Eyeglasses in Australia are hugely over priced

A recent podcast from Freakonomics titled Why do your Eyeglasses cost $1,000? explains the EssilorLuxottica monopoly we face here in Australia as well as the US.  Their markups are described by one analyst as "obscene". They mention Warby Parker as a possible monopoly breaker but sadly they don't seem to have come to Australia.

My prescription is relatively complex with astigmatism and I've paid $800 for progressive lenses and $300 for computer distance reading glasses.

Despite efforts by eye testers I've been able to get a copy of my prescription and recently ordered some new reading glasses from Zenottic in China for $55 (plus $10 shipping). They are perfect and the frames seem as good as any in the local shops.

I think it's a scandal that we pay 5 times the price, or more, to buy locally. It does take some care to get the prescription down correctly as well as inter-ocular distance but once I got it right I'm able to cheaply get additional pairs.

Note that EssilorLuxottica owns Sunglass Hut, OPSM, Oakley, Ray-Ban, LensCrafters and many more.