Thanks for all the responses... generally I agree with the above, and like I said in the initial post, I'm usually happy to pay significantly more for better quality products and better services. It's just that I've noticed a general trend for prices to differ by 2x or maybe a little more, but eyeglasses appear to me to be way outside that range for some reason, at least for my new prescription.
Peg A points out that the retail markup on eyeglasses is probably on scale with other services, but as the end-consumer I would be paying dramatically more than this average for a comparable product / service, and I'm wondering if there is a logical explanation. Perhaps it's just particular to my prescription; next time I'm in the States I'll do a more exact comparison.
I would consider dentistry to be similar sort of service -- it's extremely important, not something you'd want to take chances with, etc. But the costs here in Zurich for a well-respected dentist are around 1.5x what I might pay in Chicago, and are probably not much more than central NY prices.
The only other service which seems to be far outside this 2x range is cable television subscriptions, which surprisingly are around 5x cheaper here than what we would have to pay the Chicago area (in spite of the Cablecom "monopoly" everyone complains about!). There's probably a logical explanation for that as well.
I thought I might post my experience since I just replaced my lost glasses.
I had a very weak prescription with progressive lenses for computer and reading.
I went to McOptik and was quoted a price of 859CHF (~450CHF for the frame and the rest for the lenses). Not a comfortable figure for glasses that I am only buying for comfort reasons.
So I went to Apollo at Rheincenter. I paid 321 Euro for my progressives, and since I was so delighted with the savings, I got another pair for 95 Euro for driving at night. By the time I get my VAT back it will be even greater savings.
I'm not going to beat up on McOptik. They were very nice and helpful, and I really feel like if I didn't live in a border city that I would have bought glasses there.
Glasses are seriously (stupidly?) expensive in Switzerland. My last pair which I bought in Adliswil cost me around CHF 600 for a fairly average 2 diopter corrective lens set-up.
I just bought some new glasses for Mrs Wu here in Budapest, she's far sighted and without her glasses pretty much as blind as a bat. I was expecting a hefty price. The bill came to HUF 19,800 which translates to around CHF 86. Yes, eighty six francs. The glasses I bought are not cheap made-in-China garbage, they are good quality, well finished and Mrs Wu is very happy with them.
Sorry to bring this thread back to life but i think it's about time to get some glasses (I can sense my eye sight blurring and lot's of headaches)
I will be hitting either Visilab or Fidelmann for glasses tomorrow after the doctor (If i require one), don't wanna be shocked....so just to get this right, is it the frame or the lenses that costs an arm and a leg??
It really depends on your prescription. The worse your eyes are the more expensive the lenses are, frames usually come in a range of prices but if you are blind as a bat you have no choice in how much you pay for lenses.
I'm not really that bad....it's just headaches due to lots of reading & mostly working on my computers....i don't assume it will be huge if any, should i be looking for 150 CHF lenses only for example?
Well, back in the days when I was only nearsighted, I paid between CHF 150-300 per lens for my specs, depending on the thinness of the lens, the coating, photochromatic, etc.
Now that I am into variable lenses, it's CHF 800-1000 per lens.
And then there's the frames... and sunglasses... and the new specs less than a year down the line as your eyes change again...
ETA: Fielmann has frames ranging from CHF20 (I kid you not!) up to the several hundreds. And actually the inexpensive frames are often the ones I prefer. They will also be less expensive for the lenses - but the price of the lens is still painful.
Guess i will go for online then...this is way too expensive compared to anywhere else...i saw this frame which i like and played randomly with specs...it won't cost 350 CHF at most including the highest lenses specs they got
I've not looked into lens prices here really at all, sorry, I can't help you there very much.
The frame prices depend usually upon brand, material and special features. If you go for something like Armani or whatever, it is going to cost more than house brand for example. If you go for titanium frames, this will also cost more (but they'll be stronger and tend to last longer). If you get frames with "spring hinges" (they bend outwards at the hinge), this can add a little, but are common enough these days that some lower-end house brand frames come with them, so they're not so expensive as some. And then come the "rimless" and "semi-rimless" - rimless are the ones where some bits of frame screw to the lenses, semi-rimless have a cord (something like fishing line) holding the lens in place... these take some extra work in the lab (especially the rimless ones) so tend to be fairly pricey AND they tack on extra fees to the lens price as well.
For a pair that you're going to be wearing mostly for reading and computer (but don't need for driving or watching TV, or whatever), you can easily get by with less expensive materials for both the lens and frame. If you don't need to wear them all the time, you will probably want at least two pair though, one for home "work station" and one for at work, that way you don't have to remember to take them along.
Aside from that general stuff, it's hard to say what you can expect though, a lot will depend upon how things shape up when you have your vision exam.
The problem with buying online is: what if the perscription, fit, etc. isn't quite right? Specs are the one thing I will only buy in person. (And this from someone who buys just about everything else online.) I'm happy to hop borders, but I need the the hands-on advice/help/skill of a professional. Especially if you are a first time spec wearer, or are getting a new perscription.
Really - take a few hours, head across the border, have an optician in France give you a quote.
I totally agree on that one...better not try my luck on my first pair.....another dumb question....vision test have to be at a doctor / clinic or can be made at Filemann / Visilab? (It's how it works back home in major optician stores)
Ahh, Persol! Among my favorites! I think I maybe had that style (or one very similar) as non-prescription sunglasses.
If you look at the "temples" (the part that goes from the front to over your ear), those two bars on each side are the springs for that particular design. This helps keep the frame from getting out of shape as quickly, particularly important for someone who maybe putting them on and off frequently (or perching them on top of their head).
They're a pretty good choice - and a Luxottica brand, as someone else pointed out earlier in the thread, Luxottica is pretty "ever-present" so it hopefully would be pretty easy to find an optician with them in stock so you can try them on.
I actually have the same Persol shape as sunglasses and totally love them...that's why i wanna have the same model for prescription...i think the only concern is the lenses not the frame
You asked earlier about whether you should see an optician for your vision exam or go to a doctor - The answer is "it depends."
Can I be a bit bold and ask how old you are, around about? Main thing is whether you are over 40 or under?
If you are under 40 and have never needed corrective eyewear before, (and have no history of diabetes, heart disease, blood pressure problems, or glaucoma, either for yourself or in your family) it is fine to visit an optician. The opticians here are very well trained and if anything is amiss, they'll recommend an opthalmologist for you.
If you are over 40 (or have any of the other situations mentioned), you really should see an opthalmologist, to establish a relationship and "healthy look" for your eyes. I'm unsure how it works here, in the US, some opthalmologists will have optometrists on staff to provide the actual vision exam, some will refer you out to an optometrist - here it would be an optician rather than optometrist.
Alright, here's my experience, I went to Visilab this morning, had no problem in sight, just eyes being exhausted from so much computer usage and reading, were advised to have protective glasses with +0.75 & +0.50 when working / reading.....Total paid 516 CHF including examination (40 CHF), lenses (149 CHF each, Anti reflective / 1.6) and frame (Tedd Baker was 300 CHF had 50% discount)...all in all i took 90 min and life looks much clearer and feels much better
i have the same strength lenses...... I got 2 pairs of designer quicksilver and timberland frames in titanium with sprung arms, 1mm thick lenses, anti fog and anti reflective coating, 2 hard cases and postage to switzerland - i paid £160 / 230chf total cost.