How to Buy Glasses Online: An Anecdotal Guide

I have worn glasses since I was 13. When I was a bit younger, about 8 or 9, I tried to fake poor vision just so my parents would buy me glasses, but of course it didn’t work. I’m not exactly sure why, but I always associated glasses with being smart or having an education, so I really wanted to wear them, as though they were some sort of fashion accessory that denoted IQ. After I was finally prescribed glasses a few years later for legitimate near sightedness, I went all out searching for the pair that would be mine. After my dad forked over $150+ dollars for my first pair, I began to realize that glasses were slightly more precious than I had first expected and that I wasn’t going to get a variety to use as a new fashion accessory after all. To this day, I still own and use that first pair of glasses. I am apparently one of those rare people who’s prescription doesn’t change much over the years, which is actually quite convenient for me. More impressive than that, though, I am one of those rare people who hasn’t broken or lost their glasses in over a decade. Of that fact, I am immensely proud! So, to change things up a bit for me, before I left for college my father bought me a second pair of glasses. These were frameless and even more expensive ($200+) and I was even more careful with them (yep, still have them too) because I knew they would also have to last me quite some time!

And it was quite some time before I purchased a new pair, nearly six years! But this time around, I wasn’t going to be forking over a few hundred bucks. In 2011, I was introduced to the brand Warby Parker. I was flabbergasted to find out that I could buy nice designer glasses online for under $100 for a complete pair of glasses with the lenses. So I signed myself up, tested a few pairs with their home try on option and placed my order! It’s been a few years since this last experience, and I recently found myself hankering for a new style of glasses yet again, when I came across a YouTube video reviewing some different online options including Warby Parker and another online eyeglass shop called Eye Buy Direct. It piqued my interest, so I went to their website and found a few frames I thought would look good on me and without even giving it too much thought, I went ahead and placed an order for two new pairs, both costing me about $100 total!

I have always gotten a lot of questions asking me about my glasses, but I think people are even more curious when they find out I bought them online. Traditionally, buying glasses has been an in-person experience where you would try on frames in a store but the online landscape has really challenged that system. So, I thought I would go ahead and give you all my tips for buying glasses online, providing insights from my experience and some tips and tricks that may help you if you are looking to buy online and save yourself some money!

Know what you’re looking for

Whenever you’re buying an item online, I would suggest knowing what you’re looking for. The problem with browsing online is that you really don’t get much of a sense of a product or item just from looking at pictures. I think this is particularly when looking for glasses online because if you’re not sure what you’re looking for in terms of color, size, shape, you may end up falling for a pair of glasses that just aren’t practical for you and your needs, no matter how cool they look online. Remember, many online eyeglass shops offer very limited terms on returns. This is how they help keep costs down for the end-user, but you need to be very deliberate about what you’re ordering because eyeglasses are a custom item. Think about the style of frame you are looking for, the color, size and lens shape to help make your search easier and more specific.

Try before you buy

Like I mentioned above, Warby Parker, as well as some other online eyewear shops, give you the opportunity to try on their glasses before you purchase them for free. In these situations, you choose the frames you are interested in, provide a credit card for security purposes, and then the company ships the glasses to you to try on. These home try on scenarios usually have a limited time period for you to try the items before sending them back so make sure you are aware of your time limit before requesting a home try on. I highly suggest using the home try on feature when available as it’s very helpful to be able to test out the glasses before you make a purchase, however, not all eyewear sites give you this option. Some sites instead offer a virtual try on where you can upload an image of yourself and see an image of the glasses superimposed on your picture. Although this isn’t the most foolproof way of testing glasses, it can help you see yourself in the glasses. I suggest if you are going to use this feature that you take a picture of yourself head on in strong natural lighting so that you get the most realistic portrayal of yourself possible. Finally, if you do not have a home try on option and you are not sure about the virtual try on option, I suggest visiting a local eyewear retailer to test out glasses similar to ones you may be eyeing online. Most online eyewear retailers provide a front and side view of their glasses with the dimensions. If you print this out and bring it into an eyeglass shop, they should be able to help you find something similar to try on in their store so that you can get an idea of what the glasses will look like on you. Also, if you happen to see something in store that you like, I recommend taking down the model number and brand information of the glasses. When you get home you can research the dimensions of the glasses and you may be able to find the same glasses or a similar off brand style through an online retailer!

Understand your options

In my experience, shopping online for glasses is inexpensive and easy, but you need to understand what you’re getting from some of these online deals. For example, Eye Buy Direct offers glasses as low as $6 for a complete pair, but that includes the frame and single vision lenses with very little bells and whistles. You pay extra for bifocals, progressives and other types of lenses, as well as UV, scratch resistant and water-resistant coatings. Even Warby Parker has upgrades for lenses and certain extras you may get looped into paying if you have a very strong prescription for glasses. These are the sorts of things you need to understand before you make a purchase. Online retailers may wheel you in with an unbelievably low deal, but in reality, most people who wear glasses may require certain extras that will raise the price of the purchase. I’m not saying that online retailers are sketchy and you shouldn’t trust them, I am just saying that you show know this before you go in so you understand the pricing structure and what you are willing to pay.

Have your correct vision Rx information on hand

One of the major parts of ordering prescription glasses online is knowing your current vision prescription! Warby Parker is a great site because you can give them the information for your eye doctor and they will call them up and make sure they get your most current information so you don’t feel pressured or make a mistake filling out your online order form, but not all sites do that. I suggest looking at the sites you may want to buy from and see the prescription information they need so that you are familiar with the information before calling your eye doctor. For most sites you will need your prescription as well as your pupillary distance (aka PD). If you are going to the optometrist before placing your order, print out the order page from the site you are interested in using (or sites) and show them so that they give you all the information you need!

Experiment

Glasses are a necessary tool that many of us need to get through life but they also are a great way to show your personal style, and with the low prices that many online eyewear retailers advertise, taking a risk and going a little outside your comfort zone may be a fun experiment. Don’t be afraid to try a new trend or deviate from your usual frame shape. If worse comes to worse if you don’t like the style they can become a backup pair.