Eye Doctors & Glasses

Peregrine

Everybody keeps telling me wait tell you get to India everything is so much cheaper. So I was wondering would I be better off getting my eyes checked & get new glasses here in the U.S. or should I wait until we get to Hyderabad?

Thanks Peregrine

wonderwomanusa

There are several threads about buying glasses in India, so you might begin by searching for "eyeglasses."

I confess, I've never seen glasses at an Indian optometrist that I wanted to wear, but I always look for them -- and I always carry the prescription from my local eye doctor, just in case.

sannna

Have a look here: Buying Eyes Glasses in India, in India Travel/ India Travel Basics/ Health and Well Being.

My advice: take a prescription from home from an optician you trust and bring it to India to buy the glasses and frame here.

If you don't have the presciption: no worries. Find good optician and let him do it for you. I have bought glasses here a couple of weeks back and am very happy with them. I had my prescription made here (-7 and -8). I am using my glasses ful time now - though at home I only wear contacts. If I want to switch permanently I will have to make a new prescription in half a year or so, by that time my eyes will have changed due to not wearing contacts anymore. For now the glasses I have work perfect. And I can see clear both with my contacts and with my glasses.

Peregrine

Thank you that is what I will do. I have an appointment for tomorrow with an eye doctor.

Peregrine

zoltan

There are two options available:
1) get everything made up in India. Friends have had this done and have saved huge $$$ and been very happy with the results.

2) (not sure if this is feasible) get your frames in India & take them back home & get lenses put into them. Good quality frames will set me back around AU$20. The same ones here are retailing for close to AU$100.

When I go on holiday to India, I get 3-4 pairs of polycarbonate photo-chromatic sunglasses made up for a fraction of the price that they cost here. One optometrist here (Oz), quoted me AU$300 for just the lenses. I got some fashionable frames + lenses made up for AU$30.

I read a newspaper article a few months ago about frames in the West. According to the article, some frames have a 1000% markup on the cost price. This is where many optometrists make their money - it seems that the lenses themselves are minimal cost.

Cheers
Zoltan

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Nick-H

The lenses are much cheaper here, although the glass may very well be the same international brands.

The main reason that stuff is cheaper here is the difference in labour costs, so the wholesale material cost may be the same, but the end price of the finished lens is cheaper.

I noted a saving of 25%, by the way on some fancy Italian-made titanium hingless frames, doing a comparison with a London shop last year.

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dcamrass1

Have had about 5-6 pairs of glasses made on different times..Delhi,Varanasi Rishkesh Saved a lot of money and in some respect pays of for part of the cost of stay Last lot were from factory in Goa –A factory of Corning from U.S.A - SunSensors and they are very good

Nick-H

That's interesting.

It had not occurred to me that some of these international brands might have factories here!

Ali-Monbeam

We got four pairs and contacts there and were very impressed by the service we got and price. Full eye test ect. Bifocals and sunnys too.

Peregrine

Thank you to everybody. I am canceling my appointment and waiting until I get to India.

Thanks Again
Peregrine