Medical advice thread: where can I get a cheap eye exam?

[JVS]

I need new glasses, but the prices are a bit steep at the optometrists I'm browsing. Do student health services generally offer eye exams? Is there some kind of equivalent of going to a dental school? Any tips?

[tjwmason]

1. How much do they cost?

Over here they're normally about £20 - though I get mine paid for under the contact lens scheme I'm on.

[JVS]

2. The problem is essentially this. Most places will do them for free...

but you have to buy their glasses. The cheapest place will get me glasses for $120, but then I have to go with the cheapest kinds of frames most of which look really horrible (I have very conservative taste in frames and am looking for something like this

I got 2 pairs (one was perscription sunglasses) that looked just like this in 2001 for a total of $70 bucks which included the test, and I could order those very ones online with lenses for about $110 but the cheap frames where I'm going look either totally freakish or like women's frames, for example

or


So I looked around seeing if I could find something better, but better frames pushed it up to $200 dollars. I went to another optometrists and found out that even their cheapest frames will start me out at $200 for a pair of glasses. So I went over to Wal-mart, figuring that if someone can specialize in slinging out cheap and bland products to the masses it would be them. But even the cheapest glasses there will cost a total of about $200. So I've decided that I really just need to find a cheap eye exam and take care of frames myself

[ET Awful]

3. Try Costco if you can.

They're pretty reasonable.

[JVS]

4. There isn't one nearby. And I think they'll give me the same, "buy our...

shit" routine

[ET Awful]

5. Nah, Costco isn't really like that. Very low key, low pressure.

Personally, I have a local optometrist I use (well they used to be local until I moved, now I have to drive 30 minutes or so to get there). Even though I have the crappiest Blue Cross program available, they do cover one eye exam per year (but not the accompanying contact lense exam which I have to pay for out of pocket).

[Kiteflyer]

6. Self exam

Hold one hand over one eye and try to read the newspaper. Do the same for the other eye. If you can't see anything, put on a dark pair of sunglasses and get a white cane (a cheap one, of course, at the Salvation Army or Goodwill).

[JVS]

7. How is that going to measure to correct my astigmatism?

[Kiteflyer]

10. Try eating a lot of carrots

At least two serving a day. Some raw and some cooked. I'm no eye doctor, but I've heard rumors that this may help. Take my advise for what it is worth. It's free of charge.

[bleedingheart]

8. Have you thought about buying the frames yourself and then

going in for your new lenses only????

I know that my husband has had his favorite frames refitted with new lenses at times.

[JVS]

9. I have a site lined up that'll do frames and glasses...

but I need to give them a perscription. Since my last perscription was done 5 years ago, I figure it's time for an update. I'm ordering from these guys http://www.framesdirect.com/framesfp/A_&_A_Optical-sjmcp/r.html

[bleedingheart]

11. sorry too early in the morning for me to read properly...

Pitt has an optometry school don't they?

call them... hell I remember being dragged to the dental school for a possible free set of braces as a kid..

also.. I don't know where you live but sometimes you can find a cheaper eye exam at a folksy eye doctor office over one of the more expensive places.

I live near Irwin..you might want to give my doc a call...

I will pm you...

[JVS]

13. I'm at the University of Illinois. I graduated from Pitt.

[bleedingheart]

15. sorry...couldn't tell from the profile...

figured with the steeler symbol you might be local...

check your school...they should be able to do it cheaper than most...

[JVS]

16. I think the grad student union has a plan, but since I'm on fellowship...

I might not be eligible.

As far as student health, their webpage looks like they assume that our only health needs are related to our psyche or our genitals.

[eyesroll]

12. Stein Optical offers $29 exams, and you don't have to get the glasses

there. (You sometimes have to download a coupon.)

[JVS]

14. Hmmm, a bit of a trip!

[bridgit]

17. the DMV...

:shrug:

[JVS]

18. That's a pass fail type of test, not good enough

[bridgit]

20. i know, i'm just being a smart-ass when i shouldn't, hubby needs...

his prescription updated and we're looking around too, if we see any i'll pass'em along B-)

[LostinVA]

19. Lenscrafters

If you don't want their glasses, just go somewhere else. However, if they're having a sale, you can get decent glasses for not much if you get the low-end frames.

Don't go too cheap on the exam -- a good exam can catch early signs of diabetes, cancer, etc.