Need to Buy Eyeglasses? Follow These Three Money-Saving Tips
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iStock/Thinkstock(SAN FRANCISCO) — Kemi Ajayi says she’s ready to face reality: Not only do her two children, Reni, 17, and Folabi, 19, need glasses but so does she.
“Sometimes I squint when I’m not at the computer,” said the San Francisco mother. “I can’t see very clearly.”
While her kids said they’d like to see her in some specs — “Something with a little flair at the end,” according to Reni — Ajayi said she wasn’t looking forward to paying steep prices.
“I’m pretty worried about that,” she said.
Optometrist Dr. Nikki Iravani joined the “Real Money” team to show Ajayi that new glasses don’t have to leave you looking for more cash.
Iravani shared these tips to help the Ajayi family save about $600 this year:
1. Test your eyesight with a free screening on Iravani’s app EyeXam. The exam takes you through a series of six tests and then helps you find local optometrists and discount promotions in your area.
“The purpose is to motivate you to go in and get that eye exam and make that process easier for you,” she said, “so you can easily find an eye doctor.”
2. Shop around with your prescription. Don’t get stuck buying glasses at the optometrist’s office. By law, they have to give you your prescription. Brands like Warby Parker sell just frames on their websites so they can keep costs low.
For an inexpensive pair of glasses, check out Zenni-Optical, where you can upload your photo and try on the glasses. “Real Money” found a pair of single-vision specs for just $7.
3. Find discounts as well on the free website All-About-Vision. “Real Money” found deals on frames and eye drops as well as a $100 rebate for contact lenses.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio