Speaking of Lenses and glasses

It's about time for me to replace my current eyeglasses and I'm overdue again for going to the eye doctor for my exam (which should be no surprise to my readers...)

You can my wife Cindy how tough I am on glasses. I've managed to scratch, sit-on, crush, break off ear-pieces, etc... a number of expensive pairs of glasses. Now that I'm getting older and have to have bi-focals this is getting to be an even more costly investment.

Eric Hammer writes a great article in the Examiner about an alternative to high-cost eyeglasses. His article "Cheap eyeglasses are a reality. Check out Eric's review of Zenni Optical" describes his experiences with Zenni Optical over the last 8 years. He has made several purchases of eyeglasses from them.

The author notes that:

Before we go any further, a disclaimer: this author has exactly zero relationship with Zenni optical other than being a satisfied customer. No money has been paid to him or Examiner.com for reviewing Zenni Optical and no goods were offered, nor was this review requested or in any way initiated by Zenni Optical or Examiner.com

He continues on to say:

The way Zenni is able to offer their eyeglasses for so cheap is that they are manufactured overseas at a lab in China (though the quality is just as good as anything bought here) and that points up the biggest drawback with Zenni optical. They take a few weeks to send you your glasses, so if you simply must have them in an hour or two, you'll need to use someone local.

He also admits that they don't offer designer frames and do not have "on-site" exams available, but for the cost it is great.

With my insurance plan from work, I get a pair of glasses, the exam, and lens covered every two years. I'm thinking about using Zenni to purchase one or maybe two pairs of "back-up" glasses or even a pair of sunglasses. For the cost (and with the low shipping cost) it would definately be worth it as insurance.

This sounds like a deal that makes sense (or is that cents) in my case.