Passes for what?

If you drive at night, consider lightly tinted polarized lenses. If I'm using cheap readers, the oncoming nonDOT LED headlights flare like crazy.

Reading glasses? I'm at 1.25 mag myself.

Best tip I have - don't bother with optical lens cleaning cloths. Use a drop of Dawn detergent on one lens, use a wet finger to dip into it and spread it to tje 4 sides of the two lenses and then scrub with wet fingers, scrub with your fingerprints, the Dawn created a lubricating film over the lens while breaking down the dirt, rinse (while still scrubbing with fingerprints until "squeaky") and pat dry. I have cheap plastic readers that are 5 or more years old and their surfaces are still like new.

I highly recommend zenni (its an online dealer). Way cheaper than the eyedoctor's office for better quality. If you need prescription that is.

If you do have to get ones from a script, and you find frames that you like - you can usually buy those frames for a fraction of the cost of the optician's price on places like eBay. You'll need a good magnification level to see it, but the model and size is usually engraved into one of the arms. That way, if you need to replace them, you have extras.

The online places are good if you have a very basic script. If you have anything odd like strange astigmatism correction, they won't work for you.

Wayfarer-style glasses that are popular now make you look like a section 8 kid from the 80s.

Almost all frames are made by one company, no matter the name on them. Wholesale price on frames is a few dollars.

Many lenses (in a given area) are made by a single company as well, they just send them off for manufacture. Check around, you're getting the same materials and people no matter the price.

Always make sure that your optician will re-make the lenses if they don't work, especially if this is your first pair.

If you don't have eye insurance, VSP is usually fairly reasonable.

I used to go to eye therapy to try to get my vision better without glasses. Idk if it did anything, I still wear glasses.

nerd

There are pinhole glasses that can help slow the progress. Yellow polarized glasses are great for night driving. If you are in front of screens all day, blue blocking glasses help. links below https://www.healthline.com/health/pinhole-glasses#alternative-therapies

https://www.amazon.com/Original-Night-Driving-Glasses-Anti-Glare/dp/B078PZMX5H/ref=sr_1_7?crid=2ZBFOJOLOBU3B&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.cZ3wC5r3YnUIn3yBKlnLze0t2GaKT3ChD8816S5e2VKI_g7Meqp6_4nwcB9uVJQcM9cfBUYPMuoto0KFU133WQbwtGQMNRIuiZUpb_Ktoh1MejFcoTosA9FvfpUhwPRg_h8L3jp3pxEkl9zhCCz3By4-cUrohcIywph3O7fYlJxEaP4NIDZX8JhI2ZOxZ_f6LMAqV9LONdRpmuvHTgHsqp5--HwFfSDIr_N9QlWcR3CP9J7HmffcdYLRu18LhR0Xjh0ojbl6uui5dRY9ZChJXV3tJ1XutzqrXU_UPNwxkRWHsCiRsUEbpQpaaC9lUHEzW7PclY3BIH7NLVwL8AIPHd9EbU5LDfRwk4ZBqnT9vXKAJAeJtpNej_d-eYYMdU3Z7bKgEv2j7n5Wr0acPNo1_8H8mqJhCrpvAmARMW874xEJMzEOVxVHMIu5wME0LuIC.MuKrJRfB08NGFbrzTsj1nb7JsIdnWoVL9vPZzRW_nE0&dib_tag=se&keywords=yellow+polarized+night+driving+glasses&qid=1739383151&sprefix=yellow+pola%2Caps%2C225&sr=8-7

https://ca.warbyparker.com/blue-light-glasses-popular?bidkw=blue%20light&dvc=c&network=o&mobile=&searchntwk=1&content=&creative=&adposition=&placement=&target=&keyword=blue%20light&matchtype=b&mkwid=s&pmt=b&pdv=c&product_category=

If you need a prescription and not just off the shelf readers - Ask the optometrist to give you the pupillary distance for what you use the glasses for - either reading or distance. THEN you ask for a copy of the prescription so that you can use it to buy glasses online. Without the pupillary distance measure, you're on your own to figure out that important piece to how your lenses should be made for your eyes.

I've had shitty optometrists refuse to do a pupillary distance measure ('we don't do that') unless I buy the glasses from them in which case they do magically do that since you can't order glasses without it (but still don't write it onto your prescription). Their glasses were $200 and up for basic ones vs. look at cheaper sources like zenni where you can get frames for much less if only you had that damned pupillary distance number for each eye, and zenni I think tries to help you by providing instructions on how to measure yourself which is still difficult. Good part is that once you have your measure for reading or for distance you can keep it safe and use it thereafter, unless in the future you come down with a disease that permanently bulges your eyes out crossed.

If you end up getting a prescription set. Look at zenni optical. Yeah a its fucking chinese company...

If you think the glasses you are going to buy at the optician are special, you should look into that iondustry, 2 companies, and everything is made in China.

Zenni can get you the cheapest pair of prescription glasses for 7 bucks or so, addons (polarization, transitions...) cost more just like at the optician.

I wore glasses till I got lasik and I used them extensively, had enough pairs of glasses lying around that I could change them with my clothes they were cheap enough. The only issue I ever had, was their frameless designs, feel like coke bottle think compared to other designs.

Mine have gone to shit over the past few years so I had to start using reading glasses. I found some 0.5 (and 0.75) for distance and semi-close, nice to not need prescription ones. I like these, in 0.5-6.0(amazon.com). I have pairs covering the range and switch based on how close I need good focus. My theory is that using the lowest power necessary is good, so my eye muscles still have to work. But not too low so they can't get focus and so have no motivation to try. I was using 1.25 but have dropped down to 0.50 and 0.75 more. Look for the "aviator" style, or just larger lenses in general, so you have less blocking of peripheral vision.