Why are glasses so expensive?
One reason: the manufacturing and materials used to create eyeglasses frames manufacturers’s eyeglasses. It’s true that frames and lenses are manufactured better today than they were 30 years ago. Additionally, when it comes to lenses for those frames, there are many upgrade options that promise (and often deliver) a better experience.

But is the improved quality really that much more expensive to produce? Does “excellent quality” justify why a pair of off-the-shelf frames with prescription lenses can cost $400, $600, $800 or more? Even if the quality is really that much better, today’s manufacturing capabilities should be able to improve quality and reduce manufacturing costs, right?

Whether by design or necessity (or both) glasses and sunglasses have absolutely become an accessory in addition to being simply a functional device. They used to be called “spectacles,” but not anymore. Now, the preferred term among manufacturers and retail stores is “eyewear.” Doesn’t eyewear sound SO much better and in fashion than spectacles?!

The fashion component of the frames that surround eyeglasses and sunglasses is another reason eyewear costs are high. The more frequently certain frames are worn by famous musicians and Hollywood stars, the more they are “worth,” right?

So, why is eyewear so expensive?
Improved design, structure, materials, manufacturer expertise, and the “fashion factor” may not be the whole story. The entire answer is more complex. One of the lesser-known realities of the eyeglasses frames factory's eyeglasses industry is that it is less of a “free market” than most people realize.