I saw a girl with the most adorable glasses earlier this week, and since I'm going to be buying a pair soon, I asked her which of the eyeglass shops she went to locally. She didn't! She said she spent less than $20 though an online prescription eyeglass place called www.zennioptical.com. I went there and found the exact frames she was wearing at the price she said!

 I haven't bought through them, but this girl was very enthused, and $20 is so much less money than the $100 I typically shell out for almost the same thing.

Has anyone here had experiences buying prescription eyeglasses online, positive or negative?

I wear glasses for astigmatism, and based on my experiences with opticians, I would advise against buying them online. Here's why:

1. You need to try on the frames first to see if they fit your head, if the arms are long enough to go comfortably behind your ears, and if they just plain look good on you.

2. Any optician who knows what he/she is doing will measure your eyes before they make the lenses. They need to measure how far apart your pupils are so the lenses refract in the right place. (I don't know all the proper lingo, but I know my optician makes several measurements to cut the lenses right.)

3. When your glasses are finished, the optician will need to fine-tune the fit. He/she will adjust the arms, make sure you can actually see better, and that they got the prescription right.

I have never shopped for glasses online. As I have a family history of eye disease, I see an ophthalmologist and feel my eyesight is worth the extra money to get my glasses fitted right.

That being said, my hubbie wears reading glasses. The best glasses he ever found were straight off the rack at the nearest drugstore. He paid $10.00 for them, and they fit him the best and give him the magnification he finds most comfortable. Any honest optician will tell you that if a dollar-store pair of reading glasses work for you, get them--the magnification is what they are made for, nothing more or less.

Good luck to you. If you do decide to buy online, share your experience! I'm curious...

Stacie

I agree with Stacie. There's more to it than just finding cute eyewear. Eyes and glasses need to be handled professionally and include a good contract and warranty.

I can understand the argument about the physical fit of the arms which would almost have to be done in person. But I don't understand the other argument. Why wouldn't it work if the online company was given the prescription?

 DH and I recently had this conversation. We wondered if your eye Dr could measure your pupils and give you that info to order. Our eye Dr doesnt sell glasses so it wouldnt be taking money from him. Babs

I can only offer my experience. I just bought a new pair this year with a special coating. At first everything was fine and then everything looked fuzzy. Turns out the coating crackled on the lenses and had to be re-done. Its much easier if you can go in and talk to someone directly and find out whether the problem is with your glasses or with your eyes. I'm diabetic, so my "fuzzy problem" could have been me. If my eyes had suddenly changed, they could check right there where I got the glasses. I also switch between three pairs of glasses: regular bifocals, my sunglasses and my computer/reading/needlework glasses. Every time you move your glasses around, they tend to loosen quicker and get distorted. I go to Empire Vision and have always been able to get on the spot adjustments on a walk in basis. I'm not sure what the repair and adjustment protocol would be for an on-line purchase. Hope this helps.

 Hi ... While my one daughter has a local doctor, she always has her contact order filled at an online place (cannot remember right now) because it is so much cheaper and free shipping, too. The office has no problem with this and have been very helpful in the process. She received her product and has had no problems with these transactions either. Also, I do this with animal medication for my cat with severe asthma. You could always give the company a try, if you are not satisfied, just return the glasses (after reading their policy, of course). Let us know ...

I met a second woman a few days ago who said she bought her glasses from this online company and was really pleased. I asked about the measurements, and she said that when you place an order, part of the order form is for measurements. The website carefully explains how to measure yourself. Again, I haven't tried them, but both of these women wear prescription glasses and were near-jubiliant about this company.

 LensesRX.com is another great site to order prescription framesand contact lenses from.  They have a huge variety of frames to choose from for men, women and children, including rimless and bifocals. A free pair of frames comes with most packages and free shipping is offered for all orders.  It's much easier to buy prescription frames from this site than at other optical stores.  

www.lensesrx.com

I've never bought glasses online before.  However I do agree w/the other posters that you'll want to make sure that you really take good measurements and whatnot before placing the order.  What if you order them and they don't work for you and the company says it's your error due to inaccurate meausrements and refuses a refund?  I'd check into that personally before making any decision.