Eyeglasses - Zenni + mail order, or by local?

[Ianatlarge]

I am seeking advice on the purchase of new glasses, with progressive / multifocal lens. Should I buy local in Thailand, or buy online?

 

For the past few weeks I have been check stores in Bangkok, and have gotten prices 15,000b-25,000b, for progressives with coatings. The price difference is the shop and the frame. However, I took a look online and came across:

 

www.zennioptical.com

 

I looked at the range and they have progressvies $100-$200, which is far cheaper.

 

My question is: has anyone had experience buying from Zenni; any issues with having the glasses delivered to Thailand?

 

Many thanks for your assistance.

[lopburi3]

I have bought my last 4 pair of glasses from them (all under $120 w/sunglasses) with no issues (both myself and wife).  Mine were progressive and wife were bi-focal.   Delivered within a week to 10 days or so.  Ships from China and no customs charged.  Believe normal post now - used to be courier service.    

[mtls2005]

You should be able to get closer to 10,000, or less (lenses + frames) here if you look around. Ask a Thai person to help you find a popular, reputable shop. These shops offer a ~ 35% discount on high quality lenses (like Hoya), and lifetime service. Unfortunately the best shops are often very, very crowded with Thai customers.

 

That said, I got a back-up set of glasses (progressive, multi-focal) from Zenni (shipped to me in the U.S.; ~ $115 all in) and they were fine. But their return policy is a bit onerous, (i.e not Zappos like), and customer complaints are catching the eye of several state regulatory/legal bodies.

 

I think there are a few other similar on-line retailers, at least in the U.S., sticking it to Luxottica.

[Farma]

Don't know where you're looking but i suggest you stay away from very common chain optometrists.

 

Look at some of the small optometrists in Siam Square. I use a Nice optical shop. It's family run with optometrists.

 

Last week. 4 frames with 2 progressive hoya  lenses (1 sunglass) + 2 standard hoya lenses all with coatings B21,420

 

Progressive lenses take a week. Normal lenses ready in 1 hour.

 

Obviously prices will vary if you go for fashion brand frames but standard frames aren't all that expensive.

Edited September 9, 2016 by Farma
added lens data

[mtls2005]

Yes, Nice Optic at 198  Siam Square Soi 1 is one of the best shops - although there are many similar shops around Bangkok, if you can get in the door. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

In my experience, the thing you have to be VERY careful about in Thailand is just who you use to actually ck your eyesight and determine the correct prescription for the glasses. Once you have the correct prescription, there's many options for having the lenses and/or frames sourced.

 

Unfortunately, a lot of the retail eye glass shops/stores in Thailand seem to be staffed by, at best, technicians. Not people who are medical (M.D.) eye doctors (opthamologists) or even D.O.'s (optometrists). Their shops may have the typical equipment for vision exams and measuring your eyesight. But whether the staff doing it have any real professional training or expertise seems to be quite a crap shoot.

 

Like so many other things here, there's a veneer of professionalism and knowledge, but the reality is often very different. And, in truth, there are lots of relatively inexpensive options for having an M.D. or D.O. at a real hospital determine the correct prescription, not to mention checking your eyes for other things such as glaucoma, etc.

 

[Ianatlarge]

Everyone, thanks for your advice. I will give Zenni a shot. The price and convenience is a winning combo.

[KittenKong]

On 09/09/2016 at 9:14 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Like so many other things here, there's a veneer of professionalism and knowledge, but the reality is often very different. And, in truth, there are lots of relatively inexpensive options for having an M.D. or D.O. at a real hospital determine the correct prescription, not to mention checking your eyes for other things such as glaucoma, etc.

 

I get my eyes tested in the UK every year. It's done for free by a properly qualified specialist whom I trust. If my prescription has changed I get new lenses made here for my old frames.

[robblok]

Just went to Ruttin eye hospital highly recommended by many and paid for the tests there. Went past 4 (as i recall) different rooms with different machines and people to test my eyes and got a card in the end. After that went somewhere else to get glasses. 

[partington]

As someone said above the important thing is to get a really accurate and skilfully done eye test.  Once you have this you can get excellently made glasses at Zenni.

 

You must be sure to get an accurate  measurement of your pupillary distance (PD)  -the distance between your pupils and the bridge of your nose- to order glasses from Zenni. Often they do not give this information at opticians when eye tests are done, so you may have to ask.

 

This allows Zenni to make the lenses with the optical centres in the correct place for your vision-they don't change the frame size, just grind the lenses so the optical centre is in the appropriate place.

 

I bought one pair of glasses at TopCharoen here for 15,500B which were fine, and after an initial trial of one, six pairs (single prescription sunglasses, bifocals, and progressives) , from Zenni for  prices ranging from ~1000 to 2800 baht each.  Apart from one pair,  these were all as good as the 15,500B pair I got here for approximately one tenth of the price.

 

The  faulty pair  was made with one lens inaccurately ground - I had them checked at an optician chain here and they can read the prescription of the lenses- they were replaced free of charge once I had returned them, but it is an almighty hassle as you must send them back to the US, not China where the factory is, and it all takes months.

 

All in all though it's definitely worth trying Zenni, as they are so reasonably priced that you can buy multiple pairs for different uses and frame styles, and still save money compared to chain stores here.

[BKKdreaming]

Will  Zenni also do higher quality reading glasses ?

Right now I am just using the drug store ones but maybe its smart to get the "real" numbers at   Ruttin eye hospital   or is there other excellent places to get a real  eye check-up ?

 

thanks for the info

[lopburi3]

Zenni will make glasses to reading prescriptions - or in combination with zero as I have in a pair of progressive that use for shopping (don't have to take off/on all the time to read labels).   Any hospital should have a decent eye clinic for testing and this done by doctor so can check to make sure not other factors.  As said be sure they write prescription with the PD distance indicated (it is provided them in basic machine check).

[BKKdreaming]

THanks , I need to get my eyes checked anyway

 

and I like the idea of Zero for half of the lense

[partington]

4 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Zenni will make glasses to reading prescriptions - or in combination with zero as I have in a pair of progressive that use for shopping (don't have to take off/on all the time to read labels).   Any hospital should have a decent eye clinic for testing and this done by doctor so can check to make sure not other factors.  As said be sure they write prescription with the PD distance indicated (it is provided them in basic machine check).

 

This is a great idea, and I thought of doing it but didn't know exactly how you would write it on the Zenni prescription.

 

Did you just write 0 on the ADD part of the prescription like this?

 

 SPH  xxx   CYL   yyy   AX  zzz   ADD 0

 

I thought that if you did that the reading part of the lens would just come out as the same as middle distance, (but I'm not sure why I thought that now!)

[lopburi3]

My last order, after having cataracts removed and distance IOL was as below for $57 total price

 

Prescription Type		Progressive (No-Line Multi-Focal)
		(SPH) (CYL) Axis ADD 0.00 0.00 0 +2.75 0.00 -1.25 44
OD - Right
OS - Left
PD		66

[Ianatlarge]

Thanks again for all the discussion, helped me (and a few others). Still amazed at the price difference. For $100+ I can get glasses the equivalent of 15,000b plus!

[partington]

2 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

My last order, after having cataracts removed and distance IOL was as below for $57 total price

 

Prescription Type		Progressive (No-Line Multi-Focal)
		(SPH) (CYL) Axis ADD 0.00 0.00 0 +2.75 0.00 -1.25 44
OD - Right
OS - Left
PD		66

 

 

OK, I understand,  it's your distance part, ie the top of the lens, that is zero refraction like plain glass, because you've had your distance vision corrected already.

 

I really wanted the reading, or bottom part, to be zero refraction because my naked eyes are better for looking close up.  I think this actually can't be done. Never mind!

 

 

EDIT:

Actually having thought about it, maybe entering an equal but opposite value to the SPH, in the ADD section would work to zero the reading bit.

 

E.G Sph          cyl        ax           ADD

OD  -3              xx         yy            +3

OS  -2.5           xx         yy            +2.5

Edited September 12, 2016 by partington

[lopburi3]

You just do not add anything if nearsighted and it does not require correcting - my orders prior to IOL operation were also progressive lens but nothing "add".  

[partington]

I understand but that was because you did not have any ADD  correction to make before your IOL.

 

Your IOL gave you artificial lenses that already have correction refraction  (SPH) built in, so now you have to have an ADD value to counteract the SPH that's built into your artificial lenses.

 

If you have progressives with an SPH value, as I will have to correct my distance vision,  you MUST adjust them with an ADD value or they will be the same prescription all the way down to the bottom of the lens.

 

EDIT  actually thinking about it again(!) I'm not sure I'm right about this either. I simply don't know , now. Did your previous progressives correct for distance vision? If so then you might be right.

Edited September 12, 2016 by partington

[lopburi3]

Yes I was near sighted - they correct for distance - I needed no correction for reading/close distance so there was no ADD value required.  I now need the close vision as my distance IOL can not adjust to allow clear near vision without glasses.   So normally wear low power reading glasses for computer us and no glasses normally - but have the progressive above when shopping to make it easier to both walk and read labels without having to put on/off glasses all the time.

[partington]

OK, then  I'm overthinking this probably.  If looking through the bottom part of your pre-IOL progressives was the same as looking through essentially clear glass, rather than some kind of corrective lens then that's what I want too.

 

Zenni are actually cheap enough to do an experiment to find out, anyway!