Order Glasses Online

It still amazes me that it's possible to order glasses online. Growing up, buying a new pair of glasses was always a very personal experience. Not only did you have to go to the optometrist to get your eyes checked, but then you had to pick out frames based on what he or she had in stock!

Of course, my father had eye care insurance from work way back when. I don't know if that was common during the time or not, but it certainly doesn't seem to be a common situation now! And along with the loss of optometry insurance, the price of frames and lenses has only gone up! At least, in traditional brick and mortar stores. My prescription is quite high (-6/-6.5) which means that I have to pay out the nose for high index lenses.

This year, the budget is tighter than ever, and I desperately need to buy new eyeglasses. Now, luckily, the timing is good because at the end of the year most local stores run huge sales to get rid of their current stock so they can make way for next year's frames. However, I'm not one to simply roll over and believe that the sale is worthwhile until I do my homework. So, I got to querying my favorite search engine and found some great deals.

Did you know that you can order designer frames online? It's true! I've found some sweet Vogue frames for literally half the store price by searching online. While I'm probably not going to buy the Vogue frames (I found a pair of Thalia's that looks better with my face shape- I also found those frames at half price, brand new), I certainly found quite a few websites that cater to the designer crowd. Lenses seem to run approximately the same as in a traditional optometrist's store, maybe a little less, but the savings on frames alone is well worth ordering eyeglasses online. The selection, however, is the best reason.

Think about it. If you go to your local mall and there's, say, 4-6 optometrists, each will have 100-300 frames to choose from. Of those 300 frames, probably 200 of them will be duplicates of what the other optometrists have available. However, if you search for glasses online, you'll find sometimes thousands of models (to be fair, this number usually includes color options) on each website. And, you'll pay less for them.

With so many options available, you'll still have to decide where to order glasses online. After all, you don't have just a large selection to choose from, you'll also need to decide what quality you need and how much you're willing to pay for it.

For example, if you need your glasses every day and you just want a pair of professional looking eyeglasses, you'll want to shop at a website that sells professional looking and/or designer frames. You'll also want the website to offer quality lenses if you don't plan to take your new frames into an optometrist to have them fitted. FramesDirect is a website that I feel offers a quality selection, and while appearances can be deceiving, they do appear to be professional. They offer lenses in many styles including very high index (very thin) lenses, progressive lenses, bifocals, and prescription sunglasses lenses among other options.

If, however, you only need your glasses occasionally, or you're shopping for a back up pair, or you simply want something a little more fun, funky, or trendy, your options are actually a lot cheaper! You can order rx sunglasses online as well as regular prescription glasses, and you can order them for as little as $8. I kid you not. There are several websites that offer $8 glasses including lenses. One such site is ZenniOptical which has some truly ugly frames. However, they do have a decent selection of cute or trendy glasses, and even a few normal looking frames. Special lenses have an extra charge, and frames do go up to around $50, though most fall within $12-$30 range. Special lenses start at about $5 extra and go up to around $40 extra. So, at the most expensive options, you're likely still under $100, and most will cost considerably less.

The great thing is, Zenni isn't the only option for buying $8 glasses online- EyeBuyDirect has almost identical prices, but their frames are much more normal. You won't get as big of a laugh while browsing through their selections, but you are more likely to find glasses that you won't be embarrassed to be seen in!

Click these links to order glasses online*:

FramesDirect

5% off any EyeBuyDirect order! Code: EYEBUYPROMO

So, you've decided that you want to order glasses online, but you don't know how to order glasses online, right? I didn't either, but I do now!

First of all, you'll need your prescription. Since you'll be inputting all the information yourself online, or telling it to a customer service rep over the phone, make sure that you can read all the information (all doctors seem to have horrid handwriting, no matter their specialty), and that all the fields are filled out. You will definitely need your sphere strength (this involves your distance vision- it should have a plus (+) or minus (-) in front of a number. Mine, for example, is -6/-6.5, this means that while my vision is quite bad in both eyes, one eye is worse than the other. You'll need to know which number belongs with which eye.

If you have an astigmatism, you'll also have a cylinder number (how bad the astigmatism is), and an axis number (where the astigmatism is). You'll also need to know your pupillary distance- this can be measured at home, but it's much better to be totally accurate and get it directly from the doctor. If it comes right down to it, you may need to tell your doctor that you'll be ordering your glasses online, and so you need all the information written down for you. It is your prescription- a medical record- so you have every legal right to it.

Next, you'll need to pick out your frames. You can do this by browsing the websites, or you can do what I did. I went to several optometrists (at the mall, so that they were closed but the frames were still on display to be tried on- much less sales pressure that way since you can't get your eye exam, right?) and tried on every frame that interested me. Every time I found a frame I liked, I jotted down the model number and/or name of the glasses and came home and Googled them. For example, my favorite frames were the Vogue VO 3692 and the Thalia "Sueno" frames. I rather liked a frame by Architect, but I decided rather quickly that the other two were much more flattering.

Each website seems to take their orders a little differently, but most need the same information. All of your prescription information, special types of lenses (bifocal, progressive, high index, etc), whether you want the lenses tinted or treated to darken in sunlight, and the size of the frames.

Don't panic! If you already have a pair of frames that fit you well, simply pull them off your face and look for numbers on the inner part of the frame. My frame size is 49 16 135. I have those 3 sets of numbers at the inside part of my left temple, and 49 16 is also on the back of the bridge of my frames. If you don't have good fitting frames, truck on back to the shops, find the frames you like that fit, and jot down the numbers on those.

Most frames only come in one or two sizes, it seems to be a standardized thing. Now I know that any frames using the numbers 49 16 135 will fit my face well. Once you find your frame size, all you have to worry about is whether or not they're flattering!

To comply with the new FTC regulations, I must tell you that clicking those links will take you to the websites that I stated. I have not actually ordered from either website, but I have searched them thoroughly in case I could find a better deal than my local optometrist's sale. If you click either link and then purchase an item within a certain number of days, I will receive a small commission. This will in no way raise the cost to you, and it's a nice way to say "Thank you, Vixen, for showing me how to order glasses online!"