On a daily basis our opticians at Shepherd Eye Center are asked about the benefits and advantages of choosing our optical shops for purchasing their eye glasses . Many patients cite perceived lower prices they’ve found at other chain optical stores, or discount department stores as a reason to shop elsewhere. While at first glance the price may seem attractive, one can’t deny the old adage that “you get what you pay for.”
At Shepherd Eye Center we describe our services as “beginning where other franchises’ services end.” We believe that the quality of the eye glasses we are able to provide is above that which you receive from the chain stores. The quality that we refer to is that of the lens itself, as well as any additional coatings that are added to the lenses.
When a patient is prescribed glasses, the doctor will not only provide the actual prescription (or refraction), but will also recommend a number of other “add-ons” for your eye glasses. Those include but are not limited to: anti-reflective coating, scratch-resistant coating, UV protection and high index plastic. While not “medically necessary”, these comfort items are designed to provide the best vision while wearing eye glasses.
When eye glasses are purchased from a shop promising “glasses in one hour”, the product you are receiving is a pre-cut standard ground lens. When purchased at a privately-owned ophthalmology practice, each lens can be custom-built (often at an offsite lab) to the patient’s specific needs. Optical labs are each very different. Whether it’s in the patents/techniques, or the quality of the product used to make the eye glasses, these variables can affect the overall quality of the pair of eye glasses you receive. Therefore, it makes sense that cheaper, less researched/tested products are obviously not going to be as good as those that have met certain quality benchmarks.
One lens type that illustrates the dramatic quality difference between such eye glass labs are progressive lenses. Progressive lenses are lenses that have a gradient of increasing lens power. In a lab of superior quality there will be an increased level of clarity, and better peripheral vision. With a lab of lesser quality you will notice certain “sweet spots” of clarity in a progressive lens, as well as very pronounced peripheral vision.
One part of the eye glass buying process where patients see a discrepancy in price is with the eye glass frame. One optician with Shepherd Eye Center, who has worked as an optician for over 10 years points out that while the price of frames may seem low at the chain stores, they are known for up charging for the additional options such as the anti-reflective or scratch coating.
We understand that there are many options for where you choose to fill your eye glass prescription. We hope that you would know that we have worked tirelessly with our lab partner to ensure the best quality product for you, as well as providing you the convenience of ordering within any of our Las Vegas and Henderson practice locations.
