If eyes are the windows to the soul, then glasses are the telescopes that help us peer into the insidious souls of our neighbors. Upgrade soul-gazing equipment with today's Groupon: for $59, you get $225 toward prescription eyewear at Academy Eye Associates' Academy Road location in Durham.

Led by experienced optometrists such as Dr. Jennifer Powell, the staff at Academy Eye Associates works to match patients with the best lenses and frames available. A wide array of frames and diamond-encrusted monocles winks at perusing patrons, including designer choices by ProDesign and Ogi, as well as lens holders in larger collections such as the Tim Dilsen and Modern lines. General fitting and lens selection usually takes less than an hour with the aid of the clinic's licensed opticians, and prices for glasses range from $225–$410 with single-vision plastic lenses. Patients may opt for upgrades such as antireflective coating, no-line bifocals, photochromic lenses, and ultrathin lenses at an additional cost.

Academy Eye Associates also boasts a refracted array of specialty frames for tykes, athletes, and hardhat donners that leap joyfully onto matching heads. While admission to the academy does not require an appointment, a personal essay about your summer abroad is recommended. Prescriptions from other clinics within the past two years are welcome.