Prices of US eyewear vs. Bangkok?

[tryasimight]

On 24/08/2017 at 6:39 PM, DogNo1 said:

I have tried many progressive lenses but just can't use them.  I can't seem to get the right focus no matter how I move my head up and down.  I have returned to using bifocals and have no trouble getting the right focus by making the distance to the object that I am reading closer or farther away.  I found a place that makes pretty good bifocal lenses with a transitions coating for about $200.  It is Infinity Optical on the 3rd floor of Central World.  There is also a pretty good shop in Emquartier.  I've forgotten the name but they gave me the price that I used to bargain at Infinity Optical.  I have not had good results in California where my optician gave me a prescription that strains my eyes.  My right eye won't maintain focus so it is difficult to determine the right refraction and astigmatism correction for it.  In Bangkok, a lot depends on the technician who determines your prescription.  In the past, I had my cataracts removed and got a prescription at Bumrungrad.  The cataracts were removed successfully but I found the service and attitude of the ophthalmologist to be poor.  The prescription that I got there was totally wrong.  In the future, I will use Rutin.

With progressive lenses the idea is to move the eyes......not the head

[impulse]

11 hours ago, tryasimight said:

With progressive lenses the idea is to move the eyes......not the head

 

I have to move my head to get the sweet spot of the glasses to correspond to what I'm looking at.  Looking at a distant object through the near vision part of the lenses doesn't work very well no matter how I move my eyes.  Only by moving my head can I get the right portion of the lenses between my eyeball and the cuties.

 

 

 

[Thainess]

If you're a "wealthychef", then why do you care it it's "super-expensive" in Bangkok? By the way, I bet you're not "wealthy" at all. 

[dddave]

Last year I shopped in both Bangkok and in the USA for progressive, hi index, lightweight lenses in a lightweight, flexible frame.  I have a very strong prescription and have always had to endure thick, heavy, geeky lenses. 

The lowest quotes I could find in Bangkok exceeded B25000 just for the lenses (brand names).  The US was not much better.  Some chains have promotions that make it seem cheaper but once I started adding necessary coatings, prices approached Bangkok's.  The only real deals were some buy one, get one free promos but even they had strings attached.

I finally decided to try shopping online and ordered exactly what I was looking for from Zenni optical (www.zennioptical.com) $130. Shipping to Bangkok took 10 days and cost $9.95.

Both lenses and frames exceeded my expectations and I have ordered sunglasses and reading glasses from Zenni since and have never been disappointed.

If your progressive prescription is a strong one as mine was, you are somewhat limited in frames you can select but the choices are still quite comprehensive.

A comprehensive eye exam at Rutnin Eye Hospital was B1300.  If you decide to use them and need a prescription, be sure to tell them that is what you want.  Also, be sure they include "PD", that is the pupillary distance measurement which is necessary for progressives.

[wealthychef]

On 8/23/2017 at 7:43 PM, Kaoboi Bebobp said:

I will only buy frames/glasses at home in Canada now. I stopped buying them in Thailand years ago when I found (a) lens quality in Thailand was not as advanced as in Canada,  (b)  frames and lenses in Thailand were 50% to 100% more expensive than in Canada. Of course, progressive lenses are expensive anywhere. 

I'm specifically looking for lenses, not frames.  Have you bought just lenses?  You say you stopped years ago, how many years?  Things do change...

[wealthychef]

On 8/23/2017 at 7:32 PM, impulse said:

 

In 6 years, I've never read a post in a thread, or spoken to any of my friends who think they got a decent price on glasses in Thailand.  (edit:  not that I recall anyway) Until yours.

 

I'm not doubting they're out there.  People on a Thai salary can't afford what I've paid for mine, so there must be cheaper options.  But finding them is another story.  Especially if the looker doesn't have a Thai wife, or 10 years on the ground, or a full time guide.  That changes a lot of rules.

 

I paid $200-250 for a cheap pair of reading glasses (left mine in a taxi), and $700 $600 for a pair of progressives.  In neither case was the frame anything special, or coated, or polarized, or..or..

 

Another edit:  BTW, I got the progressives from the guy who did my progressive SCUBA mask for me.  He did such a good job on the mask that I decided to toss him some work.  That's after I looked forever to find a local shop that could do a mask.  They may have been closer to $600 than $700.

 

 

I'm hoping that the lenses won't be so bad.  I know that name brands are more expensive in Thailand but not sure about just the lenses.  I'm interested in your scuba mask BTW, is that guy still around?  :-)
 

[wealthychef]

On 8/24/2017 at 1:29 AM, gjoo888 said:

I find the frames to be more expensive in Thailand, but if you have your own frames, the lenses are much less here in Thailand. 

Thanks, that's exactly my situation.  Are you saying for the same quality the price is lower?  I find many supposed good deals in Thailand are for inferior quality

[wealthychef]

On 8/24/2017 at 3:13 AM, Crocbait said:

Try a Japanese optical company called 'Owndays' in Bangkok. Website www.owndays.com/th/ 

I just bought progressive transition with frames for under $300 from their shop in Vietnam, happy with them.

 

Thanks for this excellent reply.  I will check into them.  Hope is restored!  

 

[wealthychef]

On 8/26/2017 at 1:28 AM, Thainess said:

If you're a "wealthychef", then why do you care it it's "super-expensive" in Bangkok? By the way, I bet you're not "wealthy" at all. 

 

Contrary to popular belief, particularly among poorer people, wealthy people do not get that way by spending lots of money.  :-D

 

[KittenKong]

On 25/08/2017 at 5:41 AM, Gerard052 said:

Can you tell me where this shop is?  My wife will need new lenses for reading next winter.  Do they check your eyesight with the appropriate machine so you have the right ones?

 

First Optic.

 

https://goo.gl/maps/83gwt2J7qW12

 

I get my eyes tested every year in the UK at Boots. It costs GBP10. For this a fully-qualified optometrist does a full eye-test and gives me a proper written prescription. If the prescription has changed I take it and my old frames to the nice man in First Optic and he replaces the lenses for 450B. This is for basic lenses for reading/PC work and, recently, for watching TV. He also does all other types of lenses but they would surely cost more. Takes a couple of days.

 

He does have some testing equipment but as I always have my UK prescription I've never needed to have him test anything.

[Genericnic]

On 8/24/2017 at 3:34 PM, HarrySeaman said:

Exactly what I find.  Exams and glasses are relatively expensive at the chain optical stores.  Exams and lenses are cheap at the local non-chain stores but the frames are expensive.  The quality of the exams will vary so if you use an optical shop look for one that others recommend.

 

In Bangkok one of the best places to get an examination is Rutin Eye Hospital.  It is a bit of an examination mill where you go from room to room but you finish with an ophthalmologist and the results are good.  If you have any know problems with your eyes such as glaucoma, cataracts, etc.  it is the place I would recommend for an exam and treatment. 

 

Back in 2002 I got one of the fastest, most superficial, and poor exams of my life at Bumrungrad, then Rutin was recommend by a friend.  The Rutin ophthalmologist was highly experienced and gave me a very thorough exam before refusing to do the surgery.  She detected that my corneas were swollen because I had been wearing contact lenses, which had been completely missed at Bumrungrad.  The Rutin ophthalmologist forced me to wear glasses for a month without wearing contacts until the swelling was completely gone before doing the surgery.  For the first time I could focus more than 3" beyond my nose.  My vision had gone from worse than 20:900 (worse than -9 diopters) in both eyes to 20:20 vision in one eye and 20:30 in the other.  Unfortunately time and age means that I now need glasses to correct the vision in one eye for driving or watching TV.

 

If you have a prescription you can order glasses on the internet from Zenni Optical.  Using a prescription from Rutin I got a pair of single vision glasses with titanium frames with clip on sunglasses for USA $32.85 plus $9.95 shipping to Thailand.  There is no shipping charge for a second pair of glasses.  The quality is excellent and my only regret is not getting a new set of glasses with a prescription for computer use at the same time.

I agree about Rutnin Eye Hospital. Was in BKK a month or so ago and did the eye exam for a new prescription. Very professional and well done as you would expect from a hospital that specializes in one thing. There is a reason that people come from all over the world to be treated there.

 

Took the new prescription and placed an order with Zenni Optical. Now waiting on the new glasses to arrive. Was very easy to do the order. Mine was just over US$120 (including shipping costs) due in part to the high refractive index lenses that keep my lenses from looking like the bottom of a glass soda bottle. (-12.50 in the left eye and -10.75 in the right eye)

 

David

 

[rjbangkok]

zenni is great!   get the prescription and order online.. you will be pleased.

if you need an exam , the examiner at TESCO on rama 4 across from BIG C , soi 26 is competent. exam is free...i have compared their prescription to RUTIN and it is the same.  have them write the prescription and order from zenni...frames when they go on sale at  TESCO  are a decent price.   in short...get a free exam that you trust , get the prescription and order online

i had my wife  go to RUTIN..they are very good but i would call it an EYE EXAM puppy mill.....not worth my time....we now go to the samitvjet ophthalmologist ...same price as RUTIN, better service and much more comfortable....that has been my experience

[oldcarguy]

2 hours ago, rjbangkok said:

 have them write the prescription and order from zenni..

you also   " PD "   which they normally do not include

 

distance between pupils.....

[GinBoy2]

I'm ditto'ing a lot of what's already been said. I usually wear contacts, which i can actually buy at 1800contact.com cheaper than in Thailand. 

Of course in the US I need to have a valid prescription, not required in Thailand.

As for glasses, I've never successfully had a good set of lenses in Thailand, and honestly the cost of having to get it done more than once tends to make them considerably more expensive.

I think frames may be cheaper, but pretty marginal

[JustAnotherFarang]

I live in the south and went to the opticians, who were having a buy one get one free sale, to replace the glasses I had made 5 years ago.  Was checked by one of the local ladies who seemed efficient if not entirely qualified and we worked out a better prescription.  I already had some frames I could use so I asked for the cheapest lenses and was quoted 10,000 baht for glass and 12,000 bht for plastic. Granted the lenses are progressive and my eyesight is -5.25 and -5.50 but I baulked at the price and asked could she do them cheaper.  She then said, if you just take just one set of lenses, then she could do it for half price (the buy one get one is a complete lie, they just charge you double and then give you two sets).  So I said that I could purchase them cheaper elsewhere and asked could I pay her for her time to give me the prescription and she said she could not do that. 

 

They must realise that with their exorbitant and greedy price gouging that they are now losing money to other retailers especially those online so they refuse to let you pay for your own prescription.  Not only did they lose a sale but they also lost the opportunity to make a little money for a minimum of effort. 

 

Still looking for an optician who will just give me a prescription

 

JAF