A one element glass lens made in quantity 10 could cost $200 per unit. That same lens made from injection molded plastic at volume 500,000 units could cost $0.20 per unit.
Pricing guidelines are design costs ranging from $1,500 to $75,000, tooling costs ranging from $0 to $30,000 per lens element, and lens production costs ranging from $0.20 to $75,000 per unit.