Specialist opticians and chains

More insight when buying new glasses

The domestic eyewear market is highly competitive. Pearle, Fielmann, Hartlauer and many specialist stores are therefore luring their customers with service and insurance to curb the high costs. The "Krone" knows how badly Austrians really see. 

New glasses are expensive. "Prices vary greatly," says optician spokesman Markus Gschweidl. The average price for varifocal models is currently 552 euros, while bills of over 1500 euros are not uncommon for special lenses and luxury frames. According to a recent study, 2.3 million pairs of glasses are sold in Germany every year. Chain stores already have a 60 percent market share in terms of the number of items, whereas online has shrunk to seven percent.