I have similar problems with contacts, Lisa. These may not be the best quality frames, but they are affordable and compared to some (esp the Vera Bradley line and one other higher end line), they are downright heavy duty. I was shocked at how flimsy some of the designer lines are.
I love rimless glasses, but they are not the most durable. I find the half rim ones last MUCH longer than the reg kind. The lens is held in wtih what looks like fishing line and it means the lens does not pop out. I had the last pair for at least four years and never once had to put a lens back in. If your frames do break, many optical places can fix them. I went in to look at new glasses and teh woman at the eyemart type place put a new earpiece on (temple is I think hte name, the part that goes back to your ear) and wouln't charge me even when I told herthat I was going to order online most likely. It was really nice.
You do have to take them to be adusted if you cannot adjust them yourself. One place here charges more for that than an eye exam! Needless to say, they are hurting BAD for business. I don't mind paying, but I do mind extortion for three min of work.
It does not matter how old the rx is when you order online. If you can still see out of them, and don't think you need an eye exam, you can use an older rx. You type the rx in yourself and you need to triple check it before you enter it. Then go back after the order is processed and make sure that it went through properly. My PD number somehow changed after I typed it and by actually going back a few hours later to verify I entered the right numbers, I was able to get them to fix it. there was no extra charge or wait, and no hassle.
If you want to use frames you have, many places offer relensing. You enter your info and get an order number, then mail in your frames. You get glasses in return.
Another tip through trial and error is that the thin and light lenses are not always the best choice. For the half rim and rimless glasses that I have had, the standard lens works better. They are not heavy like glass lenses bit the extra thickness means they are more sturdy. I had a pair of the thinnest lightest ones in rimless frames a few years back an they were great for about five months. Then they fell apart. The lens didn't give enough stability, in my opinion. I have had no such problems when I use the standard lens. (The standard progressive bifocal lenses were $33 I think on top of the frame charge.)
I also got a neat screwdriver with my rimless lenses. It has the reg flat and Phillips heads, and then two hex sockets to tighten the other part of the frames. It is on a keychain and very helpful already!
Frames from Goggles4U start at $6.95 and go up. They often have sales also. I have also used Zenni Optical but when I had a problem it took them over a month to send me their little kit iwth the screws and washers to put my rimless frames(in the thin lenses) back together. I had no other problems, but they do not have many sales that I have seen. They are also slow in shipping which can be a PITA. I would use them if they had a great deal, but not as first choice,Know what I mean??
If you want the lenses that get darker if it is bright outside, go for teh brand name. I used the not brand name and they not only did not get dark quickly, they didn't darken much at all. Just enough that I could not put sunglasses over them and still see. After a year they stopped getting lighter which was also annoying but as my rx had changed a lot, I just didn't get them again.
If you like clip on sunglasses, order extra pairs. They are inexpensive and will be the right shape for your glasses.
