At the most affordable spectacle shops in Singapore, a complete pair of prescription glasses starts around S$39.90 at Foptics and S$98 at Owndays in 2026, with both prices already including the lenses. Below those, online sellers and 1-for-1 promotions push the cost per pair lower again; above them, branded frames and progressive or photochromic lenses can easily run past S$300. The number on the frame is rarely the number you pay, because lens index, coatings and progressive add-ons sit on top. This guide gives you the real 2026 prices at the main budget chains, shows which lens upgrades actually earn their cost, and points out the free eye tests and CDC vouchers that quietly lower the bill. With 83 percent of young Singaporean adults short-sighted, this is a recurring cost worth getting right rather than overpaying on autopilot.
Spectacles are priced as a frame plus a lens, and the affordable chains bundle them into one number. The all-in entry prices below are current for 2026 and assume a standard single-vision prescription. Anything fancier, such as progressive lenses or photochromic coatings, is an add-on, so treat the starting price as the floor, not the final bill.
Foptics is the cheapest brick-and-mortar option at S$39.90 for a complete pair with a 1.56 or 1.60 single-vision lens. Owndays runs a flat-price model from S$98 that already includes high-index aspheric lenses at no extra charge, regardless of your degree. Eyecon Optical splits its pricing, with frames from S$35 and prescription lenses from S$19.80, so a basic pair lands around S$54.80. Lenskart leans on a Gold Max membership and 1-for-1 deals, which only beats the others if you buy in even numbers.
Every figure here carries 9 percent GST, since Singapore's GST rate has been 9 percent since January 2024 and Budget 2026 kept it there. Reputable optical shops show GST-inclusive prices, so the sticker is what you tap. If a quote looks suspiciously low, check whether GST and the lens are actually included before you commit.
| Shop | From (S$) | What the entry price includes |
|---|---|---|
| Foptics | 39.90 | Frame plus 1.56/1.60 single-vision lens |
| Eyecon Optical | 54.80 | Frame from 35 plus lens from 19.80 |
| New China Opticians | 80 | Frame plus prescription lens, eye check included |
| Owndays | 98 | Frame plus high-index aspheric lens, any power |
| Zoff | 98 | Frame plus standard lens set |
| Lenskart | 60 onwards | Single pair; cheaper per pair with 1-for-1 membership |
| SmartBuyGlasses (online) | 12 onwards | Frame only; prescription lenses added on top |
The biggest hidden cost in glasses is the lens, and shops handle it two different ways. Knowing which model you are buying into tells you whether the advertised price is honest.
Owndays uses a flat-price model. The number on the frame is what you pay, and it already includes thinned high-index lenses up to 1.67, so a person with a strong degree pays the same as someone with a mild one. That removes the classic upsell where a thin lens for a high prescription quietly doubles the bill. Foptics and most independents use a tiered model: a low base price, then charges for thinner lenses, blue-light coating or progressives stacked on top.
Neither is automatically cheaper. For a mild prescription, a tiered shop like Foptics at S$39.90 wins outright. For a strong prescription where you would otherwise pay for high-index thinning, the flat S$98 at Owndays can end up cheaper than a budget base price plus a thinning surcharge. Ask for the all-in quote with your actual prescription before comparing, because base prices alone mislead. The personal budget calculator helps you slot a recurring cost like this into your spending without raiding your emergency fund.
Lens add-ons are where an affordable pair turns expensive, and where shops make their margin. Some upgrades are genuinely useful; others are sold harder than they deserve. Here is the honest read for a young working adult staring at screens all day.
High-index thinning is worth it once your prescription passes roughly -4.00 dioptres, because standard lenses get thick and heavy. Below that, the default index is fine and the upgrade is cosmetic. Anti-glare (anti-reflective) coating is cheap, often included, and genuinely reduces reflections, so take it. Blue-light coating is the most over-sold: there is no strong clinical evidence it prevents eye strain or protects the retina, and at Owndays it costs S$200 on top, so it is rarely worth the money unless you specifically like the slight tint. Progressive lenses, which you need once long-sightedness sets in around your forties, are a real cost: from S$159.90 all-in at Foptics, or a S$100 add-on at Owndays. Photochromic lenses that darken in sunlight (Transitions) run S$300 or more at Owndays and are a convenience, not a necessity.
The rule of thumb: pay for what fixes a real problem (thinning for a strong degree, progressives when you actually need them), and skip coatings sold on vague promises.
| Lens upgrade | Extra cost (S$) | Worth it? |
|---|---|---|
| High-index up to 1.67 | Included | Yes for strong degrees |
| Anti-glare coating | Usually included | Yes, take it |
| Ultra-thin 1.74 | +100 | Only for very high prescriptions |
| Progressive (Enhanced) | +100 | Yes when you need it |
| Blue-light coating | +200 | Weak evidence; usually skip |
| Photochromic (Transitions) | +300 | Convenience, not essential |
A correct prescription matters more than the frame. The wrong degree gives you headaches and replacements, which costs more than getting it right once. The good news is the basic test is often free.
Most optical chains, including Foptics and Owndays, give a complimentary in-store eye test when you buy glasses. That covers vision screening and refraction, which is all most people need for a new pair. A standalone test at an optical shop runs from about S$0 to S$50. A comprehensive eye-health exam at a private eye clinic, which checks eye pressure, the retina and the optic nerve, costs roughly S$100 to S$300.
Free in-store refraction is fine for routine glasses. Pay for a full clinical exam if you have symptoms, a family history of glaucoma, a very high prescription, or you simply have not had your eye health checked in years. Singapore has one of the highest myopia rates in the world, around 65 percent of children are short-sighted by Primary 6 and 83 percent of young adults are myopic, so high prescriptions and the conditions that come with them are common enough to take seriously.
Glasses are one of the few recurring costs you can pay for with government vouchers, because many optical shops are participating heartland merchants. That turns a chunk of the bill into a subsidy if you plan ahead.
Every Singaporean household received S$300 in CDC Vouchers for 2026 (January), claimable from 2 January 2026 and valid until 31 December 2026. It splits into S$150 for participating heartland merchants and hawkers, and S$150 for participating supermarkets. A further S$500 in CDC Vouchers 2026 (June) opened for claiming from 11 June 2026, split S$250 and S$250, and runs until 31 December 2027. Optical shops such as Foptics accept the heartland-merchant portion, so a S$150 voucher allocation can fully cover a basic pair of glasses with change to spare. You can also stack the in-store free eye test on top.
Check whether a shop accepts CDC vouchers before you go, since not every optical retailer is enrolled. You can verify participating merchants on the official GoWhere CDC voucher map. If you are budgeting a year ahead, treat the heartland-merchant allocation as money already earmarked for things like glasses, dental or groceries rather than letting it expire. For more on the scheme and what else it covers, see our CDC vouchers guide.
Buying glasses online looks cheaper on paper, with frames from a few dollars at SmartBuyGlasses and Lenskart promotions running deep discounts. The savings are real for sunglasses and second pairs, but prescription glasses carry a catch: fit and accuracy.
An ill-fitting frame or a lens centred on the wrong point of your eye causes strain and gets returned, which wipes out the saving and the time. For your main everyday pair, an in-store fitting where someone measures your pupillary distance and adjusts the frame is worth the slightly higher price. Online makes sense for a cheap backup pair, a spare for the gym, or sunglasses where the prescription tolerance is more forgiving.
A sensible setup for most people: one well-fitted main pair from an affordable chain at S$40 to S$100, plus a cheap online or 1-for-1 spare so you are never stranded when one breaks. That spreads the cost and gives you redundancy without paying premium prices twice.
Two pairs can share the same sticker price and still cost very differently over a year. The gap is the warranty and the free services attached, and a cheap pair with no protection can be the more expensive one once a frame snaps or a coating peels.
Owndays publishes the clearest terms among the budget chains. Frames carry a one-year warranty against manufacturing defects, lenses get a one-year visual-performance warranty with one free degree change if your vision feels off, and you get free lifetime fitting, cleaning and adjustment at any branch worldwide. If a child sits on the frame, the brand also offers a one-time replacement pair at 50 percent off within the first year. Foptics, at the bottom of the price ladder, gives a tighter deal: a six-month one-for-one exchange for manufacturing defects only, with all glasses strictly non-refundable and non-exchangeable otherwise, and prescription errors not covered.
Read the warranty the way you would read an insurance policy, since the same instinct applies. A defect warranty covers the shop's faults, not yours, so scratches from wiping with your shirt or a frame you stepped on usually fall outside it. The free degree change matters if your eyes are still settling, and the lifetime adjustment service quietly saves the cost of refitting every time a frame loosens. Weigh those when two quotes look close, the way you would compare an insurance plan's fine print rather than just its premium.
| Cover | Foptics | Owndays |
|---|---|---|
| Frame defect warranty | 6 months, 1-for-1 exchange | 1 year, repair or exchange |
| Lens degree change | Not covered | 1 free change within 1 year |
| Accidental damage | Not covered | 50% off one replacement within 1 year |
| Fitting and cleaning | In store | Free for life, any branch |
| Returns or refunds | Strictly none | Case by case, not for worn lenses |
Turnaround rarely shows up on a price tag, but it decides whether you walk out seeing clearly today or wait a week. It depends on your prescription and the lens you pick more than on the shop.
A simple single-vision pair in a common power can be cut on the spot at some heartland opticians, with shops like New China Opticians fitting glasses in well under an hour, eye check included. Online-led sellers run on a lab cycle instead: Foptics quotes three working days from when you submit your prescription before pickup or mail-out. Strong prescriptions, high-index thinning, progressives and photochromic lenses all add time, because those lenses are ordered or surfaced rather than held in stock. If you need glasses the same day, ask up front whether your exact prescription and lens are stocked, and keep an old pair as backup so a longer wait never leaves you squinting.
The cheapest pair of glasses is the one you do not have to rebuy. Frames last years if you treat them properly, and a stable prescription means you only swap lenses, not the whole pair.
Get your eyes checked every one to two years, or sooner if your vision blurs. Many shops will fit new lenses into your existing frame, which costs far less than a full new pair. Clean lenses with a microfibre cloth and proper spray rather than your shirt, which scratches coatings and forces early replacement. Store glasses in a hard case to avoid bent frames and cracked lenses.
Budget for glasses as a small recurring line, not a surprise. If you wear them daily, setting aside even S$10 a month covers a S$100 replacement pair every ten months with room for an eye test. That beats reaching for a credit card or skipping the test because the bill feels sudden. Tracking it alongside your other regular spending in the personal budget calculator keeps it from drifting into lifestyle inflation.
Foptics is the cheapest brick-and-mortar option, with a complete pair (frame plus standard single-vision lens) from S$39.90. Eyecon Optical works out to around S$54.80 (frame from S$35, lens from S$19.80). Online sellers and 1-for-1 promotions can go lower per pair, but fit and accuracy are harder to guarantee.
Yes. Owndays uses a flat-price model where the number on the frame is the all-in price and includes high-index aspheric lenses (up to 1.67) at no extra charge for any power. Add-ons like progressive (+S$100), blue-light coating (+S$200) or photochromic Transitions (+S$300) cost more, but standard single-vision lenses are included.
Yes, at participating optical shops such as Foptics. The 2026 (January) vouchers gave each household S$300 (S$150 for heartland merchants and hawkers, S$150 for supermarkets), valid until 31 December 2026. The June 2026 tranche added S$500. Spectacles are bought with the heartland-merchant portion. Confirm a shop's participation on the GoWhere CDC voucher map first.
Most chains, including Foptics and Owndays, give a free in-store eye test (vision screening and refraction) when you buy glasses. A standalone test at an optical shop runs about S$0 to S$50. A comprehensive eye-health exam at a private clinic, which checks eye pressure and the retina, costs roughly S$100 to S$300.
Usually not. There is no strong clinical evidence that blue-light coatings prevent eye strain or protect the retina, yet the add-on costs around S$200 at Owndays. If you spend long hours on screens, regular breaks, good lighting and the correct prescription help more. Pay for high-index thinning and progressives, which fix real problems, rather than blue-light coatings sold on vague promises.
Online is cheapest for spares, sunglasses and mild prescriptions, but for your main everyday pair an in-store fitting matters. A wrongly centred lens or an ill-fitting frame causes strain and returns that wipe out the saving. A good setup is one well-fitted main pair from an affordable chain plus a cheap online or 1-for-1 spare.
If you wear glasses daily, a realistic budget is one main pair every one to two years at S$40 to S$100, plus an occasional eye test. Setting aside roughly S$10 a month covers a replacement pair and a test without it feeling like a sudden expense. Replace just the lenses in your existing frame when only the prescription changes, since that costs far less than a whole new pair.
A simple single-vision pair in a common power can sometimes be ready the same hour at a heartland optician that cuts lenses in store. Online-led sellers such as Foptics quote around three working days from when you submit your prescription. Progressive, high-index thinned and photochromic lenses add time because they are ordered or surfaced rather than kept in stock, so ask up front if you need the glasses fast.
It varies, so check before you pay. Owndays gives a one-year frame warranty against defects, a one-time free lens degree change within a year, 50 percent off one replacement if you damage the glasses, and free lifetime fitting and cleaning. Foptics offers a six-month one-for-one exchange for manufacturing defects only and is otherwise strictly non-refundable. Warranties cover the shop's faults, not your own scratches or a frame you stepped on.
Cheap, well-fitted glasses are fine for correcting a child's vision, but a fast-rising prescription is a separate issue. Singapore has one of the world's highest childhood myopia rates, and progression can be slowed with options like low-dose atropine eye drops or overnight Ortho-K lenses prescribed by an eye specialist. Those are clinical treatments, not optical-shop add-ons, so see an optometrist or eye clinic about myopia control rather than only buying a new pair each time the degree climbs.
This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change — verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.