Open thread – getting frames
There’s been a few questions posted at the Little Four Eyes facebook group about where to go to get glasses, especially when local stores don’t have a good (or any) selection of very small frames. So where did everyone get their child’s glasses? Independent optical shop? Chain optical shop? A big retailer like Wal-Mart or Target? Did anyone have a shop order frames special for their child? Anyone order frames online and bring them to a shop?
Categories: babies with glasses, glasses, kids with glasses, toddlers with glasses
After looking and calling around to I don’t know how many different shops (with no luck), we ended up going to Wal-Mart, which I have been very pleased with. I opted just for the cheapest pair I could find. I figured chances were good that they’d need to be replaced frequently and I didn’t want to stomach forking out hundreds of dollars repeatedly. We have LOVED his little frames!!! And since they have a year warrantee against breakage for any reason, our $10 has already gone a REALLY long way!
I ended up getting my sons glasses at an independent optical shop that was in the same building as the PO. He was only 4 months at the time and the PO said to go there because they have more options and are specialized in fitting infants. We have been happy with them. They were expensive but under warranty…which we ended up using once. When his prescription changes we go to Wal-Mart for the lenses. They also have a warranty for scratch resistance as long as the prescription is the same. I have tried the glasses in Wal-Mart on my son who is now 18 months but they are way to small. He still needs cable arms and the selection is limited to 4 pairs of glasses.
Zoe’s are from an independent optical shop, they’re expensive, but they specialize in children’s frames, so the selection is amazing, and they are extremely good with babies and young kids (they have a large aquarium and a play area and Zoe gets stickers whenever we come in for adjustments). I don’t know if we’ll stay with them as Zoe grows into larger frames since we can then go other (less expensive) places with a decent selection.
Skylyr’s glasses are from the optical shop located at his eye doctor’s office. They came with a two year warranty and have been very durable, the price was decent, a little higher then I thought they would be but not outrageous. He has had them for a year and a half and no major breakages. The lenses also came with a warranty. There was not a large selection … this was pretty much the only choice for a boy frame but they look nice.
We go to a local optical shop. Since we are in a rural community there we do not have a lot of options. However, this store has several frame choices & an amazing warranty – so we always go there now.
We go to WalMart Optical too to get Emma’s glasses. They have a nice replacement program and a decent selection of frames. Their prices are reasonable too. I also liked the idea of later hours during the week and hours on the weekend – you never know when you will need glasses repaired!
Good point about evening and weekend hours. We’ve had to stop at Costco occasionally for adjustments when our regular shop is closed. We always tell them the glasses came from elsewhere, and they’re happy to help.
We got Julia’s first prescription filled at American’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses. They’ve a special category for children’s glasses: buy one get one free. So for $85.00 we got two pair of glasses, and a free replacement for each. So basically 4 pair. Since she’s only two, we chose the frames that wrap around her ear, and we are very pleased.
I order from Zenni Optical online for my 2 year old and my husband. They are really in expensive, have a decent selection of frames and replacement frames are 1/2 off. My daughter’s last pair of frames and lenses were $12. I was really leery about ordering online, but while we were at the Dr. I had them check the prescription, and they were right on. I have had them check 3 pair for her now and they have all been correct. Our eye clinic makes the necessary adjustments free of charge for us.
We ended up looking at many specialty shops around the Minneapolis area – but to echo the previous posters, I am NOT forking out hundreds of dollars just for the frame. I went to Walmart and while they didn’t have the largest selection, we found a cute and sturdy pair of pink Dora frames with wraparound earpieces. They work just fine, and the whole sha-bang (frames + prescription) was $70.
When my daughter gets tired, she RIPS them off any way she can, and these have stood up to that very well.
We are in Portland Oregon. I had no idea of even where to BEGIN when we found out my son needed glasses at age 2. I ordered the first pair through our insurance, which had no real selection and no one willing or able to fit him in them. They lasted less than 2 weeks. We then ended up at the Casey Eye Institute, which had entire walls dedicated to the infant and toddler glasses, including MiraFlex. They were WONDERFUL to work with and made sure that the MiraFlex pair we bought fitted him and he could see.
He is a +7 in both eyes so it was quite expensive, the frames were about $125, but worth it since they should last him about a year or so. He LOVES the bright green color and couldn’t wait to put them on. We know we will need new lenses every few months so that’s an expense we’ll just have to deal with.
I highly recommend asking at your local children’s hospital, if they do not have an optical department then they will know who does!
The Randy Kazandy designer line will be out in about 6 months for babies to adults. Lead free and the price will be reasonable but high quality and beautiful. We will all become Randy Kazandy Fans! Get ready to order your Randy Kazandy’s! Most important they are lead free, durable and will be classy.