Review: Zenni Optical
When my oldest turned 7, I took him in for his well-child visit. One of the things the visit includes is a vision screening. The nurse did the screening and then came to get the doctor. The doctor did the screening and then came back in the room to ask me if my son knew his letters. I assured him that he did, and he went back out to do the screening the third time.
Yes, we were at the eye doctor the next day and found out that he most definitely needed glasses. We looked at the variety of frames, tried them on, and finally chose a pair that looked cute and was also fairly inexpensive. Frames and lenses cost just under $200.00.
3 weeks later? The frames were bent and we purchased new frames and kept the same lenses. And I started to look for different options for prescription glasses!
I stumbled across Zenni Optical and couldn’t quite believe what I saw. Frames AND lenses starting at $8!! Flat shipping of $4.95! I was a bit incredulous, but willing to give them a try.
I went through the large variety of frames and chose 2 pair for my son. The total bill was less than $40 for 2 new pair of eyeglasses. We waited 2 weeks and they arrived in hard plastic cases, with a cleaning cloth. The quality was great, the fit was perfect, and the price couldn’t be beat!
Since then, I’ve ordered more glasses for my son (his prescription changed), prescription sunglasses for me, glasses for me and glasses for my husband. We’ve all been happy with the results. One pair I ordered I didn’t like the way they fit — but they were an $8 pair and they are fine to keep as a spare near my bed. (I can’t see much farther than my nose without glasses!)
The trickiest part about ordering is knowing your PD (pupillary distance.) They give you directions on how to measure your own, but I have learned to ask the eye doctor to write that number down for me on my copy of the prescription.
The only other drawback is not being able to try them on before purchase. It helps if you have frames that you like already, so you can measure them and try to find similar frames on the site.
Their shipping times have gotten a little bit longer recently, so while the site still gives a 2 week window for shipping, the last 2 orders I placed took twice that time.
If you wear bi-focals, you can get your prescription filled through Zenni as well. My dad orders his b-focals from there and has been pleased.
If you’re in need of glasses, I truly recommend you check out Zenni Optical!
Melanie Rogers is a wife and homeschooling mom of 3 children. She enjoys helping other busy moms find great products to delight their families and make their lives easier. She's always on the lookout for a great bargain, too! You can also find Melanie blogging frequently at My Little Patch of Sunshine.
If I told you that you could get glasses for $30 a pair, you would think that was an incredible deal. But would you believe me if I told you that you could actually get glasses for $8 a pair? You can! I saw some great reviews on this site from other great bloggers HERE and HERE, and decided that I needed to give this company a try. I’ve had glasses since I was eight, and it has always been a financial burden. My eyes have a very high prescription and glasses have always cost me more than $200 because of the special lenses that I need.
I thought there was no way I would get them cheap, but I did. My glasses cost me under $40, and that is only because I had to get special lenses. Now if your eyes aren’t as bad as mine, then you can get your glasses for only $8. But even if you do have bad eyes, you can still pay a fraction of what you would pay by going to the eye doctor.
I received my glasses a few days before we moved and have been very happy. They are just like the glasses in the doctor’s office. If you think you will be getting some cheap spin-off, you’re wrong. They are great quality, and I easily would have spent over $200 to get these lenses and frames at the eye doctor.
You do need to know your prescription to order, and you also need to know what looks good on you. That’s the big drawback: you can’t try them before you buy them. Another drawback is that you don’t have someone to adjust them on your face. You will have to do any and all adjusting if the frames don’t exactly work right on your face. But for $8, who can really complain?
If you have ordered glasses from Zenni Optical, I would love to hear your feedback. This is such an easy and awesome way to save some money!
Hey… this is weird timing! Guess what happened to us this morning? MY 7 yr old son’s glasses broke! Thanks for the tip!