If I had a quarter for every time one of my customers turned up their nose at aftermarket replacement lenses, I’d be a much richer optician. I’m here to tell you why branded replacement Oakley lenses, replacement Ray Ban lenses, and other branded designer replacement sunglass lenses just aren’t worth your money. Really.

They’re all made by the same company. You think Ray Bans are better than Oakleys? Are Dolce and Gabbana better than Prada? You’re kidding yourself, because (spoiler alert!) they’re all the same. Luxottica, an Italian manufacturer, makes the sunglasses for Burberry, Chanel, Polo Ralph Lauren, Paul Smith, Stella McCartney, Tiffany, Versace, Vogue, Persol, Miu Miu, Tory Burch, and Donna Karan, and it owns several brands, including Ray-Ban, Oakley, Oliver Peoples, and REVO.

Even the retailers are in on it. Luxottica also owns LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, and Sunglass Hut, so the same company is getting the markup, too, and those markups are substantial. The company makes a gross profit of 64 cents on the dollar, which is a pretty solid profit margin.

The cost doesn’t go to quality. When you pay for designer sunglass lenses instead of aftermarket replacement lenses, you’re paying for brand, not quality. UV protection is the most important aspect of your lenses, and the technology to provide it isn’t very expensive.

So what’s the difference? Designer replacement lenses will run you about $100, while aftermarket replacement lenses are usually closer to about $30. It’s not that Luxottica is a bad company. The lenses it produces are just fine, but when you compare them to less expensive options, they’re more or less the same. Is that tiny little logo in the corner worth your $70?

In fairness, I’ve talked to plenty of customers who have listened to my spiel, and don’t mind paying a lot more for the privilege of having a logo painted onto their lenses. Really, it’s not my business. If it were me, though, I’d save the $70 and take my wife out to dinner.