# Where are the best places to purchase eyeglasses online? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 15, 2012, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940 "2012-02-15T17:28:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940/21 "2012-02-16T10:13:54Z")
Some opticians won’t give you your papillary distance because they don’t want you to buy your glasses from Zenni or anyone else but them. I found this out the hard way. I also have bifocals, which “supposedly” makes it more difficult to buy glasses online. I don’t know if that’s true, though. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940/22 "2012-02-16T13:52:56Z")
> [@Algorithm](#): > > Well, I’m honestly curious what trouble you think I might have with the frames I got online. My newest pair is comfortable on the eyes, durable, and fits well. To me, no-name brand is a plus, discontinued is a plus - “designer” brand frames strike me as a total waste of money. 90 cents a day is great - 9 cents a day is much better. > > I also wonder if any issues encountered couldn’t be solved by visiting an optician with the frames I purchased on the cheap. Same here. We’ve purchased a dozen pair online and all have fit well and the prescription was dead on perfect. Some still feel the needs to pay 20x what we do just so someone can make sure the glasses “fit” right. I reckon some just like to have some attention lavished on them and are willing to pay outragous prices to feel special. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![KneeSid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dec6dc/32.png) [@KneeSid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneeSid)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940/23 "2012-02-16T14:14:05Z")
Though there are optician degrees and certificates, in some states you don’t even need a license to be an optician, you learn on the job. This leads me to believe it’s not as important as some people make out to be. I tend to be a bit leery of the optical field as I get my eye checkups and the optometrist, says I need a prescription, but the ophthalmologist says I have 20/20 vistion and eyes like a hawk. Well which is is? I have no issues seeing. Well one profession is wrong. Two ophthalmologists say I have perfect vision, three optometrist say I need glasses. I can see perfectly according to my eye. Hmmmm? ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940/24 "2012-02-16T14:32:54Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > Some opticians won’t give you your papillary distance because they don’t want you to buy your glasses from Zenni or anyone else but them. I found this out the hard way. I also have bifocals, which “supposedly” makes it more difficult to buy glasses online. I don’t know if that’s true, though. In some states that’s illegal. In PA, you must give out the pupil distance and a valid prescription if requested. They’re not _happy_ about it but they know they have to. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940/25 "2012-02-16T14:33:12Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > Some opticians won’t give you your papillary distance because they don’t want you to buy your glasses from Zenni or anyone else but them. I have 20/20 papillae ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940/26 "2012-02-16T14:38:02Z")
I’ve purchased (4) pairs of glasses from Zenni (two regular and two sunglasses). I use these mainly when I play tennis for the primary reason that on the off-chance I get hit in the face with a ball and my glasses break (I’ve seen it happen first hand), I’d rather they be a $20 pair than a $200 pair. The frames from Zenni are definitely a ‘cheaper’ quality than those I get at an actual eyeglass place, but the lenses work perfectly to correct my vision and that’s really all I cared about for ‘sports’ glasses. Oh, and out of those (4) pair, only one didn’t fit right (the arms needed to be adjusted for a tighter fit). I was able to take them to the place I bought my expensive, everyday glasses and they adjusted them for me for free with a smile on their faces. YMMV, of course. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940/27 "2012-02-16T16:46:32Z")
Yeah, any of the big chain eyeglass places will do minor adjustments (too tight/too loose at the temples, etc.) for free. ---
**Author:** ![Deegeea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Deegeea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deegeea)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940/28 "2012-02-16T16:59:07Z")
I’ve bought six pairs from Zenni Optical. 4 were for me. Of those 4, one didn’t fit, one was too tight but is fine for short periods (reading glasses), one fits perfectly and I wear it all the time but after a year the lenses are starting to hairline crack (!) and the fourth is sunglasses and fits well and is still perfectly ok. They cost between 18-30 $ each and for the price I feel I did fine. 1 was for my son, sunglasses. His non Zenni pair of regular glasses cost $500. The zenni sunglasses cost $28 and are fine. 1 was for my husband. His non Zenni pair of regular glasses cost $650. (bifocals) The zenni sunglasses cost $50 and one lens popped out the first time he wore it. Hasn’t worn it since of course. So, overall, Zenni has been reasonably cost effective but far from excellent quality for me, anecdotally speaking. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940/29 "2012-02-16T17:00:19Z")
So this Zenni place is in China? How about the others? Are they all Chinese? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940/30 "2012-02-16T17:02:33Z")
> [@fifty-six](#): > > Any suggestions for non-prescription reading glasses? Or how to write myself a prescription for a pair or reading glasses. > > I always end up liking frames for prescription glasses but then I need an expensive prescription to use them. I just want to read in style and on the cheap. Go to the drugstore. Most racks of reading glasses have samples of small print attached so you can find the right power. Or just bring some small print & see what works. There are fancier places to get reading glasses–with higher prices. My close vision is still excellent. But not with contacts; rather than get bifocal contacts, my optometrist told me to get reading glasses at the drugstore & told me what kind I needed. So I mostly wear regular glasses–& take them off for reading, computing, etc. No matter where you buy your glasses–or whether you wear them at all–yearly eye exams are a good idea. As we age, things can go wrong with the eyes. If you only need reading glasses & can’t figure out what kind works for you, the doctor will guide your trip to the drugstore… ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940/31 "2012-02-16T17:16:36Z")
> [@Algorithm](#): > > Well, I’m honestly curious what trouble you think I might have with the frames I got online. My newest pair is comfortable on the eyes, durable, and fits well. To me, no-name brand is a plus, discontinued is a plus - “designer” brand frames strike me as a total waste of money. 90 cents a day is great - 9 cents a day is much better. > > I also wonder if any issues encountered couldn’t be solved by visiting an optician with the frames I purchased on the cheap. With discontinued frames the problem is usually minor repairs become impossible because no parts are available. With no-name frames the problems are typically things like cheap metals that won’t hold up to being adjusted. If the eyewire threads get stripped out on a decent quality frame it can just be tapped for a larger screw. Not so with cheap metals. The nose pads are frequently riveted on instead of attached properly. This causes them to be unadjustable (the pads need to sit as flat as possible on both sides of the nose to fit right) and unreplaceable, which turns a 2-3 dollar repair into needing to replace the whole frame. Only you can’t replace the frame, because even if you can figure out who made it they only made one production run and no more are available. So now you need a whole new pair of specs. Then there’s still the fact that someone needs to see you wearing the frame to get all the measurements needed to make the lenses properly, and someone needs to adjust the frame to your face after it’s finished. Sure, you could visit an optician with the frames you purchased on the cheap. You could also ask an electrician to tidy up the cheap wiring your brother-in-law put in. > [@kiz](#): > > Some opticians won’t give you your papillary distance because they don’t want you to buy your glasses from Zenni or anyone else but them. I found this out the hard way. I also have bifocals, which “supposedly” makes it more difficult to buy glasses online. I don’t know if that’s true, though. Opticians won’t give out pupillary distances because they can’t. They aren’t prescribers. Ophthalmologists traditionally don’t dispense, but in the past typically didn’t include P.D.s on prescriptions because a: they didn’t consider that to be part of the prescription, and b: they wanted to be sure it would be filled by a real optician and not just an order-taker. Anyway, there are other measurements that are specific to the frame on the person. Like bifocal placement. Oddly enough, most optometrists in the area I where worked did routinely include P.D.s on prescriptions, even though most of them sell glasses and would prefer you bought from them. However, we still took our own because we were ultimately responsible for the accuracy of all measurements other than the actual prescription. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940/32 "2012-02-16T17:42:21Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > Some opticians won’t give you your papillary distance because they don’t want you to buy your glasses from Zenni or anyone else but them. I found this out the hard way. I also have bifocals, which “supposedly” makes it more difficult to buy glasses online. I don’t know if that’s true, though. Wow, what an ass that guy is. I went to the eye doctor, got my script, and said, “Oh, can you give me my pupillary distance?” And he said, “Oh, are you buying online?” I said, “Yeah, I don’t have insurance. You know how it goes.” He laughed and said, “Oh yeah, no problem at all, let me get that for you!” **levdrakon** a lot of the places are in China (which isn’t a big deal to me, except that often times the stuff will get held up for weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks coming over on the slow boat from the old country), but EyeBuyDirect (which I mentioned up thread) is in the US. I always get my stuff within 7-10 days from Eyebuy. Another benefit of these sites? Prescription sunglasses on the cheap! ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940/33 "2012-02-16T17:52:46Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > **levdrakon** a lot of the places are in China (which isn’t a big deal to me, except that often times the stuff will get held up for weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks coming over on the slow boat from the old country), but EyeBuyDirect (which I mentioned up thread) is in the US. I always get my stuff within 7-10 days from Eyebuy. > > Another benefit of these sites? Prescription sunglasses on the cheap! Thanks! I’m not super anal about “made in China” but I am trying to make a conscious effort to spread my money around other-than-China places. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940/34 "2012-02-16T18:06:33Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Thanks! I’m not super anal about “made in China” but I am trying to make a conscious effort to spread my money around other-than-China places. 🙂 Absolutely understandable. For me, I’m just terribly impatient and can’t bring myself to wait for things heh. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940/35 "2012-02-16T18:35:31Z")
Zeni even provides a nice simple to use device to measure your pd. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2012, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940/36 "2012-02-17T07:26:21Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > With discontinued frames the problem is usually minor repairs become impossible because no parts are available. With no-name frames the problems are typically things like cheap metals that won’t hold up to being adjusted. If the eyewire threads get stripped out on a decent quality frame it can just be tapped for a larger screw. Not so with cheap metals. The nose pads are frequently riveted on instead of attached properly. This causes them to be unadjustable (the pads need to sit as flat as possible on both sides of the nose to fit right) and unreplaceable, which turns a 2-3 dollar repair into needing to replace the whole frame. Only you can’t replace the frame, because even if you can figure out who made it they only made one production run and no more are available. So now you need a whole new pair of specs. > > Then there’s still the fact that someone needs to see you wearing the frame to get all the measurements needed to make the lenses properly, and someone needs to adjust the frame to your face after it’s finished. > > Sure, you could visit an optician with the frames you purchased on the cheap. You could also ask an electrician to tidy up the cheap wiring your brother-in-law put in. > > Opticians won’t give out pupillary distances because they can’t. They aren’t prescribers. > > Ophthalmologists traditionally don’t dispense, but in the past typically didn’t include P.D.s on prescriptions because a: they didn’t consider that to be part of the prescription, and b: they wanted to be sure it would be filled by a real optician and not just an order-taker. Anyway, there are other measurements that are specific to the frame on the person. Like bifocal placement. > > Oddly enough, most optometrists in the area I where worked did routinely include P.D.s on prescriptions, even though most of them sell glasses and would prefer you bought from them. However, we still took our own because we were ultimately responsible for the accuracy of all measurements other than the actual prescription. So then you just buy another pair for $15. You sure give a lot of excuses to try and justify why it’s worth it to buy expensive frames. ‘Oh but they have to be \*precisely \*measured to your face and even the most miniscule deviation will destroy the whole look! You must use a professional!’ So take a pair you already have, measure it, and get something similar. Any glasses store will adjust a pair you bring in for free. > [@Doug K](#): > > I was an optician Ahhh. That’s why. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940/37 "2012-02-17T21:31:03Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > ‘Oh but they have to be \*precisely \*measured to your face and even the most miniscule deviation will destroy the whole look! You must use a professional!’ So take a pair you already have, measure it, and get something similar. Any glasses store will adjust a pair you bring in for free. Proper measurements and alignment have nothing to do with the ‘look’. It’s about the optics. It’s about making sure the lenses are positioned in front of the eyes correctly. Eyeglasses are a medical device, not just a fashion accessory. That’s why they require a prescription. You need precise measurements because the optical centers of the lenses need to be placed correctly in front of the pupils when looking straight forward. There is no way to know where to place the centers without seeing the frame on the person. You can’t just measure a pair you already have. For one, the vertical placement will be different unless you’re using another frame of the exact same model and size. For another, unless you have a lensometer and know how to use it you won’t even be able to find the optical centers to measure them. Even then you can’t be sure because there may be horizontal or vertical prism in the prescription that has changed, or the previous lenses may have been made incorrectly. The point is, regardless of price, no one can make eyeglasses properly without seeing the patient in person. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2012, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940/38 "2012-02-17T22:21:44Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > The point is, regardless of price, no one can make eyeglasses properly without seeing the patient in person. See though that is just wrong evidenced by boat-loads of people ordering glasses from China and being thrilled with them. I for the life of me can’t figure out how my Zeni glasses could be made any better than they are. They sit perfectly on my face, the prescription is just perfect and they have never given me eyestrain or anything so much as a headache. It’s funny seeing people trying to defend 300 dollar glasses. You keep believing that you need that other person and writing out checks for hundreds of dollars. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940/39 "2012-02-18T06:07:15Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > See though that is just wrong evidenced by boat-loads of people ordering glasses from China and being thrilled with them. > > I for the life of me can’t figure out how my Zeni glasses could be made any better than they are. They sit perfectly on my face, the prescription is just perfect and they have never given me eyestrain or anything so much as a headache. It’s funny seeing people trying to defend 300 dollar glasses. > > You keep believing that you need that other person and writing out checks for hundreds of dollars. 🙂 How does a person who has never seen you know how far your pupils will be from the bottom of the frame you ordered when looking straight forward? How does a person who has never seen you know the [vertex distance](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertex_distance) of the frame you ordered? Granted, vertex only comes into play in extremely high prescriptions, but optical center height figures in all. Or conversely, how does a person who has never seen the frame on you ascertain that data? It varies from person to person, and it may not even be the same for both eyes. ANSI tolerance for vertical imbalance is at most 1mm. In the unlikely event that you could find those measurements, Zenni doesn’t even have places to put them on their order form. There’s no place for seg heights on bifocals or fitting heights on progressives. Their prescription information page claims that seg heights are “standard”, a percentage of the height of the lens. **That’s not how the correct seg height is determined.** They are positioned relative to the wearer’s lower lid (for lined bifocals) or pupils (for progressives), and again it’s not always the same for both eyes. Why is it funny to defend $300 glasses? How much do you spend a year for food, clothes, rent or house payment, water, electricity, natural gas, phone, health insurance? Eyeglasses are hands down the cheapest necessity of life for most people. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940/40 "2012-02-18T14:29:13Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > How does a person who has never seen you know how far your pupils will be from the bottom of the frame you ordered when looking straight forward? How does a person who has never seen you know the [vertex distance](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertex_distance) of the frame you ordered? Granted, vertex only comes into play in extremely high prescriptions, but optical center height figures in all. Or conversely, how does a person who has never seen the frame on you ascertain that data? It varies from person to person, and it may not even be the same for both eyes. ANSI tolerance for vertical imbalance is at mo. You cant enter those numbers but its ovbvious that it doesn’t t really matter. How are us Zeno fans being hurt by not having that data.? Seriously, I can simply not imagine how my glasses are hurting me or how they could work for me any better than they do. What am I missing out on? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-best-places-to-purchase-eyeglasses-online/612940.md?page=3)