I Switched from $20 Glasses to $49 Mozaer: Here's What Happened

If you wear reading glasses, you know the struggle. You're always looking for a quick fix. Maybe you search for reader sunglasses near me when you're in a hurry. You buy cheap pairs online. They seem great at first, but they always let you down.

I wasted years trying to save $30 on eyewear. I always ended up with broken frames, dizzy spells, or endless customer service issues. I finally decided to upgrade. I went from spending $20 to spending $49. The difference has been enormous.

Stage 1: The Cheap Phase ($15-$25)

My first pair cost $20. They lasted three weeks. They were made of flimsy plastic, and the lenses felt like they came from a toy store. When I bought cheap, I worried about two main things: quality and fit.

The fit was the real nightmare. I learned the hard way that budget companies often skip critical steps. If you buy glasses online, you need your Pupillary Distance (PD). PD is the distance between your pupils. If this measurement is off, the lenses are useless. They cause headaches and blurry vision.

The cheap website didn't ask for my PD. They just assumed a standard value of 62. That number is wrong for many people—it was wrong for me. I tried to get it fixed, but I could never reach an actual person.

• You can't reach a human on the phone.
• Emails take days to get a response.
• The process is too slow if the glasses are incorrect.

Verdict: Super cheap glasses are a gamble. The risk of poor vision and terrible service isn't worth saving $30.

Stage 2: The Mid-Range Phase ($30-$40)

I upgraded to $40 glasses. The frames were better quality—they were... fine. They didn't break in three weeks. But the buying experience was still frustrating. I kept searching for better options like reader sunglasses near me, only to return to the same cheap online stores.

When I had an issue with the lenses (the prescription was slightly off), the exchange process was a major headache. Keep this in mind:

1. You must send your current glasses back first.
2. They wait to receive your return.
3. Only then do they start working on your replacement.

This means you're without glasses while you wait. The replacement takes weeks because email communication is painfully slow. Each reply takes two days, making you feel like you're starting the conversation over every time.

I needed multifocal progressive lenses. Getting these right requires extreme accuracy. The mid-range companies simply didn't have the quality control or customer support to handle complex prescriptions well.