Most of the biggest retailers in the country have managed to grow as large as they have by providing more options than their customers would usually expect from them.
In fact, one such offering is vision care and optometrist services at Costco. However, if you’re wondering whether Costco goes beyond checkups and put lenses in frames, read on to find out!
Will Costco Put Lenses in My Frames In 2024?
Costco will put lenses in your frames at its Costco Optical locations, some of which are called Costco Vision Centers in 2024. There are currently more than 500 Costco Optical locations, all of which can put lenses in your frames. At Costco Optical, you can buy frames and have associates install lenses in them using your prescription.
Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about getting lenses in your frames at Costco, including how much it costs, what else you can get, and more!
Will Costco Put Lenses in My Own Frames?
You don’t always have to buy frames from Costco to get lenses put in. If you go to Costco Optical with your own frames, the staff could put lenses in, but only under certain conditions.
It’s up to the staff at the location, but Costco will only put lenses in your own frames if they’re still good.
Will Costco Put New Lenses in My Old Frames?
As stated above, Costco employees will put lenses in your frames if they’re in good condition, though they’re less likely to do this for old frames.
If you take your old frames to Costco for lenses, you could be turned down, as old frames are likely to fall apart and have the lens fall out, damaging your glasses in the process.
If something like this were to happen in a potentially dangerous situation like crossing the road, it would be even worse.
Working with old frames is also difficult because they could break when the staff is handling them, which could bring up some liability issues.
If you get your lenses fitted and put into frames with a design that’s no longer common but they break, you could end up having to wait longer than usual to get frames that fit those lenses.
We’ve found some reports where customers have said that some Costco Optical employees will not put lenses in old frames instead encourages you to pick up new ones while you’re there.
How Much Does It Cost to Put Lenses in Frames at Costco?
It costs about $184 to put lenses in frames at Costco Optical when you’re getting prescription eyewear.
This is the average cost calculated from what most people paid at the locations, but it varies greatly depending on which options you get, as we’ll examine below.
Does Costco Just Replace Lenses?
Costco does not just replace lenses. The company is a major retailer with a focus on several products and services, but when it comes to Costco Optical, you’re also offered the following:
- Contact lenses
- Sunglasses
- Universal fit frames
- Eye exams
- Anti-reflective treatment for lenses
- Progressive lenses
- Polarized lenses
- Photochromic lenses
- Multifunctional lenses
- Eye care products like eye drops
Are Costco Eyeglass Lenses Good?
Based on the information we could find from ordinary customers, Costco eyeglass lenses aren’t bad, but they’re average in quality.
One Reddit thread on the quality of Costco eyeglass lenses features reports from customers who say they had to go back and keep working on their lenses until they got it right.
Even though the lenses were being made as required by the prescriptions, there were other factors at play, such as how the glasses fit the wearer which affected how effective they were.
Going by this information, it’s advisable for you to go to Costco if you have time to spare, i.e. it’s not urgent or if it’s a backup pair of glasses.
Does Costco Offer Contact Lens Fitting?
Costco does offer contact lens fitting through the Costco Optical division. In fact, one Reddit user said that the contact fitting exam at Costco is free.
Costco does contact lens fitting for the following brands of contact lenses:
- Acuvue
- Air Optix
- Avaira
- Biofinity
- Bio True
- Clariti
- Dailies
- Freshlook
- Infuse
- Kirkland
- MyDay
- Optima
- Precision1
- Proclear
- Purevision
- Soflens
- Ultra
- Ultraflex
To get a contact lens fitting exam at Costco, schedule one through the warehouse locator, which finds the closest warehouse in your area.
To know more, you can also read our posts on things to know before visiting Costco optical, does Costco optical take insurance, and does Costco repairs glasses.
Conclusion
Costco will put lenses in your frames if you buy them from Costco or you brought them in, but only if they’re still in good condition and aren’t too old. Costco will likely refuse to put lenses in old frames because they’re harder to work with.
It costs an average of $184 to put lenses in frames at Costco, but this depends on factors like how common your prescription is, what kind of frames you have, and more.
