My eyesight is poor, so poor that I can’t correct my vision well with contact lenses, and LASIK surgery is out of the question. It looks like I’m stuck with eyeglasses for life. Because of my strong prescription, I usually spend a lot of time and money on prescription eyeglasses. I am afflicted with farsightedness (hyperopia) coupled with severe astigmatism. In the past, optometrists have gotten my prescription wrong, and opticians have made my lenses incorrectly. So why would I entrust an online eyeglasses retailer with this task? Have you seen their prices? It’s tempting isn’t it? So, I thought I would test the waters with a pair of prescription sunglasses first. Even with my tough script, these new sunglasses would only set me back around $70, so what’s to lose? Following is my personal experience and guide to purchasing eyeglasses from an online retailer.
Get Your Prescription and Pupilary Distance (PD) Measurement
If your eyeglasses prescription does not contain your PD measurement, either go back to your eye doctor or a local optical shop. Both will able to quickly measure this for you. Do not try to do this yourself as some of the online retailers suggest. The PD measurement is too critical to mess up.
Select an Online Eyeglass Retailer
When choosing an online retailer for eyeglasses, begin by doing an Internet search for reviews of the retailer to get a feel for how well or ill the company is regarded. Look at a retailer’s rating with the Better Business Bureau. Do they have complaints filed against them? If so, were those complaints resolved? Then, consider price and frame options to finalize your decision. In my case, I chose to go with 39DollarGlasses.com (www.39dollarglasses.com) for my prescription sunglasses.
Begin Shopping For Your Eyeglasses
Many choices need to be made when purchasing eyeglasses, from selecting frames to choosing specialty lens coatings. Following are some tips to guide you through the decision making process.
Frames
Select the style and material you want. Most frames are available in metal, titanium (bendable) or plastic. Some frames are rimless while others are partially rimless. Consider the size of the frames when narrowing down your decision. Lens width, often the first measurement given, is the probably the most important. For instance, my face is small and narrow, so the selection of a small lens width is a must (usually 45mm or less). This is where it might be worth visiting a local optical shop to get a sense of what sizes will work with your face. Many online optical retailers have simulation tools to help with this, but I’m just not sure how accurate they are. I ended up selecting small, round metal frames-similar to the style John Lennon used to wear.
Lens Type
Your options will most likely be single-vision (full-time wear), single-vision reading only, bifocals or progressives (bifocals without lines). At some point during this step (or later), you may be asked to enter your prescription and PD measurement(s). Make sure you enter these correctly!
Lens Material
Online eyeglasses retailers usually offer three choices: regular plastic (also known as CR-39), polycarbonate and high index (1.67 index of refraction or higher) plastic. Most people choose either polycarbonate because of its impact resistance or high index lenses because they are thinner than regular plastic lenses. If you have a really strong prescription, high index might be your best bet because they are much thinner than regular plastic. You know Roy Orbison would go with the high index if he were still alive. For some reason, 39DollarGlasses.com kept recommending polycarbonate, even though high index is more appropriate for my prescription. Know which lenses you need beforehand so you can make the correct choice.
Anti-Reflective (AR) Coating
This coating allows more light through the lens and reduces glare. As far as I can tell, two flavors of AR coating exist: basic and premium. Basic comes with a 1-year warranty while premium comes with a 2-year warranty. Because I was purchasing an inexpensive pair of sunglasses, I did not opt for the AR coating. I always get the AR coating on my primary set of eyeglasses, however. 39DollarGlasses.com offers one AR coating option with a 1-year warranty.
Transitions Lenses
Photochromic lenses are the ones that change color (darken) when exposed to the UV rays of sunlight, and Transitions is the most popular brand of photochromic lens, so please excuse me of I use them interchangeably. Most types of lenses manufactured can have Transitions applied to them. Be aware that Transitions lenses will not darken in your car because your windshield is blocking the UV rays. Also, Transitions do not darken as much as regular sunglass tints.
A long standing debate about photochromic lenses continues: are they cool or are they for serial killers, old folks and dorks? I’m on the fence, but I recently solicited my 40-year-old sister-in-law’s opinion on the matter; she said she wasn’t old enough for Transitions lenses. Does that mean she’ll be old enough for Transitions someday? I didn’t ask.
Polarized Sunglass Lenses and Sunglass Tints
Polarized lenses filter glare from reflections off of smooth surfaces, such as water and cars, and because of this, they are a popular option in sunglasses. Unfortunately for me, they were not available with high index lenses. One thing I like about 39DollarGlasses.com was their choice of sunglass tints. Beyond the usual grey and brown, they also offer G-15 (grey and green), blue, rose (Janis Joplin’s favorite), orange and yellow. I chose G-15.
Conclusion – My Online Eyeglasses Purchase
Overall, I am very satisfied with my purchase. I wanted an inexpensive pair of sunglasses, and that’s what I got. The order tracking on 39DollarGlasses.com is supposed to show you exactly what stage of the production your eyeglasses are in, but I don’t think the information was accurate in my case. I suspected a problem with my lenses when I noticed they had been in the tinting phase for a week. I was unable to reach anyone by phone, but I was able to contact the online chat representative. He did his best to give me status updates. From purchase to delivery, the process took approximately three weeks, although a shorter turnaround period is common. My frames, which were $39, seemed adequate, and the lenses were finished nicely. For a new pair of eyeglasses that suits your budget, online eyeglasses retailers are worth checking out.
Some Other Popular Online Eyeglasses Retailers to Consider
www.ZENNIoptical.com
www.GlassesUSA.com
www.Eyeglassdirect.com
www.FramesDirect.com
www.ReplaceALens.com
Sources:
www.allaboutvision.com
www.39dollarglasses.com
