I have just had my second very good experience buying prescription glasses online. I save a lot of money buy getting only the eye test from the optician ($50). They act like you have to have all the other tests and assume you will buy glasses from them, but just keep saying no f you don't need that. Glass from the store start at just over $100 around here. I bought two pairs online for just over $60. I have used both GlassesUSA and EyeBuyDirest and was happy with both. To get the really good savings you do need to be smart with coupons. but I was not settling for an ugly pair just to be cheap. I got two really nice pairs in difference styles so I can change them to suit what I am wearing.
I wish I could find someplace here to get an eye exam for only $50.00. That's unheard of. In fact, if you haven't been for a while, they make you resubmit your info and add on a "new patient" fee, which usually isn't small. I know it can be cheaper to order contacts online once you have a prescription, but I never really thought about doing it with glasses. Thanks for sharing. Two pairs for $60.00 sounds like a huge discount. How do you know if they'll look good on you without trying them on though? Isn't that a concern, or did you try some on elsewhere and then order them online when you knew what you wanted?
I agree with @thisnthat on this. That is why I don't buy my glasses online. How would I know how I will look wearing them. I would rather go to the store and try it on before buying. As for the eye test, most of the stores in my country have the machine to test the eye and then you can buy the glasses. The test is free of cost.
A machine test is never correct to buy a prescription glasses from. Most people donot know this and so go to optometrist for an eye check up instead of an ophthalmologist. You need a subjective refraction after the machine test to get the correct reading for glasses. Children under 18 may need an extra eye test using eyedrops before getting their correct readings. Buying glasses online is good idea if you already know which shape of frame goes well with your face. I feel it might be a hassle if the grinded power may be errenous though.
The online stores get their product from the same providers the brick and mortar stores do--so they are the same quality and made based on the same empirical scores. It's not like the brick and mortar stores are grinding lens on site. Both types of vendor should be up front and tell you where their lens are being made. I would stay well away from the machine test if you want an accurate results. A cheap pair of glasses that makes you fail a vision test at work or when renewing a driver's license is a false economy.
I wouldn't consider buying prescription glasses online. I wouldn't be comfortable with a mere machine test without the doctor's involvement. I believe that my eyes are too important to subject them to these short-changed methods.
@Decentlady Optometrists do not base their tests on the machine only, the machine only serve as a guide to having an idea of the error due to refraction in the eye. After that they do a thorough external and internal eye examination and then the required subjective refraction. In fact the optometrists are supposed to be the first eye doctors of contact, they refer major eye cases to the ophthalmologists.
I am not sure if the glasses I would be ordering from online store would fit my eyes sight. This is the first time that I have known, that I have to admit, that eye glasses would be bought from online store. Probably that would nonprescribe eye glasses. I have been wearing a prescribe eye glasses. It is now time for me to change it as I grow with age. Sometimes, the eye glasses I am wearing right now make my sight blurred. So what I did is to buy a reading glasses for the meantime. I am planning to visit my optician for a new eye glasses.
I bought a pair of prescription glasses online but was not very impressed with them. I sent them the prescription that my regular optician gave me and although I could see out of them well the frame broke within 2 weeks. I wouldn't buy a pair online again as I feel the quality of the frame is not as good as you would get in your own optician plus it's much easier just to get them fixed if they do break.
I just learned about a site where you can order glasses if you have your prescription. It's called Zenni. Their prices are surprisingly low. You can also just order frames if you need to replace your current ones. If you decide to purchase frames only, they are half the price. They also have flat rate shipping. The site has a feature where you can "try on" the glasses. I think my daughter is going to order some new frames from them. If she does, I'll let you all know how it goes.
Zenni has good reviews online. I am going to try them for my glasses as I really need some new ones. I have the prescription already so all I need is the lenses and frames. I am hoping I have a good experience. I will return if I do. It can be a great savings.
Even though I don't have first hand experience, I don't recommend anyone to buy prescription glass online. You should always buy a prescription glasses from a local store. When you buy from local store, you can check whether the power on the glass is exactly the same as suggested by the doctor. This is not possible when you buy online.
