In France, this industry is nothing short of fascinating, it's just an enormous bubble, almost entirely financed by the public sector, it's a market that is so broken it's almost hilarious. You basically have the glass covered by the government, as well as very basic frames, that you will typically not consider, since your company insurance policy probably comes with a plan covering frames.
As a customer, you don't really care, its mostly free for you of course, or worst case scenario you will have to do the deductible. When you go to a store with your prescription, they don't even bother talking about the cost side of things, all they want to know is what insurance you have. In a way it has a few similarities with the US health care system, prices are ridiculously high, often very opaque, sort of like in a legal mafia. In addition to this, the few people who have cornered this business have made sure it's hard to buy contacts or vision glasses in the next country. To give you an idea, just the glasses typically cost something like 200, except per glass, and as you know you will need two. They also have no problem charging you all kinds of useless options you don't need, the classic for example, consists in automatically adding the anti glare coding option by default if the client is an older person.
All true. Also, since the glasses are better covered than the frames, vendors routinely offer to move the cost for the frames onto the glasses, so for example if you want a frame that costs €300 (!) but your insurance covers up to €200 for frames then they will charge €200 for the frame and an extra €50 for each glass.
This is completely illegal but every shop does it (suggests it without prompting from customers).
It's all insane but there seems no way to stop it.
Many online shops have started to appear but they too charge a lot (all reimbursed by public/private insurance). There doesn't seem to be really cheap options.
Oh dear. That sounds sickening. (I'm due for a new pair of glasses and I'm in Western Europe).
Recently, I happened to visit a store to look for a new pair of frames (& glasses). The frames were so insanely expensive I had to ask the guy: "Why are they so expensive?". The guy's short reply was: "It's the brand". When I pressed further to explain, he couldn't say anything meaningful.
Moreover, the quality of these "branded" glasses from my tactile inspection felt subpar (as in, I was wondering: "will they even last a couple of years?").
/me is still on the look out for a reliable way to find something reasonable without shelling out an arm and a leg. (Don't mind paying for good quality.)
If you find a model number that you like, do a web search for "modo model_no" to find out the exact size and normal price. Make sure the size is close enough to a frame that you have tried and found to be a good fit.
If you have a strong prescription, you'll want a frame with a narrower lens width, otherwise the edges of the lens will be thick, even with hi-index materials.
Eastern European countries were too poor in the 1990s and early 2000s for contact lenses to really catch on like they apparently did in the USA during that time. You could only order contact lenses from a handful of opticians, and contact lens solution was only sold in a few places in the biggest cities. Only a small wealthy demographic bought them.
People have more money now of course, but the impression remains that contact lens are a luxury, not a necessity. Plus, the big rise in salaries in my city happened precisely at a time when spectacles were suddenly in fashion. Distribution of the lenses and lens cleaning products remains poor, and if you need a prescription for astigmatism, you can expect to wait 1–2 months for the special order.
Might have to do with what public health care covers?
In Germany, they used to cover glasses till 2003, tho you still had to pay for the frame yourself. They also covered contacts but only in special cases, so getting those on prescription was quite a bit more of a hassle.
2003 has been a while ago, but I have no doubt that plenty of people still have their prescription glasses from back then around, I do.
It's got either something to do with that or there's some societal difference which allows American people more easily to touch their eyes because that's usually one of the main reason people don't wear contacts, at least from my anecdotal experience.
Orrr among people who wear vision correction, the US population has a higher median income that can afford contact lenses.
Without condemning anyone, the US has a very stratified class system. Those lower on the socio-economic ladder may not invest in vision care, which is a more complicated and expensive proposition in the US than it is in Europe. Among those that do, the US population probably has more disposable income than their European counterparts.
I love Europe, but saying that Americans hate nerds and Europeans are intellectual is just lazy. Many European policies, especially in terms of monetary policy and immigration policy, are not what I would call thoughtful or logical.
> Yeah, America is stridently anti-intellectual, and glasses make you look like a nerd.
Which reminds me how Woody Allen once said, when asked why he was so beloved and respected in Europe, that apparently they might think he is an intellectual, since he's wearing glasses :)
