Eye glasses are a textbook example of something that should not be sold under "insurance".

Enough people lack the financial literacy to understand the difference between risk and recurring costs.

Unfortunately, nobody wants to change this because insurers love charging premium rates for low risk recurring costs, providers love obscuring their prices, and consumers have come to demand their insurance covers “the basics”.

>(so you don't need high-index lens) Can you elaborate on this a bit? I've been thinking about getting my next pair or glasses from Zenni but I need high index lenses.

You can get decent high index lenses from them for $60, and they have $10 frames.

I actually got a pair of prescription tinted (as in sunglass tint) aviator high-index frames w/ lenses for about $110.

There was a site, myopticalshop.com that could do high-index rimless for $150, I haven’t checked in awhile, though.

[edit]

So, the rimless frames are $50 and 1.74 index lenses are an additional $129.

They have various high-index lens options, but they cost more, so it won't be $10.

Zenni is ok but adding a simple thing like polarization can double the cost.

Maybe you didn't realize how much more polarized lenses cost to make previously because the price was so inflated.

Polarized lenses run over $30 with zenni, that is more than many frames on the site.

You can get polarized glasses from Amazon for $20.

Zenni gets you in the door with a low base price then slams you with the add ons.

Because polarized lenses cost more to make. Which means Zinni has to pay more. Also, depending on the Rx and frame combination, they can be a little more complicated to manufacture as well.

If you have a reasonable Rx, Zinni are likely using finished lenses. Polarized have to been surfaced in the lab.

Also, in my experience Zenni doesn't necessarily make the polarized lenses to adequate tolerances. I ordered a pair of aviators with polarized lenses and there were such severe pressure points around the rim that it distorted the polarization across almost the entire surface of the lenses. It made the polarization coating basically worthless, and I had to return them to order a non-polarized pair for half the price.

Yes. If the lenses are too large (circumference) too much pressure will be placed on the lenses and they’ll do just as you describe. Certain materials (polycarbonate) will actually crack in the same situation.

Still way cheaper than even getting a non-polarized from like Warby.