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Last time I was at Costco I noticed they have a small vision section. As I'm a big fan of Costco, and I'm in need of finding a cheap pair of glasses, I decided to check out their services.

They told me they charge $49 for an eye exam, but this exam does not cover a contact lens exam. I didn't ask if the eye exam includes dilation.

They had frames that ranged in price from around $40 up to $140. Most frames seemed to be in the $60-70 range.

Pricing out for single vision lenses (not bi-focals), they do offer plastic for around $50. I didn't ask if that includes any special coatings, but I'm thinking it may.

He also said that they sell the polycarbonate lenses with all options, including UV coating, scratch resistent coating, and anti-reflecting coatings for $74. By comparison, the cost of the polycarbonate lens with anti-reflective coating at Lenscrafters is over $300. Of course, with Costco, you have to wait until your glasses are made; wherease, with Lenscrafters, your lenses are made right then and are typically done within an hour.

I didn't ask about their other lens options, such as high index lenses.

If you have any comments or opinions on Costco's vision department, I'd be interested to hear it by posting in this forum.

I'm almost due for my annual eye exam and I'm wondering if the eye doctors at Costco are as good as a private optician? I would think someone in private practice would probably be better than someone working for a big corporation. Also, can you then take your prescription and buy your glasses somewhere online to save money?

What do you think the quality difference is between Costco, a private optician, and online stores like Zenni for the lenses and frames are?

Looking4glasses,

I decided to make another post to clarify the difference between optician and optometrist (and ophthalmologist) as you used the word optician meaning eye doctor, but you seemed to mean optometrist (a basic eye doctor). When you go to a place like Costco or Lenscrafters, you'll see an optometrist to test your eyes.

All places that I'm aware of use licensed optometrists, which means that whether you go to a place like Costco or Lenscrafters, you'll see someone with the same level of training and licensing as someone in private practice. Some people believe that you get a more personal experience when you go to a private practicioner. Other people feel that there is a conflict of interest in that private practice optometrists almost always make money off of the glasses and frames that they sell. At a place like Costco, the optometrist doesn't make any extra money whether you buy your glasses there or not, so if they make a recommendation for a specific type of lens, they probably aren't just trying to sell you the product with which they make the most profit. Having said that, though, I do have to say that when I went to Lenscrafters last year, the optometrist was strongly recommending the anti-reflective lenses - saying that some of my blurry vision could have been from eye fatigue. While there does seem to be some basis for her recommendation, it did seem like she was maybe trying to get me to buy something that may not make much of a difference. I'm still not convinced I benefit from anti-reflective lenses as I don't have a strong enough prescription to create much glare. That's a separate issue though.

At Costco, they seem to have a decent quality lens with most of the options you'll want, including a decent quality anti-reflective coating for a good price. If you want one of the top of the line lens treatments like Crizal Avance or Zeiss Purecoat , I think you'd have to go to one of the private optometrists and check to see if they actually offer the desired lens treatments before you go. The superior features of these lenses seem to be increased coatings that will resist oils and and dirt with lenses that clean more easily, while also being very durable and scratch resistant. From what I can tell, the lenses at Costco are going to be very good quality but I haven't been able to find anything specific. Going to a private practitioner would give you an option for one of these extra high quality lens treatments, but it will also likely cost you significantly more than the very good lenses at Costco. There was a nice discussion on this topic last year with someone who wound up buying the Crizal Avance. The lens was about $250 vs a very good but not top of the line lens from Costco for $74.

I'm actually going to be due for my annual eye exam in August and I'm trying to decide which way to go myself. I got super cheap glasses online from Zenni Optical last year and they have served me very well. However, my insurance will pay for a new pair of glasses this year so I'm actually deciding between Costco and getting something like Crizal Avance. I'm leaning towards going the Costco route as I don't know that I'll appreciate the difference. If I ever need a spare pair for which insurance won't pay, I'll wind up ordering through Zenni again, unless another place comes along that seems as good.

If you have more questions, feel free to ask.

Here is my eye exam review and some info about the eyeglasses. I'll post a full review of the eyeglasses once I receive them.

I called Costco to set up an eye exam. There is one optometrist who has an office within the Costco, but she is considered as independent from Costco. There were no appointments available the same day, so I made the appointment for later in the week. This was in contrast to Lenscrafters where I've always been able to get an eye exam the same day I've called.

I showed up to Costco a few minutes before my appointment and I noticed there is a sign saying they accept walk-ins if the time is available. I don't know if they are able to "squeeze" people in if they show up and want an appointment. My appointment did go fairly fast, so I can see it as possible.

I had checked in advance about my insurance (through EyeMed) and Costco. Costco does NOT accept insurance. What they do is give you a receipt that you can then submit to your own insurance. As Costco is "Out of Network", the coverage is up to $30 for an eye exam, up to $70 for frames, and up to $50 for single vision lenses. While the amount covered in network when I went to Lenscrafters was much more ($10 copay for eye exam, $10 copay for lenses up to $175 and $10 copay for standard single vision lenses (not including extra treatments), because Costco's prices were so much lower, I still am able to get good glasses for much less money. More on that later.

I knew the eye exam would cost $49 (it's a little more for a contact lens exam) and it would be an additional $20 if she recommended pupil dilation.

The optometrist had an assistant who handled the scheduling, payments, and the initial eye exam. The assistant was very nice and she initially had me start by looking at a standard eye chart across the room - first with both eyes, then covering each eye one at a time. She then had me read a card she held close up - again first with both eyes, then covering one eye at a time. She had me repeat both the wall chart and the close up chart without my eyeglasses - with both eyes and each eye separately.

After finishing that, she had me put on 3D glasses and she showed me pictures in a book where I had to say what 3D shape I saw. After taking off the 3D glasses, she showed me a book with circles filled with different colored dots that make up various numbers.

After finishing that, she had me sit down at the machines. I looked into the first machine where there is a picture of a little house on a grassy lawn. The picture then goes in and out of focus. The same test was done when I was at Lenscrafters - I believe it is to try to estimate your eyeglass prescription. Next there was the machine that blows air into your eye - putting one eye in front of the light at a time, to get a puff of air. The air puff test is to test for glaucoma.

Once I finished those tests, I went in to see the eye doctor. Since I had never had an eye exam with her before, she first took my glasses and used a machine to measure the prescription. She said my glasses looked like they were still in very good shape (these were the glasses I had purchased at Zenni Optical almost exactly a year ago). She asked a few questions and if I had any particular problems. Shen then had me sit in front of the machine with all of the lenses and she had me try reading different rows of letters / numbers. Shen then asked a few times to compare different settings ("which is better - one or two?"). All of the options she chose looked almost the same to me. She also looked into my eyes with her hand held light/lens. She didn't suggest dilation or peripheral field testing. She said that my prescription hasn't changed at all and that I don't need to get new eyeglasses at this time. She did say I am almost to the point of needing bifocals, but not yet. She said she would guess I will need them in a few years, but that was just her guess. I told her my insurance will cover a new pair and she recommended I get a pair of prescription sunglasses, but I told her that I don't wear sunglasses. I asked her about Transitions / photochromic lenses and she said she was actually wearing a pair and that they may be a good option for me. She said they don't get as dark as dedicated sunglasses but will be better for me as I don't wear sunglasses at all (even though I have the clip-on sunglasses from Zenni - I just don't ever use them).

As I wanted to check out the quality of Costco's eyeglasses and since my insurance will cover a pair, I figured I would get a pair and I can always keep them as a spare. The eyeglasses and lenses are sold by Costco - not a separate entity like the optometrist. They had two sections of men's frames - one section which was for narrower glasses and one section for wider glasses. The narrower glasses are what fit me. While there were many different frames in the one section, many of them are similar styles by different companies. It wasn't a huge selection by any means. I found a frame that I liked - which was similar to my current pair - and the frame was $75. They had frames starting at around $39 up to just over $100. Most were around the $50 price.

I then took the frames I liked to the counter and she had me sit down and she measured my pupillary distance. She used a little machine that looks kind of like binoculars. The pupil distance she measured was 1mm smaller than the number I came up with when I measured my own last year. I'd say I was pretty darn close measuring it myself last year for my Zenni order. She then said that they had a few options of lenses, with plastic being cheapest, then polycarbonate, then high index lenses. As I have a weak prescription, I don't need high index lenses. She mentioned the polycarbonate lenses are stronger than the plastic and lighter. I'm familiar with the differences and while I liked my original plastic lenses from Lenscrafters, I wanted to get the polycarbonate with anti-reflective coating so that I can see how scratch resistant they are and how good the anti-reflective coating is. I especially wanted to compare them to my Zenni Optical glasses.

The polycarbonate lenses were $44 and then the antireflective coating was an extra $30. Between the lenses, frames, and tax I spent just over $150, plus the $50 for the eye exam.

Unlike when I get my exam at Lenscrafters (and glasses), I will have to submit the receipts to my insurance. They should reimburse me about $150, making the eye exam + new glasses only $50. Even with Lenscrafters being "in network" I would have had to pay $10 for the eye exam, $10 for new frames, and then significantly more for similar new lenses as the Lenscrafters lenses with anti-reflective coating would only be partially covered by my insurance - and the Lenscrafters with anti-reflective coating are very pricey. I probably could have gotten plastic lenses without anti-reflective coatings for about the same price.

They said it will take 7-10 days to get the glasses and they will call me when they arrive. I'll post an update at that time.

In the future, I will probably just get my eye exams at Lenscrafters, or find a local optometrist who is "in network" as it will save me the hassle of having to submit paperwork for reimbursement from insurance. Also, unless the Costco eyeglasses are significantly better than the ones from Zenni, I will probably just order from Zenni in the future. I am thinking I may order photochromic / Transitions lenses from Zenni next.

I got a call from Costco about 10 days after I ordered the glasses. I went and picked them up. The person at the Costco Optical counter had me try them on as he adjusted the ear pieces and the nose pads until they fit properly. Overall, the glasses seem very nice so far, but it will obviously take more time to see how durable the anti-scratch coating is. There was a little note card with the cleaning cloth saying that the anti-reflective coating is the most technologically advanced coating currently available - or something like that. In casual use, I can't really say that I notice much difference compared to my previous glasses, but I'll have a better sense as I have worn them longer.

I'm going to take some pictures side by side with previous glasses and I'll try to see if there are more noticeable differences. An important part of the lenses will be how easy they are to clean and keep clean, as well as how durable the anti-scratch coatings are. I'm not sure when I'll have a chance to do some side-by-side comparisons.

Overall, though, they are very nice glasses and lenses. As my Zenni lenses have held up very well over the past year, I'm not sure I can say there is a noticeable difference. Nonetheless, I'm guessing the quality from Costco is superior and more importantly, Costco offers excellent customer service if there is ever a problem, while Zenni's is practically non-existent (from what I've heard).

Briefly, I wanted to mention that Consumer Reports has an article about eyeglass stores in the December 2010 issue, and Costco received their highest rating. I've always been a fan of Consumer Reports and appreciate their strong attempts to maintain an unbiased opinion and refusal to accept advertising. Costco received the highest marks on customer satisfaction of any eyeglass chains and they also beat most of them on price. Costco also did the best in their review when it came to not having problems such as loose lenses, blurred vision, or damaged frames within the first few weeks after purchase.

So far, my Costco eyeglasses continue to be performing well - as I would have expected. They definitely remain my first choice if I am looking for quality glasses with excellent customer support.

Thanks for information George! I just joined Costco and was interested in their eye glass department.

Yes Thanks George. This is the exact information I needed as I am new to the world of glasses.

Neda posted an interested reply which I split to a new topic about Lenscrafters and Costco optometrists trying to push certain products.

Thanks for the info- I was debating to go back to Lenscrafters- I have been with them for about 9 years without any issues here in CA.
But Costco is right down the street from me- I was trying to compare costs of the exams, what is included, and you answered alot of this info.
I think I will try Costco.

Thanks again

I live in Alberta, Canada and have recently compared the cost of regular eye and contact exams (they are different). Let me begin by stating that the exams are for my children who are under 18, so their basic eye exam is covered by Alberta Health Care. I have contacted many optometrist offices, to find that the contact exam ranges from $25-30, depending where you go. Costco is free. Some optometrists also charge a contact fitting fee (in my small town it is $95 which prompted me to look around) while Costco does not charge a fitting fee at all. My older child has glaucoma which apparently for my local optometrist is difficult to fit, thus the cost. Last year they had to try 3 different lenses on my child, and tried to charge me $95 again after the first two lenses didn't work. We are talking about them sending him home with a new contact lens/sample for a week and a quick checkup to see if they work. Regardless, Costco does not charge a fitting fee. They told me they will re-fit him until he is happy - at no extra charge at all. Another example of excellent customer service and another reason I'm a Costco member. My co-workers purchase their glasses at Costco as well and are very satisfied and repeat customers.

very informative, but i have one question does the optometry section of costco take only cash alike the rest of the store? Thanks for your time!

When I went to Costco, the eye doctor accepted all credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard and American Express. For the glasses and lenses, though, they only accepted American Express or debit card like the rest of the store.

Is this only for Costco members, or can anyone go to their vision department?
My mom has a Costco card. Would that cover me or only her? We're in the same household.

i did the eye exam at Costco at the end of last year. It cost me $50, however, I didn't buy the eyeglasses from them and ordered it from online eye store.

eyeglassesforever2117 wrote:Is this only for Costco members, or can anyone go to their vision department?
My mom has a Costco card. Would that cover me or only her? We're in the same household.

You can get the eye exam without a Costco membership. To buy the glasses, you need to be a member, or have a member go into the store with you and probably be with you when you make the actual purchase as they scan the membership card when you actually purchase stuff at Costco.

You could always call your local Costco and confirm their policies.

Never had my exam at Costco but have gotten glasses there and been very pleased with quality and price. The eye doctors at Costco are independent, as they are at most big chains, but still if you have a doctor you like, get the exam there and take the Rx to Costco to get filled. Consumer Reports rated them higher than Lenscrafters and the like for accuracy when filling the Rx. My last glasses were no line progressive bifocals, hi index lenses, polycarbonate (or whatever it's called), anti-glare coating, darken in the sun...the works including new frames. All this was for just under $300, which is a real bargain. By comparison, I recently tried a new doctor and got my glasses from their showroom. Got everything listed minus the darkening and they cost me well over $400 plus my insurance paid around $150 on top of that! Go to Costco...YOU CANNOT BEAT THEIR PRICE OR QUALITY! You do need to be a member to use the service, but it is worth it to join just for this benefit. You'll save far more than you will spend on a membership.

Forget Costco; I've been buying my whole family's glasses for years on the web from Zenni Optical. They sell single vision glasses, with a huge selection of frames, starting at $6.95, COMPLETE, plus $5 shipping. No, that's not a typo, complete single vision glasses, $6.95. They also have more expensive items, but even theses are in the 20-30 dollar range, complete. That's not the frame price, that's the complete glasses. They offer tinting for sunglasses and a good anti-reflection coating, for only $5 each. I've bought at least a dozen pairs of glasses, and each one has been spot-on. They Rock!!!!!

PhilR,

There is a separate thread about Zenni Optical already. Glad to hear you've had good experience with them!

Just found this thread while browsing around online for info on Costco's eye exams. I have one question, as I intend to get my eyes check out there but plan on buying the glasses elsewhere (I don't have a Costco membership anyway)—will they measure your pupillary distance if you don't intend to buy lenses there? I've read methods of measuring it yourself but I'd prefer to have it done properly if possible.

Halrenna,

They may be willing to measure it for you, but they may not. The eye doctor was not the one who measured my pupillary distance at Costco. After the eye exam, I met with someone at their eyeglass counter who had me look in this device that measured my pupillary distance. If you went sometime when they weren't busy, you could try asking politely if they would measure your pupillary distance but I think it is a total "your mileage may vary".

Here is the current price (August 2011, without frames) I got from Costco Marina Del Rey, CA. Prescription Polycarbonate for medium thickness and progressive bifocal is $130. If you want top of the line including hi-index super thin, transition (darken in the sun) with polished edge you pay additional $75 for a total of $ 205. Single vision is $85. The best price anywhere maybe except online. Frames are very reasonable from $29 to $129+
Customer service is not the best and double check your receipt to make sure you understand what is included. They miss stuff.

George I want to thank you for taking the time to post such a wonderful review. I am in need of glasses for the first time in my life. And as always I try to research what I need and the best way to go about it. Your information will most definitely help me with my first attempt to get my vision restored.

Thank you so very much.

If you have frames from your exiting glasses you wish to use but did not purchase from Costco, there is an additional charge of about $24. I find this strange for a consumer oriented retailer, and a waste of a good pair frames that I have already purchased last year and that are very adequate. I will not get my new prescription filled at Costco.

George thank you so much for all your research. It helped me a lot because I lost my only pair of glasses and I have no insurance so I have to pay for everything out of pocket but with your reviews I found the cheapest place for an eye exam and I can try to order a pair online. I live in Long Island, NY and the cheapest eye exam I found is at Costco for $49. Walmart and Lenscrafters were $55 and $170, respectively. I also wear contacts but I like to wear my glasses to rest my eyes and Costco also has the cheapest eye exams for contacts ( I think she said $100 all together). Again thank you so much for all the information you provided through your posts.

leegar wrote:If you have frames from your exiting glasses you wish to use but did not purchase from Costco, there is an additional charge of about $24. I find this strange for a consumer oriented retailer, and a waste of a good pair frames that I have already purchased last year and that are very adequate. I will not get my new prescription filled at Costco.

I asked about this as well and it was explained to me that if you have plastic frames, putting in new lenses is a more difficult process than if the frames are new. They have to heat the frames to get out the old lenses and then insert the new ones. I was told there is also a chance of the old frames cracking.

leegar wrote:If you have frames from your exiting glasses you wish to use but did not purchase from Costco, there is an additional charge of about $24. I find this strange for a consumer oriented retailer, and a waste of a good pair frames that I have already purchased last year and that are very adequate. I will not get my new prescription filled at Costco.

At the Costco in Naperville, IL that fee is just $18. I thought it was strange too, but user mgable explains it well. They also are hesitant to take embellished frames with rhinestones as they tend to get knocked out during the process. I'm waiting on my old Candies glasses to be returned as I purchased new lenses for them. I will try to repost on the experience if I get a chance.

They have frames that now go up to $189 in price (Emilio Pucci's). I had a contact fitting + eye exam for eyeglasses and paid $89 for it, not $49. I was happy with the service as Dr. Tomich (our Costco's independent optometrist) was the first eye doctor to spot my blatant astigmatism (I've had blurry vision for years and no one could "figure it out" - sad). Polycarbonate lenses cost $50 + an additional $30 for anti-glare. Though the prices are very high for the actual manufacturing costs of the products (lenses, frames, coating), the markup is lower than in most places, and I have to say again, the service is good.

I have used Costco for years for my son's contacts and have been very satisfied with them. I also buy new lens for my glasses when my perscription changes and have them inserted into the Costco frames I bought. They have not charged me extra for this. I have only paid for the lens. I also believe that Costco prescribes contract lens based on what is best in price and fit for your eyes while my last two experiences with "private" eye doctors is they sell contracts and give a prescription for a higher priced lens. I am a satisfied Costco customer.

george wrote:

eyeglassesforever2117 wrote:Is this only for Costco members, or can anyone go to their vision department?
My mom has a Costco card. Would that cover me or only her? We're in the same household.

You can get the eye exam without a Costco membership. To buy the glasses, you need to be a member, or have a member go into the store with you and probably be with you when you make the actual purchase as they scan the membership card when you actually purchase stuff at Costco.

You could always call your local Costco and confirm their policies.

You don't need to be a member of Costco for eye exams or to buy /fill your prescription at the Pharmacy I don't think you need to be a member to buy glasses or contacts either (you might not get the member discount) It's FDA regulations.

Hello, I just wanted to caution that I have had two friends get eyeglasses from Cosco and the quality was so poor that they thought their prescriptions were wrong, but it turned out it was the lens. Buy the best you can afford!

Tina,

That's the first I've heard of people having issues with the Costco lenses. Did both friends buy them at the same store? What do you mean that it was an issue with the lens?

When you say to buy the best that you can afford, what do you suggest? The quality at Costco is generally very good, but they just don't charge the same ridiculous prices like Lenscrafters.

I just got my eye exam done at Costco. Does anyone know if I can go elsewhere to purchase my lenses and frames? And if so, where can I go? I didn't particularly like their selection. Thanks in advance for any help!

Shelbell,

The short answer is that you can go anywhere with your prescription to get frames and lenses.

If you are very particular about the style, then you may not want to order online unless you have seen the specific frame in advance in person. The online options are the cheapest, but the frames may not be to your liking. You could check out places like Walmart or Target if you want to stick to low price frames and lenses. You could also choose to buy just the frames at a more typical retail store like Lenscrafters which is likely to have a much larger selection and then have Costco put in the lenses as you'll get good quality lenses at Costco for a lot less money than what Lenscrafters would charge for similar types of lenses.

I've purchased eyeglasses at Costco a while ago - I was pleased with their service. They didn't have a huge selection back then, but they were reliable and professional. And since then I think their selection has significantly expanded.