How to buy your next pair of glasses online
The purpose of this article is simply to describe what you need to do to buy your first pair of glasses online. I won’t be recommending any particular retailers, as you can find that information in several of my other articles and also check out the links to the right of this page. Buying glasses online seems daunting at first. If you’re like me, buying and fitting prescription glasses has always seemed like a complex procedure best left to the professionals. The truth is, if you know your prescription and have your existing prescription glasses on hand, it’s pretty simple to buy glasses online.
The seven critical numbers
First, find your current prescription. I keep mine in the health file in my filing cabinet. If you can’t find your prescription, visit the last place you had your eye exam and ask for a copy. Your optician, optometrist, or ophthalmologist is required by law to disclose your eyeglass prescription to you. Now you need to take note of some critical facts about your recipe (see example above – click to enlarge). Among other information, you should see three columns in your prescription: sphere, cylinder, and axis.
In the example above, these are abbreviated SPH. CYL. and AXIS. These three columns will have two rows, Right and Left. In the prescription above, this is simply abbreviated as R and L. Instead, many doctors use the Latin abbreviations, which are OD and OS. OD means right eye and OS means left eye. Jot down a quick copy of all six numbers or just have your prescription handy. These six critical numbers define how your lens will be cut. Any online eyewear retailer will ask you to enter these six numbers.
In addition to these six numbers, there is one more critical number, the pupillary distance, or PD. This is a measurement, in millimeters, of the space between your eyes. In the prescription example above, you will see that the patient’s pupillary distance is 62. Make a note of this number as well, it is the seventh of your seven critical numbers.
a final measure
A somewhat less critical number is the length of the temple. If you’re lucky, you’ll also see the temple length and bridge size on your prescription. If not, don’t worry, you can find out for yourself. The length of the temples describes the length of the two bars that connect the glasses to the ears. It is measured from where the 90 degree curve begins from the lens frame to the side bars (temple) to the end of the temple including the curve. It is not measured from the flex point of the temples, because the “stump” between the flex point and the lens frame is not a standard size.
Now, take a tape measure (preferably the kind used for adjusting clothing and sewing, as it’s very flexible) and measure an existing pair of glasses that fit comfortably. The average length of the temples for men is 135mm or 145mm. For women, 130mm to 140mm is standard. If your tape only has inches, measure to the nearest eighth or sixteenth and multiply that number by 25.4 to get the measurement in millimeters. Temple lengths are generally available in 5mm increments such as 130, 135, 140, 145 etc. In most online eyewear stores, the temple length is displayed within a description of the frame and cannot be customized. Therefore, you need to find a frame with a suitable temple size. This sometimes varies if you are on a specialist designer eyewear site, where you have the option of entering your own temple size.
Honestly, the size of the temple is not a big deal. I have a pair of lenses with 135mm temples and one with 140mm temples. Both pairs fit comfortably. If for some reason you can’t find a temple measurement, don’t let that stop you from shopping for glasses online. Instead, simply choose 140mm temples if you’re a man and 135mm temples if you’re a woman. Chances are this length will fit comfortably.
What is your style?
Armed with your seven critical numbers and an idea of your temple length, start exploring the myriad of online retailers. Pick some favorite frames and open the individual pages in separate tabs or windows of your web browser. Similar to trying on glasses at a standard retailer, you need to find out if the frames you like are appropriate for your face. You can visit my post on the topic of face shape. If you have a nice oval face, you’re in luck, almost any pair will suit you. If you have strong, angular features, a rounded or rimless pair will suit you. If you have a very round face, choose rectangular or hexagonal glasses. If you just want a basic pair of professional glasses, opt for titanium rimless lenses.
Using your trusty tape measure, you can compare other measurements of your existing eyeglasses to what you’re seeing online. The bridge measurement describes the distance between lenses, the height describes the distance from the lowest point on the front of the frame to the highest point, and the lens describes the distance between the end of the bridge and the beginning of the temple. Some retailers also offer free virtual trials. This service, which I describe below, will allow you to upload an image and place a variety of frame types on your face.
Place your order
So you’ve found the perfect pair of frames. Start the payment process. You should see boxes where you can enter your prescription information (the seven critical numbers). This will sometimes be in a table format similar to your recipe, or it can be a simple list. You will also have the option to choose from a variety of coatings and accessories. If you are going to wear your glasses day in and day out, I recommend choosing the anti-scratch and anti-reflective coatings. These really make a difference and facilitate night driving (anti-reflective) and the longevity of being able to see clearly through your lens (anti-scratch). You can add the UV coating if you wish, although it is not critical. Photochromic tint (also known as a “transition lens”) is also an option. Personally, I prefer to buy a separate pair of prescription sunglasses, but that’s up to you.
If you only wear glasses occasionally (perhaps as a supplement to contacts), or you’re just buying a pair of Rx sunglasses that won’t be worn every hour of the day, you may choose to save money by skipping the extras. If you’re shopping for a pair for your accident-prone child, skimping on the extras wouldn’t be a bad idea, either. Avoid liners and other add-ons that will also get you a great pair of prescription glasses for under $40. After placing your order, you will typically wait 2-3 weeks for your glasses to be custom cut and delivered. The finished product will usually include a hard case and a soft cloth to clean the lenses.
In this one, I show a video of the exact product received from a popular online eyewear retailer.
Side note one: “Help, I don’t have a prescription!”
If it’s been a long time since you’ve had your eyes examined, or if you just can’t get your prescription, it’s time to visit an optometrist. While your neighborhood optometrist may charge $100 or more for a simple exam, discount stores like Wal-Mart or optometrists in working-class neighborhoods often offer an eye exam for $40 or less. Grab your yellow pages and start making phone calls. You will most likely get the best price if you find an optometrist who has many clients without vision insurance.
Side note two: “How can it be so cheap?”
The price difference between glasses online and glasses purchased at a traditional retailer, or even Wal-Mart or Costco, is just beginning. An identical pair of titanium frames might cost $60 online and $220 at Wal-Mart. How can this be? What about the quality? I will state categorically that the quality of eyeglasses received from most online retailers is equal to or better than the quality found at your neighborhood eyeglass store or optometrist. The price difference stems from a number of factors, including the relative obscurity of online eyeglass shopping, the fact that well-paid optometrists don’t spend one-on-one time with the eyeglass buyer, and the fact that eyewear companies Insurance is generally not involved with online eyeglass purchases, which discourages inflated prices.
Give it a try. I guarantee that you will be satisfied with your online eyeglass purchase if you follow the steps outlined in this article.