you can get actual glass glasses, but typically only for unusual prescriptions.
It might vary by vendor, but you can definitely get real glass glasses for a normal prescription, if you pay for them. I think it’s sold as kind of a premium option.
At the place I got my last pair from, if you got half-frames (ie the ones that only have a solid frame around the top of the lenses) they made you get glass lenses, because the wire that goes along the bottom of the lense causes the plastic ones to split over time.
I couldn’t tell ya 🤷🏾♂️ it’s entirely possible that the risk of the lenses splitting was exaggerated to justify their requirement of buying the more expensive lenses with the half frames.
Unrelated, but when I was buying my glasses, I’d fallen in love with these half frames, but disappointedly told the tech I’d have to pick a different pair when she told me about the increased expense. (It wasn’t that much more, relatively speaking, but I already couldn’t afford the glasses, and had explained earlier that I was trying to do things as cheaply as possible). When she saw how upset I was over not being able to get the frames I really liked over an ultimately negligible amount of money, she gave me the glass lenses for the plastic lense price.
Had the same 10-years ago. They would also paint the exposed bottom half to match the frame, make the frosty bit camouflaged. Tried to get that again a few years later, same optometrist had no idea what I was on about.
It might vary by vendor, but you can definitely get real glass glasses for a normal prescription, if you pay for them. I think it’s sold as kind of a premium option.
At the place I got my last pair from, if you got half-frames (ie the ones that only have a solid frame around the top of the lenses) they made you get glass lenses, because the wire that goes along the bottom of the lense causes the plastic ones to split over time.
Odd, I have split frames with polycarbonate lenses; the little strap around the bottom is plastic.
I couldn’t tell ya 🤷🏾♂️ it’s entirely possible that the risk of the lenses splitting was exaggerated to justify their requirement of buying the more expensive lenses with the half frames.
Unrelated, but when I was buying my glasses, I’d fallen in love with these half frames, but disappointedly told the tech I’d have to pick a different pair when she told me about the increased expense. (It wasn’t that much more, relatively speaking, but I already couldn’t afford the glasses, and had explained earlier that I was trying to do things as cheaply as possible). When she saw how upset I was over not being able to get the frames I really liked over an ultimately negligible amount of money, she gave me the glass lenses for the plastic lense price.
Had the same 10-years ago. They would also paint the exposed bottom half to match the frame, make the frosty bit camouflaged. Tried to get that again a few years later, same optometrist had no idea what I was on about.