eyeglasses for $8

It is the summer and many folks in my state are now required to take their school aged children to the eye doctor.

To those of us on a budget, this strikes fear. I mean glasses and kids don't mix, right? They are expensive, and frequently get broken or lost.

Many parents ask of this new law: is it really about the kids or did the eye doctors lobby?

Well, politics aside, kids do need their eyes to be in tip-top condition in order to do well in school. Eyesight affects reading, math, following written instructions on the board, eye-hand coordination, and social skills. I can't tell you how many of my colleagues have mentioned a child struggling in school made a complete turn-around once they got glasses.

But back to the cost: it's prohibitive. Vision insurance is a joke. It's not really insurance, it's a small discount off the HUGE marked up prices in eye doctor's offices.

But I have found Zenni Optical and let me tell you, they are a godsend. I have spent hundreds of dollars on prescription eyeglasses and am always holding my breath for when that pair breaks or gets lost. But Zenni is an online store where you can get prescription eyeglasses for as little as $8!! NO KIDDING!

What's the catch? You do need a valid prescription with the "pupilary distance", which means the distance between your pupils. Your eye doctor may not put this on the prescription, so just make sure you ask or call for that number before you order your glasses.

But otherwise no catch. Check out these cute glasses for a little boy:





These are just USD $12.95 plus $4.95 shipping! I am serious. Please let me know what you think or if you've tried Zenni. With this economy, they have my business!

Note: this is a paid post, please see my disclosure policy below if you have questions about that.