses-blog on the planet and the ability to make a difference for the thousands of people who are contemplating this idea, you're also helping me out with some additional content -- and I APPRECIATE IT.

So, join Beth and send me your photos, or better yet post them to the GlassyEyes Flickr group and forward me the link along with your name, email address and your story (keep it around 500 characters if you can).

All entries must be in before November 10th -- the one-year anniversary of the blog entry that started this whole thing.

Enter early and often.

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[Ed. Note: This is #1 in the "Glasses Stories" series. Beth is wearing her new "Madrid" frame from 39DollarGlasses.com]

There are several reasons I ordered, or more like a perfect storm of reasons. The main one is that I am one of the millions of Americans with no health insurance, thus it's vital for me to seek out alternatives to expensive vision care.

I'm an administrative assistant by trade. Although I much prefer to wear contacts, they don't work well for long hours of reading from a conference room screen.

For the record, I had a healthy dose of cynicism for the whole 'too good to be true cheap glasses' gig, but after seeing so much positive feedback, I figured what the heck, it was forty bucks, and I'd take my chances.

I haven't had new glasses in almost fifteen years, as my limited funds have always been earmarked for contacts. I couldn't be happier with the quality or the turnaround on the glasses I ordered.



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These are meant to be quick-hitting, simple, and fun. I'm thinking a picture and a quick paragraph (no more than 500 characters).

They'll look a bit like this:

I didn't go in to the Optical 4 Less site looking for a pair of glasses with yellow lenses, but factoring in the shipping and the fact that I wasn't going to have to pay it (from Hong Kong) if I added the second pair, I had to go for it. Also, what was I doing above my chin?