There is a dramatic difference in the clarity of vision you can achieve with lenses depending upon the quality of the materials and the lab making the lenses. There is also a large difference in the quality of lens coatings available. So what do you do? It's hard for a consumer to decide what will be best.

We are a private doctor's office. We sell top quality products that utilize cutting edge technology from manufacturers that have a proven track record of durability and function. There are many labs out there-and we've tried several of themÑthat can get us lenses at a very low price. But we have found that for glasses we get what we pay for and cheaper always equals less quality. Sometimes, the big box stores will tell you they are selling the exact same lens as we sell, but when they are evaluated there are many key differences. This is especially true for people that want scratch resistant lenses or for those ordering progressive (no-line multifocal) lenses.

We have called several big box stores and asked for a lens that we sell that uses the latest in technology. At one such store, the sales person told us they had that exact same lens for 80% less than we were selling it for. They even said that lens was available in glass..but that lens is not, and never was, made in glass. So, we asked them who the manufacturer was and they couldn't tell us even though it was the biggest manufacturer in the country. The point is-yes, you can buy glasses that are cheaper but you really don't know what you are getting and therefore don't know what the quality will be either. They will sell you a cheap pair of progressive lenses with a 20 year old design (you can check the patent dates on their products) and say it is a top quality pair of progressives. We could sell the same pair of glasses for the same price as the big box stores.

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