What is the best place to get an eye exam and glasses??

Question

Does WEST COAST EYECARE ASSOCIATES provides good eye exams?? I scheduled an appointment on Monday at 5:00pm, but we didn't go because my mom was busy with something. They charge $59 for an eye exam. Is that expensive?? I check on Costco's eye exam, they only charge $49. The glasses that I want in WEST COAST EYECARE ASSOCIATES cost $129. Is that expensive compare to the glasses at COSTCO?

Around how much does eye glasses cost at COSTCO?

Answer 1

Go to your friendly, local PRIVATE PRACTICE optometrist.  Get yourself a good, thorough exam.  Like the previous person said, you get what you pay for.

Answer 2

I once went to a place that advertised cheap exams and you get what you pay for. Go to a private optomitrist and you will recieve a lot more personal service and will recieve a friend that cares about your eyes

Answer 3

I'd definitely suggest an optometrist in private practice as opposed to a place like LensCrafters and the like. For one thing, you'll get a more comprehensive exam from an optometrist in private practice. And for another thing, if you have an eye problem or a family history of eye disease such as glaucoma or cataracts, or if you have diabetes, it's really important to have a comprehensive eye exam to make sure your eyes remain healthy or to get treatment as early as possible if you do have a problem other than eyesight that needs correcting.

Also, I'd be careful about getting glasses from those large places, too. I saw an expose a couple of years ago (on 60 Minutes or a similar reputable news magazine show) about the rate of prescription errors from places like Wal-Mart, LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, and private opticians' offices. What it boiled down to was that the big chain stores made prescriptions with what turned out to be some pretty serious errors (+ or - up to 1 diopter in some cases, along with mistakes in astigmatism corrections).

I'm not surprised by these findings. I've worn glasses for 20+ years and have gotten scripts from a variety of eye doctors and glasses from quickie-glasses places and private opticians. Some eye doctors write better prescriptions, and private opticians have always served me better than quickie-glasses places. At Quckie-Glasses Place, I got a weird prescription and/or the glasses weren't properly fitted on my face. Whereas, the private practice optician will not only make sure the glasses fit properly on your face, but has enough personal experience with eyeglass craftsmanship that s/he will be able to make good recommendations for frame style and size based on the shape of your face and the strength of your prescription.

This is your vision and long-term eye health you're talking about here, not a pair of jeans or a purse. When it comes to health issues, I think it's wise to shop for a good provider rather than for a bargain.

I'd recommend you talk to friends who wear glasses and ask them who their eye doctor is and what they think of him/her. Then ask them where they get their glasses and what they think of the service there.

That's just my $0.02.

Answer 4

I worked for a private practice and had mixed reviews from patients who purchased glasses at Costco. We got a lot of business from people who had bad experiences there. They were usually patients who had larger prescriptions though. $59 is really cheap for an exam. The private office I worked for charged $140. However it included the medical exam to evaluate eye health, not just the prescription. You get what you pay for as far as exams go. The less you pay, the fewer tests they are performing. It's up to you how thorough of an exam you need.