Eye exam / glasses without ins coverage - recommendations?

My daughters insurance doesnt cover her eye exams or glasses.  She's lost her glasses but is overdue for an exam anyway. Any suggestions on finding better pricing on either exam, glasses or both?

I've used Sears Optical and had good results. They often run specials. If you don't pick out designer frames, the cost is very reasonable. Look for optical places at the mall too. Many of the optical chains have good deals.

Thanks Moon! I just was noticing the non chain exams were running closer to $100 and the optomitrists connected to some chains at about $65. 

I used to go to For Eyes Optical when I didn't have insurance. I got good care and very inexpensive frames and contacts. See if they are in your area.

I had a friend who got his prescription from his optometrist and then he went and ordered his glasses on-line.  He thought it was much cheaper to do that way. 

There are really inexpensive ways to do that, you just have to have a really good idea of what you want

I've been to America's Best before. It's ok but I've been to better places and won't go back to AB. I know you're not getting contacts but I found it weird when they wanted me to remove my lenses and put them back in later but couldn't offer me a place to wash my hands. Red flag for me!

As far as prices go, I've never had insurance to cover eye stuff but they do have that two pairs of glasses for like $59 or something. Of course, you gotta add the prescription lenses and exam and it inflates the price to about $300. Heck, some frames cost that much alone.

Good luck. Maybe it will help to ask for a discount since you don't have insurance and then offer to pay cash.

Eat carrots

Dunno if you have a Costco, but the doctor out here charges $49 for an exam, and it's a very good and thorough exam.

Their glasses start around the 50-60$ range, with lens and frames included.

We went through Lenscrafter's last time we got glasses and spent six months paying them off on our minimum wage jobs.  After some internet searching we found Zenni Optical, where you can get your glasses for eight to thirty dollars depending on the frames you pick.  WalMart eye exams are a lot cheaper than my optometrist and Lenscrafter's optometrists, so when my prescription is ready for renewal, I'll be heading there and ordering my glasses from the internet.  The only downside is you can't try them on to test out the frames, but if you check out the frames wherever you get your prescription updated and find similar styles online, I'm thinking it won't be that horrible.

Hour Eyes, Doctor's Eye's, Lenscrafter's, Walmart -- been to all of them -- all about the same 50-70 for the exam, usually 2 pair of the cheap lenses w/no upgrades run about $99.  But you can get exams in one place and buy the glasses elsewhere. 

I recommend not going for the actual "glasses in an hour" -- sometimes the techs get a little  ambitious about finishing early, and the prescriptions are not always spot on.

Thanks everybody, much info to pursue.  Things are squeaky tight right now so willing to check all this info for our best option.

BUY THE GLASSES ONLINE!!! Sorry for the emphasis, but I feel like I have to tell everyone about this. I have a rather strong prescription and an astigmatism in one eye. When I bought my glasses in traditional places, even discount places, it was always around $300.  Now I normally buy them at a place called Zenni Optical,  www.zennioptical.com, and it is less than fifty dollars for the nice frames and even less for perfectly great frames with prescription lenses (I last bought a pair for a total of $21 and get compliments all the time).

The best way to buy online is to look at the measurements of glasses that you have and that look good on you. I have a wide face so the narrower and taller styles do not look good on me. I went to a Walmart and wrote down the dimensions on ones that looked good on me. You could also try on reading glasses at a drug store to see what dimensions look good. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask since I am really a huge fan of this immense cost saving route.

Try Target!  They do exams for $65-$85 and they have a wide assortment of glasses.  That's where I got mine & I love them!