It's a bit disingenuous to compare these $1 wire glasses to glasses you would buy from an Optometrist.
There are some very clear and distinct differences.
Yes, there is a lot of bloat in prescription glasses pricing, but it's not 99% bloat (ie. it's not a $1 cost-to-manufacturer product being sold to you).
Frames are overly expensive, but a trivial comparison will reveal most frames are a lot more sturdy/well-constructed than a simple 18awg wire bent into shape.
The real expense is the lenses, and their coatings. The lenses in the $1 glasses surely cannot have anti-glare/fog/scratch/shatter coatings, otherwise the lenses alone would cost far more than $1! Also, the quality of manufacturing plays an important role, as other HNers have pointed out (the precision shape of the lenses, etc.).
The real "meat" of this thing isn't to highlight how over-priced prescription glasses are, it's to showcase a well intentioned charity that's providing clear vision to people who would not be able to get it any other way. These people will accept less quality, because the alternative is not being able to see. The $1 donation price-point enables a wider range of folks to be able to donate, which feeds the cycle.
There are some very clear and distinct differences.
Yes, there is a lot of bloat in prescription glasses pricing, but it's not 99% bloat (ie. it's not a $1 cost-to-manufacturer product being sold to you).
Frames are overly expensive, but a trivial comparison will reveal most frames are a lot more sturdy/well-constructed than a simple 18awg wire bent into shape.
The real expense is the lenses, and their coatings. The lenses in the $1 glasses surely cannot have anti-glare/fog/scratch/shatter coatings, otherwise the lenses alone would cost far more than $1! Also, the quality of manufacturing plays an important role, as other HNers have pointed out (the precision shape of the lenses, etc.).
The real "meat" of this thing isn't to highlight how over-priced prescription glasses are, it's to showcase a well intentioned charity that's providing clear vision to people who would not be able to get it any other way. These people will accept less quality, because the alternative is not being able to see. The $1 donation price-point enables a wider range of folks to be able to donate, which feeds the cycle.