eye exams: I used to pay the optometrist $153 ($117 refraction + $36 dilation). I later found out that Costco often has an optometrist on site in a tiny office and will charge just $59 (and add +$20 for dilation). That's less than half the cost of most other optometrists.
frames: switched to Zenni online to avoid the LensCrafters/Pearle/Eyemasters and their heavy markups.
Yes, some people don't like ordering online frames because they can't "try them on". If that's a deal breaker, consider going to Costco and see if you like any of their frames. Costco's total price will be about half of the dedicated eyewear chains. If you can't find anything among Costco's selection of frames, I'm afraid you'll be stuck with the Luxoticca monopoly and pay high prices.
I know some folks recommend Warby Parker but last time I checked, they cost more than Costco.