Eyeglasses Online

Previously unimaginable, and for some of us, still unimaginable. Buying eyeglasses online? Don’t we want to touch, feel, ask a friend or significant other how they look prior to buying? Well, like most things sold online these days, engaging in what we normally would have done 10 or 15 years just isn’t done any longer. Brands know us, merchants know us, they offer us deals based on previous purchasing habits, so any new purchase almost feels, well … known.

The process of buying prescription glasses online still requires the client to engage in an in-store step. A prescription needs to be generated so a visit to the optometrist before anything is obligatory. The prescription needs to be up-to-date (within a year) and getting one’s pupillary distance measured (distance between your pupils) is recommended. This will help in determining where to place the lens in the frames for your specific eyes.

Once the above has been completed the next step is finding online glasses shops. There are a lot out there, so do some preliminary research, check with the Better Business Bureau, read the reviews and narrow down your search from there. Here are a couple prominent players:

Warby Parker

One, if not the biggest out there. A cool characteristic of Warby Parker is you can try on the glasses at home. They’ll ship you up to 5 frames and you then get a 5-day time frame to try them out and return the ones you don’t want. The website is highly intuitive, easy, and there is a generous return policy for every purchase.

Zenni

With over a thousand styles to choose from, Zenni is an outstanding, highly affordable online retailer where you can score a decent pair from $7 to $30. Anti-scratch coating comes standard on all pairs along with a handy cleaning cloth. A nice feature on their site is you can upload a photo of yourself and try on the glasses (virtually). The output will show your photo with the glasses on you. The Zenni return policy is not as generous nor flexible as Warby Parker, but you also can’t get a decent pair for $10 on Warby Parker either.

EyeBuyDirect

Finally, another affordable leader in the online eyeglasses sphere. EyeBuyDirect, as the name suggests, offers hassle-free, direct purchasing from a wholesaler of some of the trendiest and stylish frames you’ll find today. The site offers a cool loyalty program where if you spend over $99 you get free shipping on your purchase. The return policy is good, but just within a 14-day window.

For more suggestions of where to get a decent, affordable pair of glasses online, check out Riffbuddy - Eyeglasses Online.