TerribleBot
180506
692
7
I discover how those were made ... it's amazing.
May 21, 2025 8:19 AM
TerribleBot
180506
692
7
I discover how those were made ... it's amazing.
phunkiejunkie
Where are my spectacles, Summer?
CaptSchmidtGaming
Sommer*
desolatorx
Awesome but now I have an urge to pee...
TerribleBot
oh, me too
ConfusedConda
Irrationally, it bothers me that they didn't clean them at the end.
CanadianLadyMoose
This was my summer job once. My favorite customer was a 5yo girl who was crying because her mom and dad both had glasses and now her big brother just got them too and since she had perfect vision she didn't need them. She felt left out. Our company had a program that did free glasses for children so with her parents' blessing I let her pick out some frames and cut her plano lenses (non prescription) so she could have her own pair of glasses too.
CeruleanSky1988
Spectacles, testicles, wallet and watch.
TerribleBot
no phone ?
You're the best.
slipvyne
It's an old UK joke...revived with Austin Powers. It's a reminder of how to do a cross on your body when at church.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqXZ">oRD50">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqXZ9YoRD50
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZTp1coqajQ
TerribleBot
Oh, as a french I didn't knew this one.
Thank you !
Jimbo64
Amen
Snufflegrumpagus
somethingsomethingwittyhere
buffetbear
š
goflyblind
EatPieLander
Excellent. Thank you. Appreciate U taking time to capture and share. Interesting to know how, even with all of this wonderful tech, my prescription eyeglass store *still* took 2 months and 4 visits and three replacements to get my latest sunglasses correct. Hmm ... maybe ... U R not such a terrible bot after all.
https://media3.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1NW56aXNzZ296bXhtczRwODFqa2J3OWE1djVlOXZuM2R3MXhsdnpmbyZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/L7dzJ0g5hjQXXirWUu/200w.webp
TerribleBot
Thank you.
I try to be terrible with all those bad professionals, by showing how easy it is to be good ...
57rescraft9
So they heat up the frame before sticking in the lenses.
dani19bee
Yup. It's kinda like a table top hair dryer
theInfinitelyProlonged
I used to do this for a living. I got into it because, after wearing glasses since childhood, it was never explained to me how they worked. I took a job grinding and cutting lenses, and learned a lot. This only shows them being cut to the frame. The grinding and polishing is far more interesting.
AmoxTails
I wanna know how they clean them so I can clean mine like new
Ionico
The trick is to wash your fingers in dawn soap right before you clean them. Then dawn soap your whole frame and lenses, rinse and do another lens wash. The drying cloth is also super important. Paper towels scratch lenses, they are made of various recyclables that have tiny fragments that scratch lenses. (I used to work in a cleanroom, and we needed to clean microscopes and our own glasses. Microscopes have a different proceedure) I had the benefit of drying my glasses with compressed air!
Whatdoyousaytoanicecupoftea
There's a Japanese chain of optometric which operates in Australia where you can watch them make your lenses...it's cool
gumblemuntz
spectacles pronounced like Hercules or Pericles (or John Cleese for that matter)
gobblinal
Oh! Is this the "edging machine" that my eye guy keeps talking about?
sme2812
They could have had a toolgifs tattoo but no
CaptSchmidtGaming
I had them yesterday and now I do not.. I cannot see with out my Spectacles Sommer.
GravyEducation
Testicles, spectacles, wallet, and watch
peechfuzz
Why is someone peeing on it?
thundermoe79
Everything reminds me of her!
emeraldimage
I see
thedewser
And now, you have a regular old plumbus.
tesseract4d2
That makes so much sense. I'd always wondered how they made them fit the frames, never considered they'd have a special tool that measures each individual frame. I figured they had a standardized format to describe frame shape, and the frame manufacturer had to provide it to the lens cutter.
This way means you could take a pair of cheap frames from dollar store sunglasses and make prescription lenses for them! Neat!
NostrilSnowboarder
Pretty sure that all this backward. Shouldn't the R and L be switched since the glasses are backwards?
StrangePaegan
Thanks! I always wondered. I guess I could have looked it up too but now I don't have to!
ryensel
This technology is of alien origin
rivitingone
This is a plastic lense. Polycarbonate gets all wonky when you cut it wet.
MuskatLime
I used to do this about 5-6vyears ago. Was the best job I ever had! Haven't found a job as chill as this.
zsquare
The machine just pees all over my lens!? I wear them on my face šØ
coastercrazypics
Glasses her win USA cost like $500 on up and what I do is drive to Tijuana, Mexico and get them made for $80 including frames, thin glass, scratch resistant and them color shifting when younger in the sun. I then took them to the doc here in USA and they says they're excellent. It's ridiculous here in the States.
Chronomechanist
Where the fuck is the rest of it?
Elliotblet
Another thing that's expensive as fuck for no reason.
nunyabidnesstwats
There's an Italian company thats owns like 90% of the market outside Asia.
darkmyst30
It's because of luxotica.
bobthefunny
There are several discount sites online where you can get glasses for $35-40.
StewedTomaters
I've had bad experiences with Warby Parker, and Zenni fucked up the antireflective coating. I'm spending more money next time, I think.
IBroughtASpareDrainpipe
Get your specs from CostCo! $70 - $100, and high quality.
iceynyo
Depends where. Got a new pair of glasses for $60 in Japan, and got to pick them up in 60min. Spent more time and money at Uniqlo across the aisle.
MaleProstateMilker88
Eyeglasses should be free. People need them to see and function and stay safe.
NaughtyGod1
I LITERALLY just bought 3 pair (all different & VERY STRONG Rx) from Zenni and my entire damage was less than $200.
CelestialSea
They're expensive because they're essentially a monopoly and people who need glasses really NEED them.
hfctom
For the longest time I've bought glasses from a $30 website. My prescription hasn't changed much in twenty years. The frames last about a year and then I use the lenses in masks for costuming
KawaiiTwat
ikr. I had to get a subscription to fucking see because my eyes keeps digressing and I needed to get special glass. Now I have to pay 50 a month to not be blind -.- (this being in sweden and it's 50eur for 3 pairs of rayban glasses till they're paid off)
Urselchen
In Germany too!
painstream
Thanks, Luxottica... Haven't had to have glasses in a long while, but now I'm wondering if it might be possible to 3D print frames and have the optometrist fit the lenses.
needtodolaundry
Lenses have a base curve on them, which means some lenses are very flat and some have more curve. Just don't curve the frame too much
teacupsquid
Just get them on Zenni. They're great.
fitgirl1
Oh there is a reason alright. It's the captive market created by optometrists. They love extorting their patients for the 1000% markups on glasses. Cost is maybe a few dollars per frame. Lenses do cost a bit but never the $ 300 to $800 often charged. Use zenni because you are cutting out the egregious middle man.
Kairuf
Itās not the optometrists, itās the fact that the glasses manufacturer is an asshole https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxottica
ToCrushYourEnemiesSeeThemDrivenBeforeYouToHearTheLamentation
There is an insane markup on optometry.
Costa del mar s at cost is the best thing about an optometrist roommate.
WhatSayYouCitizen
I always find it interesting when folks with little-to-no consumption of low-volume or bespoke goods, finds themselves buying low-volume or bespoke goods and wondering why they're so expensive.
DoctorAvatarTheLastOfTheTimeBendingAirLords
That's not expertly crafted by an artisan. It's a machine that has an upfront cost, but works for free with a bit of maintenance and oversight.
WhatSayYouCitizen
That is a *set* of machines, themselves low-volume goods, each of which needs a trained operator. The cost of the machines and operator training must be paid for by the goods they produce.
I didn't say artisanal (which is a mostly bullshit marketing word anyways), I said low-volume or bespoke goods. Any good whose production cost must be amortized over a smaller production volume will cost more.
DoctorAvatarTheLastOfTheTimeBendingAirLords
The easyfit system can be anywhere from $100-200k, an advertises how little work is necessary. Even if it cost 15 minutes of an opticians time, which is like $30/hour, plus 5% maintenence cost per year, not even including the tax write off, total cost of ownership over 5 years is like $260,000. At 4 glasses a day, 6 days a week, $100 per pair, you make your money back in a little over 2 years. May not be exact, and it assumes 4 a day everyday, but $800 is fucking ridiculous.
aap71
lens cutting machines are not low volume. and bespoke isn't this either. yes it's made to your prescription, but they're not artisanal hand made like the term implies
Tengenstein
Anything that needs precision machining probably should be kinda expensive. Precision costs.
Ionico
You're right to a point. CNC programmer here. But specialized CMM like the one shown that work hand in hand with that specialized mill-turn-grinder.... that will pump out perfect parts for weeks if not months with little-need of specialist oversight. Meaning you can make tons very quickly. In an hour you might have 20-30 pairs of perfect products.
jt42
How much did the machine cost? And like you to program it?
keraos
I generally agree, but with the number of custom modifications to glasses it does get a bit more complicated than most CNC design. It's not so much the CNC part as everything else - my old glasses had magnetic studs in the edges - they had to try to make them 6 times before they were able to get the studs to insert without significant damage to the glass. There's also a fair bit of inspection and QC that's generally needed, I've had to reject multiple pairs for uneven or incorrect focal points.
Tengenstein
Yeah indeed, but what's that going to run you to buy, setup and maintain? Sure we're in late stage capitalism so everything is over priced and extortionate, but it ain't exactly happy meal toy quality either. It's not something I exactly want to do by hand on an old super 7 either.
Ionico
I don't know what, but Zenni sells prescription, fitted glasses bare bones for less than 30-40 bucks. And they make a profit. So it's probably robust, and low maintenance. Most businesses buy their machine tools on loan and pay them off with profits. We do.
amp99
I don't know about the rest of the world, but in Scotland you can get a free eye test each year, then you just ask them to give you the prescription and buy a few pairs online for cheap. I can't remember exactly how much I paid last time, but I think I got two pairs for about Ā£80 (~110USD).
SenselessSentiments
BRB gonna move to Scotland
SirButcher
Or anywhere in the UK, you can get glasses with frames at Specsavers for as low as Ā£15 (assuming you don't need varifocal lenses, which cost around Ā£200), and this includes the frame AND the eye test. My glasses cost around Ā£150, but for this, I got dioptric polarized sunglasses with my normal glasses.
SenselessSentiments
I don't think I'm eligible for the free eye test anymore, or is that an offer included with getting the frame?
DesperateDunn365
In Ireland you're entitled to a free eye test every 2 years based on you paying social insurance from your wages. I wpuld have though the UK would be similar.
Perkunas687
Be forewarned, Scotland is full of Scots.
SenselessSentiments
shitheadtookmyname
It's the frames you're paying a lot of money for. Most of them are way overpriced, but not all of them because some are handmade by Union labor in countries with proper Union protection with materials that are sustainably harvested. Also they rip off Americans but don't rip off Europeans. I have a pair I imported from Spain for $300 that in the US sell for over $800. Just the frames. And they are a frame company not some fashion company that's just a label.
Toasterlovin
Yes/no, frames can be cheap if you get the measurements and buy your glasses online(seriously just ask your optometrist ots worth it most times). But from what I've seen, the cost comes in when you need to slim a lens down so it's not super thick. Having bad vision sucks already, but having super thick lenses blows so getting them thinned down os normal but adds 200-300+ sometimes
Hemproski
Nah. Here in Mexico it's equally expensive buying the combo (frames + glasses) than just changing the glasses on your old frame if you go to any chain optometrist.
shitheadtookmyname
Never mind Yes, and that's generally the case in the US too. But I'm not talking about chain companies. I'm talking about good optometrists that are independent. I'm sorry that I was not clear about that in my original comment
DecentUsernameUnavailable
Frames come from China or Italy mainly and are about $10 wholesale (name brands / fashion slightly more). Source: My neighbor made eyeglasses his entire adult life / his brother owns a sizable wholesaler factory filling Rx glasses orders.
DoctorWookie
Not according to the breakdown i get from my optometrist. The frames are almost universally sub $100. The lenses are $500+ for my prescription.
shitheadtookmyname
Most optometrist in the US sell cheapo lenses. I'm not going to argue with that.. Most optometrists have deals with frames manufacturers that are owned by an Italian cartel called luxotica. They own Ray-Ban Oliver peoples and a bunch of others. I'm not talking about those frames. I'm talking about the really expensive ones that are not owned by them, but instead are owned by independent manufacturers in Japan in Germany and Spain etc.
shitheadtookmyname
Etnia Barcelona, Luxon, gold and wood, ayame, ic berlin, lafont, etc
MeestowKitty
So, having worked in the optical industry, and been connected to it my entire life (my father is an Optician) let me clarify a few things that people seem to not be understanding. First, sites like Zenni are so cheap because they sell extremely cheap products. The frames, lens material, etc are all made in China. The people doing the actual work are likely poor immigrants barely paid, and kept in dangerous conditions (I know this because I used to be an accountant in a place just like that) (1
MeestowKitty
Second, one of the things that causes the cost to be so high, is not the Optician or their store, its the cost of the goods they're buying. The industry makes shit expensive. Those machines are not cheap, and they have all sorts of rules attached to them (like those dumb Coke mixer machines). Depending on the state, they also require training. You can "churn out lenses" but someone still needs to hit the buttons, check the prescription, handle the customers, etc. It's not actually as easy as (2
MeestowKitty
some people here are making it out to be. Thirdly, things get expensive partly because of what is needed. The example given of "$700 but that's great because insurance brought it down from $1200" likely has a really complex/heavy prescription, using specialized lenses, and so on. Now, do places like Lens Crafters probably charge more than they need to? Totally. Do the super nice frames cost way more than they should? Absolutely. But the overall job is not as point and click as it seems. (end
eventide215
Agreed until you started going off about China. Sites like Zen I are cheap cause you get a cheap product. You're getting something not made to last. The glasses I have were from a store and only cost $200 ($0 with insurance) I've had them for like 4 years now and there's only one small scratch on the left lens.. otherwise they're like new. You get what you pay for.
MeestowKitty
...I didn't "go off about China." I stated factually that the materials being used to complete the product all come from China. The comment about the people doing the work, wasn't in relation to the production of the materials. Places like Zenni either buy from, or operate themselves, what amounts to a sweat shop. 20-30 grinders in a poorly ventilated space, operated by semi-trained migrant workers, and overseen by one person who isn't an optician, they just know how to check prescriptions.
eventide215
You did it again.
MeestowKitty
What the, and I cannot stress this enough, actual fuck are you talking about? Looking it up, apparently Zenni operates in China (I figured they'd be in the US) but that just means that the working conditions are likely EVEN WORSE than what they would be here. Why is it bad to point out that bad working conditions are a bad thing? What the fuck am I doing here that is so goddamn repugnant to you?
teacupsquid
My Zenni $10 glasses lasted over 10 years. Finally had to replace them due to an Rx change and bought almost the same pair for $15. Just take care of your stuff.
eventide215
That's what's called an exception and not the rule. We all know, well if you're intelligent enough, that you get what you pay for. Nobody said a cheap product is guaranteed to break within a set time. Also, 10 years with the same glasses? No. That means you didn't go to an optometrist for many years.
teacupsquid
I went every year. Rx didn't change enough to justify a new pair. I wear contacts frequently, but I wasn't overly kind to the glasses. They got shoved into bags and knocked around frequently. Held up, though. But if you want to be self righteous and think I'm lying about something so trivial, or of inferior intelligence, then by all means go ahead. Your ego obviously needs a boost.
MrsHowVeryDareYou
I see an optometrist in a glasses store. I overheard some poor soul being told his total for glasses is $700, which was a great deal because it was down from $1200 with insurance. SAY WHAT NOW?!
Iāve been ordering from Zenni for years and Iām blind af, so I get all the upgrades, and I still donāt think Iāve ever paid much above $100.
sarukane
Some people like Wagyu beef, some like spam.
MrsHowVeryDareYou
Some people are fine with Spam if it frees up money for something they care about more than Waygu beef.
sarukane
I didn't say anything bad about it. Its different tastes.
excusemecomeagain
I think I got my current pair at Zenni for around $150 with a nice light titanium frame and high index lenses. The pair I had before that from the optometrist was over $300 and had huge heavy lenses that kept popping out.
Ionico
This! Zenni. First time in my life I have glasses and a duplicate spare, and 2 pairs of corrected sunglasses. All under the price of 1 box store pair.... well under. Like 1/2.
ASquirrelNamedLloyd
WOW!
ASquirrelNamedLloyd
Oh wow, thatās super helpful! Iāve gotten a Rx from my eye doc when she did my contacts (sometimes itās one or the other ugh) so thanks for the rec!!!
nowinvisibly
I ordered from Warby Parker for years, spending around 150 USD per pair with high-index lenses. Once I needed transition lenses, I went to a local chain and with my VSP insurance, I still only paid around 200 USD for everything.
teacupsquid
I paid $30 for 2 pairs from Zenni. They're great.
MikaMox
Damn I get 2 pairs with designer frames and all the lens treatments for under Ā£300 in the uk
DesperateDunn365
Similar here in Ireland.
hotrodny
I need progressive lenses because of a strong cylinder in one eye. It turned out to be cheaper to buy two pairs ā one regular pair and one pair of sunglasses. I paid around 760 dollars for them. They said it would be almost the same price for the regular glasses, so I bought them both.
I live in Norway.
MeatloafLovah
How blind? I want to try this but my prescription is BAD. Last pair of glasses was $800
MrsHowVeryDareYou
-10 in glasses! Iām fairly certain they have a decent guarantee, but Iāve never needed to use it.
HiveMindGuy
I use eyebuydirect.com. I pay well under $100 every time.
ChuckTenor
.
AFelineMassofEyes
I just got a wonderful pair from there, & I'm getting another ASAP, because all the packaging says it was made in China & I fully expect tariff pain if I wait.
MrsHowVeryDareYou
Oh shit, excellent point! Looks like Iām shopping in the morning!
wooooooowzaaaa
Why i love costco
terajack2048
I save well over 50 at Costco compared to my last glasses elsewhere
Totallyscrewedinaustin
Elsewhere tried to charge me $350, for basic lens and cheapest frame. Went to Costco and paid $150, and that was paying extra to get the thinnest lenses, all the coatings(UV, glare, anti-scratch) come free!
terajack2048
It totally pays for your membership alone in savingsā¦..
gandraw
I don't mind my $1500 glasses because I wear them for 5840 hours a year so the price per hour is like 6 cents over their lifetime.
shitheadtookmyname
The way I feel about frames is that it is the first thing people see when they meet you. If you don't like how you look with them then it's kind of a big fuckin deal. Unfortunately for me, I am insanely particular about the shape of my frames to the extent that I've only found two or three pair my whole life that are exactly the shape I like. One is on my face now, and the other my oldest kid broke when she was a year old and it took me 6 years to find a pair I liked as much.
teacupsquid
...or you could spend that money on something way cooler and get them for like $30 on Zenni.
gandraw
And get some crappy thick plastic lenses that will be scratched up to fuck after a few months.
teacupsquid
Mine lasted over 10 years and I beat the crap out of them.
MrsHowVeryDareYou
This shouldnāt be downvoted. We all pay stupid prices for stuff we value and think is worth it. I think youāre nuts to pay that, but I spend about that much on my hair each year so š¤·š¼āāļø
MrsHowVeryDareYou
Scrolled back up to ask if youāre paying that much for glasses, have you considered LASIK? Itād pay for itself in like 2 years.
MaleekTheFreak
Or you could pay significantly less than 6 cents an hour
shitheadtookmyname
Some people pay that much for video games, computers, etc. Some people pay that much for frames. Don't yuck people's yum. Just like conspicuous consumption is not of virtue, conspicuous thrift is also not a virtue.
MaleekTheFreak
I guess I am yucking their yum if their āyumā is paying more for something they could easily pay less for. If people that pay that much for video games, computers, etc., could literally get the same thing for a ton less with no hassle, thatād be the same issue.
ElbowDeepInAPoliceState
That's not a real thing
hipifreq
You do understand that you can find the same exact frames on online markets for a fraction of what the optometrist charges, right?
neufala
Are they plastic or glass?
SaturnineCult
They were glass in the 80's.
ThisNameUnavailable
Apparently almost no lenses are pure glass anymore. You can get them but they are special order.
neufala
Yeah I thought most were plastic now. It's way easier and cheaper to make.
ThisNameUnavailable
Probably more durable too
Evenmoreuselessname
Wife is an optometrist. She hates that people special order glass all the time from the optician "because glass is better." Per her: glass is NOT better to have in your eyes when the airbag goes off."