Shopping for eyeglases

For cost and quality, Costco excels

A new pair of specs can run you a pretty penny, even if you skip the designer frames and avoid coatings or other add-ons you don’t need. Can you save money and still get a really great pair of eyeglasses?

Yes, according to more than 30,000 bespectacled readers whom we recently surveyed about their last eyeglass purchase. Costco emerged at the top of our Ratings of eyeglass retailers, including large chains, independent local optical shops, and private doctors’ offices.

And it did so at a significantly lower cost—a median of $157 per pair compared with $211 at independent shops and $212 at eye doctors’ offices.

In fact, Costco Optical earned the highest score for overall satisfaction among chains. It also was the only retailer that we surveyed that stood out in another area: lack of problems, such as loose lenses, distorted or blurred vision, or damaged frames, in the first few weeks after purchase.

That's good news for shoppers looking for a deal without sacrificing good vision correction. Unfortunately, many other chains didn’t stack up nearly as well. And if you're not a Costco shopper, you might do better getting your specs at a doctor’s office or independent optical boutique; those typically scored high marks across the board, particularly when it came to employee know-how, service, and the quality of the finished glasses. You might even spend less than you would at some high-profile chains.